Range Rover Evoque Coupe Review

This is the chapter were the Evoque is the least Range Rover-ish and it all has to do with the suspension setup, which belongs to the hot hatch area, rather than to the SUV one. Fortunately, the rest of the car does everything it can to save the day, with the efforts being remarkable.

The seats give you a coasy feeling, and this is also true for the rear ones, while the optional leather on our test car was extra-smooth. The soundproofing is excellent, while the interior space is decent, even for the two passengers sitting in the back.

We'll remind you that the five-door version of the Evoque is just as long as the coupe, so it's no wonder that, in the back, the car doesn't feel like a coupe at all.

The vehicle we tested also came with optional goodies such as heated front seats and a touch-screen infotainment system ,which really made life sweet aboard.

The compact glass area of the Evoque has two faces: it gives a feeling of security, working together with the cabin design to create the impression of a cocoon, but it can become annoying inside the city, where the visibility is below average.

All in all, the Evoque would be a comfortable car, if the suspension used a different setup. However, we understand the compromise and prefer it to one that would throw handling out the window. But you don't need to choose - go for the optional adaptive dampers and all the problems will be solved.

We'll start by answering an obvious question: about a third of the Evoque is a Freelander (LR2). However, this is just theoretically, as the car doesn't feel anything like a Freelander. In fact, in the Si4 version we tested, it doesn't even feel like an SUV. Let's see why.

First of all, the weight difference between the Freelander and the Evoque is about the same you get when acquiring the track-focused version of a supercar vs its normal one. The baby Range is lighter thanks to the use of aluminum for the suspension and parts of the body, with the latter also receiving plastic aid.

Then there's the suspension. The standard version we tested (read non-adaptive dampers) feels like it's come from a hot hatch, being slightly softened and having the ride height seriously increased.

We've saved the best for last: under the hood, we find a Blue Oval-sourced 1,999 cc turbocharged engine that delivers 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 251 lb-ft (340 Nm) of torque at 1,750 rpm, working with a ZF six-peed auto with paddle shifters.

You can really feel the torque arriving early, even though there is a certain lag and then the engine pulls nicely throughtout the rev range.

Further down the power chain, we find a four-wheel-drive system that is working a full time job, with a Haldex rear diff as an assistant. This brings a balanced handling, but if you want to have fun it will be pretty hard to convince the rear end to let go unless the driving surface is extremely slippery.

This is because even though you can turn the ESP off the rollover prevention system will think that you're about to turn the car over everytime you're trying to initiate a drift and will kill the fun instantly. Drive it normally however, and you'll feel a perfectly balanced system.

The Evoque is a status car just as much as it is a coupe or a crossover, so this chapter is very important for it. More than in many other cars, you really need to be generous when ticking optional extras in order to make its formula work.

This will obviously pump the price up. Our test car followed this recipe and treated us with goodies like a full leather finish, with the interior coming in a two-tone scheme, electric (with a memory function) and heated front seats, Xenon headlights and Jaguar-borrowed touch-sensitive front interior lights, as well as a multifunctional steering wheel and

The main toy was the touchscreen infotainment system. This uses a home menu that becomes a bit crowded, trying to give you all the information and possibilities at once.

Another optional feature that you really need to have is the rear view camera. We really can't see how you could park the car daily without it.

However, you won't like the mediocre plastics used for the medium area of the center console and the rear interior lights.

The standard features that we really appreciated include the pop-up gearshift knob and the electric hand brake, which really works as an emergency brake while you're on the move.

Sometimes, the "new car smell" of freshly-released vehicles is too toxic for the people at Euro NCAP and they have to wait for the fresh air to enter the cabin before they bash the car against one of their official walls. Case in point with the Evoque, which means that, as far as passive safety goes, we'll have to rely on the vehicle's specs for this chapter.

There's the usual airbag army and when it comes to electronics, well, you've got Landie's array of systems that keep you from doing anything wrong. The most noticeable features are the Terrain response, which works with the four-wheel-drive system and with the gas pedal, as well as the Rollover prevention nanny.

The latter can become annoying when you really have fun and, in the case of the 240 hp petrol model we tested, this kind of conclusion is relevant. But we'll talk more about this in the "Tech Facts" chapter.

On the road, the Evoque feels extremely safe. You wouldn't guess this as first sight, as the vehicle's hefty ground clearance doesn't inspire you to play with the weight transfer to much. However, the suspension is pretty stiff and, together with the all-wheel-drive system and the electronics, manages to turn the Evoque into a true road hugger.

It's the same story with the brakes: our test car was fitted with 20-inch rims that made the brake rotors, which have an average diameter, look terribly small. However, once you climb aboard and hit the speed killing pedal, you'll have a pleasant surprise.

Remember all those times when you spent so much time contemplating the lines of a concept car and wondered why automakers never strap a set of number plates to it and bring it on the road instead of diluting its spirit in the process? The Range Rover Evoque is the painkiller for all that suffering - there are roughly no visual differences between the car we drove and the LRX concept it is based on, with the later itself being a member of the bold design society.

But it's not a Range Rover. You see, Land Rover is now reinventing itself, with the Evoque being the first big step in the process, and the company didn't want to take the risk of bringing it on the market as a newcomer.

Using the two "r" words in the car's designation brings buyer confidence even before anyone even comes near the car. But the Evoque doesn't need this. It has enough assets to impress even without the badges.

A Range Rover doesn't invite you to push it full throttle through the bends. The Evoque, in the 240 hp petrol version we tested, does. A Range Rover doesn't look like the metal incarnation of the future. The Evoque does. A Range Rover doesn't feel at home in crowded urban areas. The Evoque does, even its shorter-ratio steering will tell you that.

Guilty pleasure piece of writing: somehow, the Evoque Coupe Si4 made us think about the Mega Track. End of guilty pleasure piece of writing.

A Range Rover can take you up to the clouds if you take it off-road. The Evoque can't. It has strong off-roading capabilities, but lacks the effortless feeling when driven over rough terrain, as it's suspension is too stiff for this kind of activities.

In case you haven't noticed, we started telling you that it is not the perfect car. The suspension makes its otherwise extremely versatile character limited.

The passive dampers suspension we tested only allows the Eqvoue to be a good sporty vehicle. Period. But if you go for the optional adaptive one, you'll also get a comfortable cruiser and a better off-roader.

Its stunning design takes away some of the visibility, but this is an issue only inside the city and you can get used to it. The market needs cars that tip the balance in this way, we're tired of politically-correct styled means of transportation.

In fact, the whole car is about the experience. And it depends on how you look at it. Think about it as a Range Rover and you'll be a bit disappointed, as you won't feel all that special. But take it for what it is and you'll be really pleased.

But don't believe in Santa Clause. At around EUR60,000 (USD83,000 at the current exchange rate), the Evoque we tested is an expensive car for its size. And you really need to keep the spec high in order to maintain the premium feeling that is vital for this kind of car. You'll need to pay for the rear view camera in order to be able to park. You'll need to pay for the leather on the dash in order to use the words "plush interior". And so on...

Since the Evoque is a part of the urban culture, we've found a more appropriate name for it: the Shape Shifter. It's a coupe. It's a hot hatch. It's an SUV. In fact, it uses one very well known law of flirting: it makes you love it for the aforementioned assets and hate it at the same time for its price.