THE demand for sports utility vehicle (SUV) motoring is very much focused on the vehicle’s ability to perform in urban centres as much as being a comfortable highway cruiser.
Although the general model variation might start with an entry-level model before going onto a mid-range option that leads to a top premium range, there are a few that bucks the trend.
Arguably, Range Rover could be seen as one of them when you consider that its model variations are mostly an extension of a base model (not counting the Defender and Discovery).
The Range Rover family in Malaysia includes the new Range Rover, new Range Rover Sport (which are categorised as large SUVs), Range Rover Velar (medium SUV) and Range Rover Evoque (compact SUV), with each variant pandering to slightly different tastes.
From there, the Evoque is easily considered the “baby” of the group being dimensionally smaller and a more compact alternative.
This design is intentional as Range Rover feels the need to meet the demands of those who wish to enjoy its driving performance but in body size that is more manageable in urban traffic and conditions.
We had a weekend with the latest Evoque that was launched in April and we immediately felt comfortable making our way through urban traffic, tight lanes and parking spots.
This impression was made possible as we were comparing the compactness of the Range Rover Evoque to our Mazda CX-5.
We could also relate readily to the Evoque’s smaller dimensions as we had owned the Mazda CX-30 earlier; this was the smaller SUV option to the CX-5.
Of course, in status, the Evoque commands a much higher ranking in the premium order, especially for the luxury specification variant that was loaned to us.
This 2.0L Dynamic HSE has a retail price of RM565,800 as the flagship model, with the other variants – 2.0L Dynamic SE with mid and high specification – available at RM498,800 and RM529,800 respectively.
Most of our weekend drives with the Evoque was in the urban centre where we had to make our way through narrow lanes, traffic jams and tight parking spots.
All that tight manoeuvring was made easier with the 3D surround camera providing good all-round view that was clearly displayed on the new 11.4-inch curved glass touchscreen located on the central dashboard.
In fact, this new touchscreen offers “intuitive control” of all key functions such as air-conditioning and the radio plus sound system.
Given this scenario, the interior is very cleanly detailed, much like that in an electric vehicle (EV) with only a short stubby gearshift to break the monotony of the central console.
There is a small cubicle with cover closer to the dashboard that serves as a powerful 15W wireless charging spot while the other end of the centre console has a single cupholder.
Its luxury specification sees to a 14-way driver memory front seats (the front passenger has 10), Windsor leather seats (grained leather for the mid and high spec variants), leather wrapped steering wheel, fixed panoramic sunroof and Head-Up Display (also available on SE high spec).
An interesting item is the ClearSight rear view mirror (also available on SE high spec) that uses a camera to provide the rear view.
Located on the rear roof aerial, it provides a much wider view of the rear than a standard rearview mirror.
Due to the location of the camera, you would find the rear vehicle being presented a lot closer than expected and this took some getting used to.
We certainly enjoyed the wider view of the rear but there are still blind spots for vehicles coming alongside and this is where the blind spot indicator on the door mirrors would light up to keep us informed.
The HSE luxury spec also sees to bigger 21-inch alloy wheels (against 20-inch wheel/tyre combination) and pixel LED headlamps with signature daytime running lights (DRLs); the lower variants have standard LED headlamps.
Fitted on the 21-inch alloys were Pirelli Scorpion Zero of the size 245/45 that ran quiet enough over most road surfaces; for the few patchy sections, the good body insulation and suspension mounting cushions reduced road noise from coming through.
Despite the 21-inch wheel/tyre combination, it handled road bumps pretty nicely at normal driving speed but do slow down for really bumpy sections.
The firmness of the impacts could be a bit thumpy but we enjoyed a comfortable ride over the bad road sections encountered so far.
Our short highway drives revealed a stable and pliant experience and an aerodynamically efficient body that curtailed wind turbulences for a quiet ride.
For a premium SUV that is 4,371mm long with a 2,681mm wheelbase, the interior is spacious enough for four, or even five, adults to travel in reasonable comfort.
There seemed to be ample leg, head and elbow room to accommodate front and rear folks comfortably.
The boot looks big enough to accommodate some bulky luggage and the 40:20:40 split rear seatrests provide that flexibility for longer and bigger items.
A novelty is the flush exterior door handles, again quite like the design on EVs, which pop out when you unlock the car with the keyfob or walk close enough for the doors to unlock (or lock when you walk away).
With a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, the HSE luxury spec variant shares the same power base as the Dynamic SE high spec.
This engine produces strong output of 249PS and 365Nm of torque that peaks very early at 1,300rpm, which made it rather punchy in urban traffic.
With a kerb weight below 1,900kg, the Evoque is no slouch being able to sprint from 0 to 100kph in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 230kph.
We floored the accelerator pedal a few times on clear road sections to enjoy a feel of the heady horses, which allowed us to overtake quickly.
Being paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission with Sport mode, we believe the Evoque could cover long distance runs at a fuel sipping rate under normal highway speeds.
Should you wish to go off-road, the Evoque is all ready to go with Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control systems, all selected via the touchscreen.
As the “baby” of the family, the Evoque easily lived up to expectations on its overall performance while excelling in its compact manoeuvrability in urban centres.
Range Rover Evoque Dynamic HSE
Engine: 1,997cc, petrol, four cylinders, turbocharged
Maximum power: 249PS at 5,500rpm
Maximum torque: 365Nm from 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Acceleration (0-100kph): 7.6 seconds
Top speed: 230kph
Features: Pixel LED front headlamps with signature DRL, Power Tailgate, 14-way driver memory seat, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charger, Head-Up Display, 11.4-inch touchscreen, ClearSight rearview mirror, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, All Terrain Progress Control, fixed panoramic roof, Meridian Sound System, 21-inch alloy wheels with All Season tyres, flush door handles
Price: RM565,800
