Range Rover Evoque 2019 Review - Australia

Sequels are a risky business. You need only look at the ill-fated endings of The Terminator 2, Batman and Robin or the revival of Caddyshack to realise sometimes it’s better to quit while you’re ahead — especially when the original is an out-and-out success.

For Range Rover’s Evoque SUV, however, the risk in developing a sequel was always going to be a measured one. Despite amassing nearly 800,000 sales globally since the pioneering baby prestige SUV’s 2011 inception, the Evoque take-one had some obvious character flaws.

The original was lambasted for its initially Ford-sourced engines, tight interior proportions and fussy styling. And yet, in the face of more practical rivals that have arrived since the Evoque’s inception, Range Rover’s baby SUV has carved out its own path to international stardom – originally, using Victoria Beckham as its driver.

For take-two, the Evoque has come of age, according to its maker. Available in Australian Land Rover showrooms from this week, the 2020 Range Rover Evoque is available in 13 different trim levels, priced from $62,670 (plus on-road costs).

The former three-door and niche convertible variants are no more, as Range Rover’s parent company places more emphasis on the Evoque’s day-to-day merits – designated by a five-star crash rating, new equipment including autonomous emergency braking and two ISOFIX anchorage points (plus three top-tether points).

Our separate pricing story has the full rundown on model-to-model specification, but essentially, the Evoque is available with a range of carry-over petrol and diesel engines, each tied to a nine-speed automatic and four-wheel drive.

Each variant rides on Land Rover’s latest platform, which has liberated an additional 2cm in rear leg room compared with the original, along with a 10 per cent larger boot. That’s despite the fact that, externally, the new Evoque is merely 4mm longer and 1mm wider overall.

Don’t be fooled by the familiar sheet metal, either. According to JLR, 99.9 per cent of the 2020 Evoque is new; in fact, everything except the door hinges have been changed over.

The styling is cleaner, punctuated by reworked front and rear ends, while the original’s trademark raked roofline has been retained to “preserve the Evoque’s DNA,” in the words of its chief designer.

Look closely and the Evoque’s panel gaps are tighter and there are some neat Velar-inspired features like the flush-mounted door handles.

But what will ultimately dictate the success of the new Evoque is whether it competes on merit with the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Genuine off-road pretensions, clever tech and relatively affordable servicing ($1500 for five years when purchased up front) will only help the Range Rover’s cause.

Settling into the Evoque’s comfortable driver’s chair for the first time, you could argue it feels more Range Rover-esque than the original. And that’s important.

The gimmicky pop-up gear selector and on-occasion tardy plastics of the predecessor have been eschewed for new screens, a cleaner dashboard interface and nicer materials at the contact points.

This is a Range Rover that is clearly more aware of its surroundings, too – witness the option of vegan-friendly and sustainably-sourced materials. We spent plenty of time in a eucalyptus-based textile seat trim, for instance, and it is a compelling alternative to traditional leather.

Elsewhere, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto grace the 10-inch touchscreen that now sits atop the dashboard. In another nod to the striking Velar, the top screen is partnered by a matching lower display which houses the car’s key driving and climate control functions. This is standard on all but the entry Evoque S, where it is a $640 option.

The cabin has a light and airy feel that is bolstered by decent incidental storage, bottle-friendly door pockets and three 12-volt outlets and two USB points (four if you outlay an additional $180).

As with many Jaguars, Land Rovers and Range Rovers, the devil is in the detail (read: options list). Many of the features fitted to our test cars are optional extras, and frankly, should be standard fare given the outlay. Things like steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters (a $270 option on S, SE and HSE variants), head-up display ($1300), digital instrument cluster ($650 on entry models) and electronic tailgate ($480 on entry models), for instance.

There are some cool optional tech pieces though… The Evoque’s $515 Clearsight rear-view mirror, at the toggle of a lever, transforms the car’s traditional rear-view mirror to a live, high-definition monitor that perfectly tracks the vista behind you using a roof-mounted camera. Clever.

Further back, the interior proportions take a welcome step forward without threatening the practicality of more conventional rivals. In short, design still dictates the Evoque’s layout.

Rear seat space is marginally better with that 2cm extension in legroom, though a taller front occupant will ultimately put paid to ideas of cross-country adventures from the bleachers. Shoulder space and head space are moderate, again at the expense of the Evoque’s raked rear design, while a high belt line will ultimately limit the outward view for little ones.

Each Evoque is equipped with rear air vents and split folding rear seats, which accesses the car’s 591 litre boot space, replete with a temporary spare tyre. With the seats folded down, there’s up to 1383 litres of useful luggage space – which is down marginally on key rivals.

Servicing costs look promising on paper, rated at $1500 for five years when you purchase a Land Rover servicing pack up front. Meanwhile, the Evoque’s warranty stands at three years/100,000km – par for the luxury course, for now.

The Range Rover Evoque’s more mature demeanour is clear out on the road.

The cabin is quieter than before, with a significant reduction in road and wind noise that buys into the Range Rover ethos much more convincingly.

On standard suspension, the Evoque still errs on the sportier side of the ledger for ride, busily reflecting bumps on B-grade roads without being crashy or jittery. There are no such qualms on smooth bitumen, though you’d never mistake passage in an Evoque for the pillowy-soft ride of a full-size Rangie.

In line with this thinking, it seems the Evoque still falls foul of more expensive Range Rovers on finish, despite added attention from Land Rover. We notice an annoying passenger B-pillar vibrations on two separate test cars. Neither are particularly deal-breaking, but they would be a cause of frustration for prospective buyers.

Back to the ride: the optional $1950 adaptive dampers feel a tad more controlled again, based on our initial impression, without departing from the car’s sporty brief.

Elsewhere, there is more feeling and feedback from the Evoque’s steering and chassis – in line with the car’s revised multilink suspension. The steering possesses a nice amount of weighting at all speeds, while the all-wheel drive system provides an added safety net on greasy roads.

In terms of engines, there are six available in total – three petrol and three diesel.

The petrol offering comprises the 147kW/320Nm P200, 183kW/365Nm P250 and 221kW/400Nm P300, the latter of which uses Land Rover’s new 48-volt mild hybrid MHEV system.

The MHEV system itself captures braking energy to power a rear-mounted electric motor, which in turn assists during initial acceleration and full-throttle pursuits to aid performance and reduce fuel consumption by about 5 per cent.

The same mild hybrid set-up is standard across the diesel range, which includes: 110kW/380Nm D150, 132kW/430Nm D180 and 177kW/500Nm D240.

As a result, fuel use across the Evoque ranges between 5.7L-8.2L/100km depending on variant.

We spent time in the entry P200 and D150, along with the flagship D240 diesel.

The drivetrains sampled work nicely across all spectrums, with negligible levels of turbo lag, and a smooth, linear passage to highway speeds.

The petrol feels perkier at the lower end of the dial and feels and sounds more refined than the diesel, whose torque punch comes to the fore around middling revs, shifting the Evoque’s sizeable two-tonne kerb weight with more enthusiasm.

On the mild-hybrid tech, it works benignly – which for some buyers, is perfect. In earnest, the subtle interventions are nearly indistinguishable on a busy inner-city road, other than the system switching the engine off once below 17km/h when braking.

In fuel use terms, we averaged 9.5L/100km in the flagship D240 diesel and 10.3L/100km in the entry P200 petrol.

We’ll reserve judgement on the flagship petrol P300 until we drive one in a few weeks’ time.

In what could possibly be a moot point given the Evoque’s traditional buyer, the baby Rangie really lives up to its heritage off-road, impressing on a short course thanks to Land Rover’s latest Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) and a 600mm water wading depth.

The off-road amenity is supported by a clever new virtual ‘see-through’ bonnet. Officially, Clear sight ground view, the system uses a camera that is mounted underneath the car to track where the front wheels are and provide an image on the main screen.

The new function (predictably, part of $1010 optional Park Pack) is handy when navigating off-road obstacles, but equally, will be useful in car parks or in situations where you can’t quite see over the bonnet.

There’s no doubt the Range Rover Evoque has matured since the first Victoria Beckham-unveiled version of 2011.

Substance is now on-par with the car’s well-known styling, and there is more appeal from practicality perspective.

Will it resonate with buyers when the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 are available for similar money? In earnest, the Evoque will still continue to resonate with its traditional buyer base regardless.

Importantly, the Range Rover Evoque has managed to retain what made it stand out in the first instance. Unlike so many failed sequels, Land Rover looks to have retained a winning formula.

2019 Range Rover Evoque pricing and specifications:
Price: $62,670-$93,720 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol/2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
Output: 147kW/320Nm (P200), 183kW/364 (P250), 221kW/400Nm (P300)/110kW/380Nm (D150), 132kW/430Nm (D180), 177kW/500Nm (D240)
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.1-8.2L/100km, 5.7-6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 184-188g/km, 149-165g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP