Range Rover Evoque

Just got back from driving it.

 

Engine is shit, the price you pay for high MPG in this model. Under acceleration it's loud and "unseemly" as it sounds just like what you'd expect a buzzy 4-cylinder turbo to sound like pulling 4,000+ pounds.

 

Quick though, 0-60 is like 8.5 and it feels light on its feet. When not accelerating it's extremely quiet, as nice as the big RRs in just about every way.

 

The ride was like a BMW 7-series, sporty with no slop, and not punishing. No bounciness which plagues these short-wheelbase crossovers, and extremely reactive steering.

 

Impressive actually, I expected it to be a lot worse than it is, it feels like a 5-series sedan to drive...not at all like a mini-SUV. They've delivered on the lux part of it as the interior materials combine with the driving experience to fool you into thinking you're in one of their nicer models.

 

Put a deposit down, it was really a no-brainer for what she needs. Delivery some time in October.

 

 

 

Now you need a bunch of hybrid babies to fill it up!

Congratz Mako!

I was just going through the build tool online and I think either the mauritus blue or the lime green with that tan/orangish/brown interior (which I didn't see as an option though it is on the RRS) with piano black trim, some blacked out wheels with a slightly offroad tire would be pretty awesome IMO.

Does anyone who's received an Evoque by now care to post some thoughts? I still didn't get to drive one but found some for sale at about 3k over retail price which I'd pay rather than wait 6 months for a car, especially with winter around the corner. They are in Germany though and I can't go all the way there for a test drive, because my local dealer doesn't care to return calls...

The rear seat legroom in my full size RR supercharged sucks ass, I can't imagine this thing has much at all. Interior looks nice though for the segment.

The rear seat legroom in my full size RR supercharged sucks ass, I can't imagine this thing has much at all. Interior looks nice though for the segment.

 

I'm about 1,90 m tall and 105 kg, I fit in the Evoque much more comfortably than in the RR Sport. The Evoque is a really well designed car imo.

Does anyone who's received an Evoque by now care to post some thoughts? I still didn't get to drive one but found some for sale at about 3k over retail price which I'd pay rather than wait 6 months for a car, especially with winter around the corner. They are in Germany though and I can't go all the way there for a test drive, because my local dealer doesn't care to return calls...

 

It must be selling at a far higher rate than they expected, or it's a buggy POS that needs work before deliveries begin in large quantities, because my pre-order keeps getting delayed...

It must be selling at a far higher rate than they expected, or it's a buggy POS that needs work before deliveries begin in large quantities, because my pre-order keeps getting delayed...

 

I've 2 friends who have deposits on Evoques, they've been postponed as well, they should have received their cars earlier this month, one has been delayed to the end of october and again to the first part of november, my other friend has had his delivery delayed from december to january... Apparently there are huge issues with parts supplies, and the production of the Evoque has been plagued by misfortunes. There was a fire at the plant and there was an accident in which a worker was killed, that damaged one of their tools for making the 5 door Evoque, and so lots of people with 5 doors on order got delayed because of this.

 

This is what my friends and myself dug up from some Land Rover forums, however neither the dealer in Bucharest nor the one I'm in contact with in Germany acknowledged what I just said above. The german dealer said that there were indeed supply shortages at the factory ranging from xenon headlights to pano roofs and more. If you'd ask me I'd say JLR are doing a piss poor job getting this car to their customers. That's why I'm looking to get a car from a showroom floor rather than order, 6 months wait is unacceptable to me, especially considering all the delays, and with winter around the corner in a car that won't cope.

I've 2 friends who have deposits on Evoques, they've been postponed as well, they should have received their cars earlier this month, one has been delayed to the end of october and again to the first part of november, my other friend has had his delivery delayed from december to january... Apparently there are huge issues with parts supplies, and the production of the Evoque has been plagued by misfortunes. There was a fire at the plant and there was an accident in which a worker was killed, that damaged one of their tools for making the 5 door Evoque, and so lots of people with 5 doors on order got delayed because of this.

 

This is what my friends and myself dug up from some Land Rover forums, however neither the dealer in Bucharest nor the one I'm in contact with in Germany acknowledged what I just said above. The german dealer said that there were indeed supply shortages at the factory ranging from xenon headlights to pano roofs and more. If you'd ask me I'd say JLR are doing a piss poor job getting this car to their customers. That's why I'm looking to get a car from a showroom floor rather than order, 6 months wait is unacceptable to me, especially considering all the delays, and with winter around the corner in a car that won't cope.

 

That sounds right, I haven't been following anything on the car as it doesn't interest me enough to be bothered (wife's car), but I assumed it was typical Land Rover drama that was causing delays.

 

They've bitten off a lot to chew on with this car, far more than anything they've ever done before in going for this high-volume segment...I would bet many dollars we'll be using the warranty frequently during the first year of ownership, lol.

That sounds right, I haven't been following anything on the car as it doesn't interest me enough to be bothered (wife's car), but I assumed it was typical Land Rover drama that was causing delays.

 

They've bitten off a lot to chew on with this car, far more than anything they've ever done before in going for this high-volume segment...I would bet many dollars we'll be using the warranty frequently during the first year of ownership, lol.

 

I'm not quite sure of that. I don't know if you get the Freelander model in the US, the Evoque is being built at the same plant as the Freelander, which is more modern and has a better reputation for quality. The Freelander holds top spots in quality and reliabilty surveys as opposed to its bigger brothers. Based on this fact, I'm inclined to believe the Evoque will be much more reliable that the other RRs, or at least I'm hoping it will be. This isn't a cheap car at all for what it is, I hope I won't be disappointed.

 

I'm not quite sure of that. I don't know if you get the Freelander model in the US, the Evoque is being built at the same plant as the Freelander, which is more modern and has a better reputation for quality. The Freelander holds top spots in quality and reliabilty surveys as opposed to its bigger brothers. Based on this fact, I'm inclined to believe the Evoque will be much more reliable that the other RRs, or at least I'm hoping it will be. This isn't a cheap car at all for what it is, I hope I won't be disappointed.

 

 

:icon_thumleft:

We just took delivery of my wife's evoque.

 

The size is perfect for her and is exactly what she wanted. Its true the ride is by far the best on road drive of any land/range rover, although not the fastest by any stretch.....all the reviews are quoting 7 flatish it's no barn burner but completely adequate for her. We got white with a light interior, I think it looks awesome and she loves it. After the winter we may paint the wheels black, we'll see. And it is a bummer the roof doesn't open but he massive glass panel is a great feature.

I saw an all black one driving on the highway, I had to do a double take didn't look like anything I recognized. It doesn't look bad at all though. Rather drive a droptop Nissan Murano though.

I'm looking at the Pure Premium, going to test drive it hopefully soon (that and the BMW X3 and Audi Q5)...it looked good in person and the interior was nice..my only worries are that it's a Land Rover and it's the first model year.

I'm looking at the Pure Premium, going to test drive it hopefully soon (that and the BMW X3 and Audi Q5)...it looked good in person and the interior was nice..my only worries are that it's a Land Rover and it's the first model year.

 

It shares it's most important bits with the Ford edge, which is pretty bulletproof.

Saw a three door coupe yesterday on whilshire coming from Brentwood over in to Westwood. Not a fan, looks like it is trying to be something that it isn't.

Saw a three door coupe yesterday on whilshire coming from Brentwood over in to Westwood. Not a fan, looks like it is trying to be something that it isn't.

 

Agree, as with DRS above ours is for the wife and I can't imagine Men being interested in it. Way too small and "cute".

 

Even if you butch it up by lowering it, dropping aggressive contrast-colored wheels on it, and the other usual changes it's still won't equal the presence of a properly done up RR Sport.

 

But I will say that I'd like to see the larger RR models get the Evoque's styling treatment, and they might be very impressive as that appears to be the plan based on what brass is saying.

 

A lot of little elements on the Evoque that are sharp, we'll see how it translates on the bigger cars.

The local dealer gave me one to test drive today. It was a 3dr version with midway trim + a turbo engine.

 

With all due respect, I wasn't too impressed with it. There is an obvious turbo lag which even the dealer concurs. The ride ranks from ok to good but not remotely close to a full-size RR. The Evoque lacks that solid, quiet & quintessential feel and felt slightly edgy. Perhaps I am old school as far as my preference for the RR is concerned. That said, however, it IS quite capable and almost comparable to a nimble compact hatchback --- once the turbo spools up.

 

The glass roof is clever as it hides the rear-slopping roof well but when the cover is out shielding the roof, the claustrophobic feeling creeps in especially for the 3dr version. The rear window isn't much larger than most Italian exotics that are discussed here.

 

The one thing that I really dislike is the A-pillar and the side mirrors. The A-pillars are extremely thick and set at a steep angle. The side mirrors are huge for a car of this size. Add the 2 together and outward vision on the side of the windshield is severely compromised. Try getting out of a driveway onto a busy road with cars parked on the sidewalk!

 

I admit the styling is refreshing and even bold for a Land Rover. Fit & finish is also good and the materials used feels adequate --- just a slightly more plastic than I wanted to see; it is, afterall, suppose to be a Range Rover!

 

All in all, it would feel great for those who graduated from the CRV, RAV4 crowd (assuming they are willing to step up with the extra $$). It's on par with the X3 & Tiguan crowd and even has a slight edge over them (assuming Land Rover had sort out all the bugs in the electronics) and as far as luxury is concerned. And the car would likely do well for the clients that it is aiming for (as depicted by some of our members above). But it really isn't geared towards serious car guys and especially those who prefer the original supercharged full-sized Range Rovers. IMO, it's Land Rover's latest effort on capitalizing on the Range Rover name/genre (i.e. milking $$$ using a LR2/Freelander 2 with uprated looks and hardware); just like the Range Rover Sport which, essentially, is a LR3/Discovery 3 chassis with a shell styled after the original RR. Not bad but far from being a real Range Rover.

Agree about the lag....it is present. Disagree on the ride...I think its better than any other rover product 'on road' but I guess thats just personal preference. But the cost cutting is present, as VCR pointed out compared to a full spec'd RR, there are shortcomings.......but for the price I think it is a frontrunner. Like I mentioned for my wife....it was hands down the best for what she was looking for....and indeed she was cross shopping X3, Audi q5, Lexus Rx GLK etc. those are its competitors.

 

Seems Motor trend has has named it SUV of the Year:

 

 

 

 

 

Agree about the lag....it is present. Disagree on the ride...I think its better than any other rover product 'on road' but I guess thats just personal preference. But the cost cutting is present, as VCR pointed out compared to a full spec'd RR, there are shortcomings.......but for the price I think it is a frontrunner. Like I mentioned for my wife....it was hands down the best for what she was looking for....and indeed she was cross shopping X3, Audi q5, Lexus Rx GLK etc. those are its competitors.

 

Seems Motor trend has has named it SUV of the Year:

 

 

 

This is a little shitbox designed to compete against the other little shitboxes on the market (Q3, X3, etc). And it does it extremely well.

 

You can't compare it to the big RRs with their higher MSRPs...that would be like saying a C-Class Mercedes is horrid compared to the S-Class experience. Different categories of cars/buyers/etc.

 

It's an excellent entry in the "run-around-town" ladies segment, I'm actually surprised it's as good as it is to be honest.

....but for the price I think it is a frontrunner. Like I mentioned for my wife....it was hands down the best for what she was looking for....and indeed she was cross shopping X3, Audi q5, Lexus Rx GLK etc. those are its competitors.

 

 

You can't compare it to the big RRs with their higher MSRPs...that would be like saying a C-Class Mercedes is horrid compared to the S-Class experience. Different categories of cars/buyers/etc.

 

Fair enough. I guess I'm just a bit ruffled by it being called a Range Rover. And as said before, I suppose I'm used to the 2-1/2-ton-solid-hunk-of-metal-ride from a full-sized RR. For what it really is, the Evoque is nice and the looks itself will generate plenty of sales.

 

So as I mentioned in this thread originally, I put a deposit down for a fully-loaded car with all options back in August at Newport Beach Land Rover.

 

They said they'd have "plenty" of allocation, no need to special order the car, they're the #2 Land Rover dealer world-wide, blah blah blah.

 

Ok, so I call in today to get an update as I haven't bothered to check in with them since I put the deposit down three months ago (the car is for my wife, it's not something I'm thinking about daily), and here's what my rep tells me:

 

"Probably another three to six MONTHS before it comes in".

 

:lol2:

 

I didn't realize I had ordered an Aventador here, I thought it was just some volume production shitbox!

 

Apparantly the dealer's allocation is all the low-end "Pure" models, and they're not even getting their first "Prestige" loaded car until January.

 

Interesting to me that the factory would be allocating cheaper, no-option cars to a high-end brand dealernet, this seems to be the opposite of standard procedure from say Porsche, Lambo, etc, where new models tend to come in loaded with options to take advantage of early adopters/die-hards.

 

The low-end Evoque stickers in around $43k, the higher end car is $55k. Not that big of a difference, and there must be better margin for both the dealer AND the factory in the higher priced car, so it's baffling that they'd send out 90% of the cars at the lower tier.

So as I mentioned in this thread originally, I put a deposit down for a fully-loaded car with all options back in August at Newport Beach Land Rover.

 

They said they'd have "plenty" of allocation, no need to special order the car, they're the #2 Land Rover dealer world-wide, blah blah blah.

 

Ok, so I call in today to get an update as I haven't bothered to check in with them since I put the deposit down three months ago (the car is for my wife, it's not something I'm thinking about daily), and here's what my rep tells me:

 

"Probably another three to six MONTHS before it comes in".

 

 

I didn't realize I had ordered an Aventador here, I thought it was just some volume production shitbox!

 

Apparantly the dealer's allocation is all the low-end "Pure" models, and they're not even getting their first "Prestige" loaded car until January.

 

Interesting to me that the factory would be allocating cheaper, no-option cars to a high-end brand dealernet, this seems to be the opposite of standard procedure from say Porsche, Lambo, etc, where new models tend to come in loaded with options to take advantage of early adopters/die-hards.

 

The low-end Evoque stickers in around $43k, the higher end car is $55k. Not that big of a difference, and there must be better margin for both the dealer AND the factory in the higher priced car, so it's baffling that they'd send out 90% of the cars at the lower tier.

 

 

 

Mako my dealer is selling shit tons of them here, and get this, the buyer profile is high income, 30-45 yo MALE. Not surprisingly they've also cited huge delays in spec deliveries and the spin on it here is due to overwhelming demand.

Mako my dealer is selling shit tons of them here, and get this, the buyer profile is high income, 30-45 yo MALE. Not surprisingly they've also cited huge delays in spec deliveries and the spin on it here is due to overwhelming demand.

 

I'm trying to understand how that demographic could want/desire this car.

 

Not because it's a bad car for the money, it's actually pretty nice, but if it were for me I would have chosen to go with a pre-owned Sport instead which can easily be had for the price of a new optioned-out Evoque.

 

 

I'm trying to understand how that demographic could want/desire this car.

 

Not because it's a bad car for the money, it's actually pretty nice, but if it were for me I would have chosen to go with a pre-owned Sport instead which can easily be had for the price of a new optioned-out Evoque.

 

 

The Evoque looks good IMO. If it were twice the size I'd be all over it. The logical guess is that the Range Rover cachet without the big price tag coupled with a usable size and reasonable cargo load wrapped up in a semi-masculine design is the key. Good for Land Rover at any rate. I've owned four Range Rovers in various incarnations and blemishes and all I'm loyal and love them through all four seasons here. You guys are spoiled with sun 24/7/365