MOTORING: Take another Look: The OUTRAGEOUS lines on the RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque

Okay I’ll start rather unusually, by admitting the very apparent shortcomings of this bad boy baby Range…. Most apparent is its Price…  The Evoque’s least-expensive get-in option— the base Pure Plus five-door model—is MORE Expensive than upscale, higher optioned versions of  its main competition, the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLK. (using its list MSRP price in US Dollars).  It also doesn’t  offer a V6 option – which is standard on almost all the competition listed above, save the BMW X3, which offers an in-line 6 Cylinder as an option.  Power from the Turbocharged 4-Cylinder 2.2 Liter petrol engine is very decent though for a car of this size, at 236 Horsepower .  There are slightly less powerful turbodiesel options available for those who value economy as a higher priority than performance.            

Finally… (Now this isn’t really,… er… technically a disadvantage… its just how it sounds…) the Evoque has a… *cough*…  *cough* … a Front wheel drive option… *cough*.  Yes, you read correctly. A front wheel drive option… allowing the mighty Range Rover nameplate rub shoulders with the likes of the Toyota RAV 4, Honda CR-V or even the Nissan X-Trail. Well, don’t worry  - that’s just for the bare-bones option, and should be okay, as most of the Evoques buyers will be purchasing it as a style statement and never venture anywhere outside their well-paved daily commutes to the office, spa or restaurant.

NOW – to the juicy bits!!! At the heart of all the plus sides of this baby Range are the factors inherited from its 42 year heritage behind the Range Rover brand! 

Click HERE for the PLUS SIDES!!!

Firstly, its competitors -  the Audi Q5, the BMW X3, and the Mercedes-Benz GLK—do not, and cannot offer – the SERIOUS OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY associated with the Land Rover Badge.  When it comes to episodes of bouncing around in wild terrain, rocky trails, or deeply rutted mud tracks - all possibly in the worst imaginable weather -  this small-scale Range Rover would leave its German rivals glued down or high-centered in some lonely valley, while the driver looks for a tow cable (and an Evoque to help). 

Secondly the Evoque has inherited the Range Rover’s  ridiculously plush cabin, and mind boggling standard features, which include an electric parking brake, hill start assist, push button start, 17-inch alloy wheels, partial leather seats, Oxford leather (multifunctional) steering wheel and gear shifter, electrically operated and heated exterior mirrors with directional indicators, automatic climate control, rear parking sensors, cruise control, eight-speaker audio system and Bluetooth phone and music streaming.

And best of all - the Evoque’s strongest call card… is… the way it looks. It has the highest desirability in it’s segment and possesses the head turning capability of a Lamborghini Aventador , or Ferrari F12 Berlinetta… (Yeah… Google them).  The steep sloping roof line, muscular bulges, and those beautifully shaped signature LED headlights all come together in a way the market is yet to recover from -  it sells internationally like hot cakes and is the leader of its market segment ahead of all the competition stated above – despite being the newcomer.

 

Well , despite the flaws, WELL DONE  Land Rover *Thumbs up guys* - You’ve scored another hit!