Range Rover Evoque - mini Velar, but still premium?

The Range Rover Velar is a smaller Range Rover. And the Range Rover Evoque is such a small Velar. So how much is left of the flagship cruiser and is it still premium?

One can argue which nation has the most style icons, but one thing is for sure - the British, with their lords, gentlemen, tailors and James Bond at the helm, certainly know how to dress well. They can also dress poorly and scream in the streets at stag parties in Krakow, but let them be left alone 😉

The British know how to design an elegant, stylish car. And if the car is a premium compact SUV, you can expect a hit, or at least a lot of satisfied customers.

Are you sure?

"Baby Range" is now called "Mini Velar".

Range Rover Evoque it entered the market in 2010 and was produced until 2018 - this is 7 years on the market. Probably, at the beginning of the proceedings, the decision makers watched the development of the situation. However, even before the cars hit the showrooms, there were already 18 of them. people ordered the Evoque, and as many as 90 were sold in its first year of production. parts.

So I can assume that at least 7-6 years Land Rover worked on the new Evoque. And such time devoted to the car should have led to a successful successor.

And looking at it from the outside, we can immediately be convinced of this. Range Rover Evoque it really looks like a miniature Velar - which is great. It also has the same details as the Velar - retractable door handles, a characteristic emblem on the side or the shape of the lamps. The front one is, of course, Matrix LED.

Evoque he didn't grow at all. Its length is still 4,37 meters, but the new PTA platform and 2 cm longer wheelbase will give us more space inside. At the same time, the Evoque is less than 1,5 cm taller and more than one centimeter wider.

Ground clearance has decreased by only 3 mm and now stands at 212 mm. Range Rover however, he must be able to drive off-road - the fording depth is 60 cm, the angle of attack is 22,2 degrees, the ramp angle is 20,7 degrees, and the exit angle is as much as 30,6 degrees. So I can believe it.

Chest Range Rover Evoque'а increased by 10% and now holds 591 liters. Folding the backs of the sofa, which are divided in the proportion of 40:20:40, we get a space of 1383 liters. While I have no objection to the size of the trunk with the sofa unfolded, those 1383 liters sound unimpressive. In this configuration, the Stelvio holds 1600 liters.

Premium British style - what's the new Range Rover Evoque all about?

Inside, we will again feel the aftertaste of Velar, but this is a very good design. I don't like too many screens, but in Velar, like here, it looks good. Controls are divided into two screens - the top one is used for navigation and entertainment, and the bottom one is for car functions.

The lower one has two knobs that can be used to control the air conditioner, for example, as well as to select the off-road mode. And inside these handles, the graphics also change, depending on what function they perform on a given screen. Very efficient.

In terms of materials, of course, we see leather and high-quality plastic everywhere. After all, this is really Evoque created something like a "luxury compact SUV", so it must meet a fairly high standard.

These materials are also obtained with environmental requirements in mind. Instead of leather, we can choose upholstery like the wool-containing "Square", the suede-like Dinamica material, and there is also Eucalyptus or Ultrafabrics - whatever.

But yes, how constructive Evoque looks off-road capable, as does the Terrain Response 2 system that debuted in the Range Rover. This system does not require us to adapt the work to the terrain - it is able to recognize the terrain on which the car is moving and adapt the work to it. However, in all-wheel drive versions, the drive can be switched off to save fuel.

Engines like Volvo

New Ewok will go on sale with six engines. Equally, these are three diesels and three petrols. The base diesel reaches 150 hp, the more powerful 180 hp, the top 240 hp. The weakest gasoline engine already reaches 200 hp, then we have a 240 hp engine and the offer is closed by a 300 hp engine.

Land Rover In this case, he followed a path similar to Volvo - all engines are two-liter, in-line "fours". While many believe that premium only starts at 5 or 6 cylinders, they have to admit that with these engines, we wouldn't buy a car in this class for 155. PLN - this is how much the base version of the Range Rover Evoque costs.

However, if this price does not seem premium to you, do not be discouraged, because the price list often indicates amounts in the region of 180-200 thousand. PLN, and the top HSE or R-Dynamic HSE with a 300 hp petrol engine. cost PLN 292 and PLN 400 respectively. Of course, as in the British premium - the price list has 303 pages, so it can easily be made even tens of thousands more.

How does the new Range Rover Evoque ride?

What do we expect from a car like this Range Rover Evoque? Comfort and good performance. With "Range Rover" written on the hood, we'd also like it to feel good off-road.

And, of course, we will get it all. The ride can be as comfortable as in the case of older brothers. The seats are very comfortable and give the impression that they are made for long trips. On these trips, more powerful engines will also come in handy, especially gasoline ones, which provide excellent dynamics. The 300-horsepower version accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6,6 seconds. That performance is more than enough to get the corners of your mouth up more often, but if you're looking for something faster on a similar budget, the 280-horsepower Alfa Romeo Stelvio is almost a second faster.

So on your way Ewok in faster acceleration? The 9-speed gearbox works flawlessly, shifting gears smoothly and smoothly. However, it may be that Alfa has focused on providing ultra-fast shifting when Evoque primarily concerned with liquidity. Or perhaps the Evoque is very heavy - it weighs 1925 kg, which is almost 300 kg more than the Stelvio. This is the price of a very rich package…

Nevertheless, when buying an SUV, we probably take into account the fact that it is not always necessary to be the first at a traffic light. The important thing is that the performance allows you to travel fast, and inside we feel like in a real premium car - almost like in Velara. The driving position is high, thanks to which we have a good view - well, except for the rear. Here the glass is very small and you will not see much.

But this is not a problem, because the Evoque is equipped with the same solution as the new RAV4, ie. rear view camera with display built into the mirror. Thanks to this, even if we drive with five, we will see what is behind the car.

Range. Only cheaper

Range Rover Evoque there was a car thanks to which we were finally able to say: “I drive a new Range Roverem“And it should not have been associated with spending any amount in the range of half a million to a million zlotys.

For drivers Range Rovers this is probably a penny, but an attempt to lower the threshold for entering this group turned out to be a bull's-eye. New Ewok however, it is even better in this respect. It is better finished, more elegant and more glamorous. More premium.

And that's probably his best recommendation. So we are waiting for a longer ride in Krakow!