Range Rover Evoque

• Rating:
• For : Great styling, fun on road, very capable off it
• Against : Expensive with options, limited boot

If any new car has the X-factor, it’s the Range Rover Evoque. It's available in two compact body styles – with three doors or five – and a choice of three engines and a trio of luxury trim levels. A further choice of four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive – a first for a Range Rover – boosts options even further. The fact that the Evoque is Range Rover's cleanest and most efficient model ever means it is cheaper than its stablemates to own and run. Great ride and handling on and off-tarmac give it even more appeal.

Our choice: 2.2 SD4 (190) Dynamic

Video: Watch CarBuyer's video review of the Evoque

Styling

When Land Rover took the wraps off the LRX concept, no-one dared believe they would put it into production pretty much unchanged. But that’s exactly what the firm did, and the result is a head-turning machine. At the front, it features neat slim LED headlights, while chunky shoulders and a small glass area gives it an athletic stance. It’s easy to personalise too – you can choose from 12 body colours, three different roof colours and seven alloy wheel designs.

Interior

The good news starts from the moment you get in and settle into the comfortable seats. You sit low enough to feel like you’re in a sporty car, but high enough so you can peer over other traffic. The dashboard features a chunky centre console with high quality materials and there are options such as the £960 panoramic roof, which bathes the cabin in light. Three trims are on offer. Pure – which is as close to the LRX concept as possible – gets gloss black detailing and leather seats. Prestige majors on luxury, with a full leather interior, wood finishes and sat-nav, while Dynamic is the sportiest trim; it has deeper, body-coloured bumpers and sills, plus 20-inch alloy wheels. Video: watch part one of our video review of the Range Rover Evoque [video src="AE_Evoque_review.flv" /]

Driving and Performance

Land Rover has really pulled it off in this department. All Evoques get MagneRide adaptive dampers as standard and a sporty driving experience: cornering is stable, poised and fun, thanks to limited body roll and precise steering. The 187bhp 2.2-litre diesel is the pick of the bunch, with spritely pace and strong in-gear punch for overtaking, although we expect the entry-level 147bhp 2.2-litre diesel to be very nearly as good. Flagship 237bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrols boast a hot-hatch-rivalling 0-60mph time of around seven seconds, but there’s a penalty at the bumps. The six-speed automatic is smooth, while the manual version is slick too.

MPG and running costs

Business drivers and those who want to run an Evoque for as little as possible should hang on next year for the front-wheel drive eD4 model, which gets a 147bhp 2.2-litre diesel, returns around 50mpg and emits just 133g/km of CO2. That said, the current 4x4 diesels, in both 147bhp and 187bhp form, are good for 40mpg and 149g/km. The 2.0-litre Si4 turbo petrol is costly to run though – don’t expect much more than 25mpg in regular driving. Servicing isn’t likely to be cheap on any Evoque, though, if Range Rover’s reputation is anything to go by. Video: watch part two of our video review of the Range Rover Evoque [video src="AE_15Jul11_RREvoque_part2.flv" /]

Practicality

If it’s space that you’re after, the five-door version is the one to go for. It has a 30mm higher roof and enough room for three adults in the back with decent head and legroom for all. The boot isn’t particularly big on the five-door or the Coupe – you’ll get more shopping in a VW Golf. But the Evoque’s trump card is its off-road ability. Thanks to four-wheel drive, Hill Descent Control and Terrain Response (which offers a variety of different settings to maximise traction on different surfaces), it’s a true Land Rover.

Safety and reliability

With a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, four-wheel drive on nearly all models, plus Adaptive Dampers and strong brakes, the Evoque is a very safe car indeed. As a marque, Land Rover's reliability hasn’t been too impressive over the years when compared to rival 4x4 manufacturers. However, recent models are bucking this trend with very good reliability, so we are hoping for good things from the Evoque.