Range Rover Evoque 2017 review

A mesmerising combination of Imperial Stormtrooper and Exocet missile, the Evoque exudes character and confidence.

A piercing stare from sharply angled headlights is backed up by pumped up wheel arches filled with large rims to create a muscular, borderline angry stance.

Character lines along the side of the car are angled up as they move towards the rear, while the roofline slopes down. The result is a strongly tapered glass area and a feeling of aggressive forward motion, even when the car's standing still.

Signature design cues include blacked out window and door pillars to create a floating roof effect, as well as a geometric tail-light treatment, retained in the convertible, even though its rear section has been substantially re-engineered to accommodate a 'Z-fold' fabric roof (structured to retain the Evoque's distinctive silhouette when in place).

The interior retains the chiselled-from-stone look, with a broad centre console sweeping up between the front seats to join the dash. Brushed metal inserts enhance the weapons-grade feel, with broad surfaces containing neatly integrated segments for multimedia, air con, instruments and other controls.

Produced at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood plant in the UK, the standard of fit and finish is excellent, with high quality cloth and leather upholstery combined with soft-touch materials around the dash, doors and storage areas.

The Evoque is currently offered in Australia as a five-door and convertible only, the three door having quietly made an exit (after four years in market) in the last half of 2016.

Although the hardtop Evoque is only 4.4m long, 2.0m wide, and just over 1.6m high, interior space is generous. There's plenty of room for front seat passengers, with wide-opening doors providing easy access.

And while not exactly limo-like, space for rear seat passengers is surprisingly good. There's enough headroom for those up to around 180-185cm to sit in uncontorted comfort, with reasonable legroom, but the centre position is modest. Big tick for adjustable air vents in the rear of all models.

The cup holder count runs to two in the front and two in the back, although the doors are a no-go zone for bottles bigger than that scotch you nicked from the hotel mini-bar.

Having lost two doors and the roof, you also give up a seat in the Convertible, with four positions available. With roof up, head and legroom in the back is surprisingly generous, and with the top down, headroom increases significantly.

With rear seats upright, the five-door offers a handy 575 litres of load space, which expands to 1445 litres with the 60/40 split rear seats folded. Worth noting the rear seats don't fold completely flat, which can make life awkward, and a high load sill height isn't ideal.

The Convertible makes do with a modest 251 litres of boot capacity, but it's clear the drop-top is more about relaxed day trips than full-on excursions.

Luggage compartment anchor points are standard on all models (hard and soft top).

The Australian Evoque line-up ranges across a close to $40k spread from $55,495 for the entry-level Pure Td4 150, to $93,195 for the HSE Dynamic Td4 180 Convertible.

While the standard features list is determined by which model grade you opt for, the price you'll pay is linked to the engine sitting under the bonnet, as per the table below.

2017 Range Rover Evoque range

                                               Td4 150                Td4 180                Si4 240
Pure                                        $56,050        
SE                                           $63,120                 $67,551                  $68,788
HSE                                                                      $75,089    
HSE Dynamic                                                      $78,881                 $82,526
HSE Dynamic Ember LE                                    $91,699    
SE Dynamic Convertible                                    $85,343                 $84,948
HSE Dynamic Convertible                                 $93,195                  $92,800

An impressive basket of standard fruit is fitted across the range, including cruise control, a high-res touchscreen multimedia interface, rain-sensing wipers and auto headlights, alloy wheels, leather wrapped steering wheel, climate control air, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, 5.0-inch colour TFT 'Driver Information Centre', 'InControl Touch Pro' audio, and satellite navigation.

There's plenty of standard safety tech on board as well, so skip to the safety section for the details.

Step up through the higher grades and all sorts of additional equipment ranges into view, including bigger wheels, bigger screens, more speakers, and a small herd's-worth of leather.

And option pack enthusiasts will be in seventh heaven, with no less than eight on offer, covering everything from 'Cold Climate Convenience', to 'Advanced Driver Assistance', and 'Front Seat Entertainment.'

'Fuji White' is the only no-cost paint colour. Any one of 10 metallic shades will set you back $1870, while selecting any of the six premium metallic finishes adds $3750.

A choice of two diesel engines and one petrol unit is offered across the Evoque range, as well as a six-speed manual (entry-level Pure only) or nine-speed automatic transmission, with every model sending drive to all four wheels via an electronically-controlled Haldex centre coupling (with torque on demand to the rear axle).

The Euro 6 emissions standards-compliant diesels are members of JLR’s ‘Ingenium’ engine family, developed to (wait for it…) “maximise performance and environmental sustainability.” In other words, more grunt, lower consumption and fewer emissions.

The 2.0-litre Td4 150 (for 150hp) turbo-diesel produces 110kW at 4000rpm and a hefty 380Nm at 1750rpm. While capacity is unchanged, the Td4 180 is tuned to deliver 132kW/430Nm at precisely the same rpm peaks.

If petrol power is more your thing, the 2.0-litre Si4 240 turbo-petrol produces 177kW at 5800 and 340Nm at that magic 1750rpm mark. This engine dates back to Jaguar and Land Rover’s years under Ford ownership (which finished in 2008), and is technically part of the blue oval’s EcoBoost range. Stand by for an Ingenium replacement sooner rather than later.

The nine-speed ZF (9HP) automatic transmission replaced the previous six-speed unit in early 2013.

The Evoque Pure Td4 150 manual leads the way on fuel economy, with Range Rover claiming 4.8L/100km for the combined (urban/extra urban) cycle.

The Td4 180 in five-door form is listed at 5.1L/100km, with the Si4 240 petrol version rated at 7.8L/100km. Weighing just under 300kg more than an equivalent five-door model, it's no surprise the Convertible ups the numbers on fuel consumption, the diesel version using 5.7L/100km, and the petrol 8.6L/100km.

Fuel tank capacity for diesel models is 54 litres, while the petrol's extra thirst means a step up to 68.5 litres.

Any vehicle adorned with a Land Rover badge has to maintain the iconic brand's ability to perform off-road, even a cheeky, city-focused convertible Range Rover Evoque.

Tech features like 'Terrain Response', 'Hill Descent Control', and 'All-terrain Progress Control' systems look after that with break over, and departure clearances allowing the Evoque to climb (just about) every mountain and ford (almost) every stream.

That said, the urban jungle is the Evoque's more natural habitat, and it performs beautifully there as well.

Acceleration is crisp in all models, with the manual-equipped Pure Td4 150 taking the longest time to sprint from 0-100kmh (10.8sec), while the master blaster is the Si4 240 five-door, trimming that to just 7.6sec.

But rather than focus on stopwatch numbers, it's the low down torque from both the petrol and diesel engines that contributes most to the Evoque's willing character. It's all there from just 1750rpm, and mid-range pulling power is strong.

The six-speed manual gearbox in the entry-level Pure is reassuringly positive, with short throws and a sweet clutch action. The nine-speed auto is as smooth as a Don Draper creative pitch, with ratios perfectly matched to keep the engine on the boil.

Suspension is by struts all around and the Evoque delivers a polished blend of ride comfort and dynamic ability.

There's plenty of feel and a reassuringly linear response from the electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering, while the torque vectoring (by braking) system subtly discourages the front end from pushing into understeer in rapid cornering.

Braking in all models is by ventilated discs up front, with solid rotors at the rear, and they deliver progressive, consistent stopping power.

One of the Evoque's strongest suits is safety, with a full swag of active and passive tech on board. All the important active safety features are present on all models, including, dynamic stability control (DSC), traction control, roll stability control, engine drag torque control (EDC), auto emergency braking (AEB), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), trailer stability assist (TSA), lane departure warning, and hazard warning light activation under heavy braking.

On the passive side, there are airbags for the driver and front passenger, a driver's knee airbag, and curtain bags covering front and rear seat rows.

There are also pop-up roll over hoops on the convertible, and ISOFIX child seat anchor points on the two outer rear seat positions.

In terms of personal security, 'Smart Key Controls' covers remote locking and unlock, with double lock, lights on and tailgate open functions included.

The Evoque Convertible is 'unrated' by ANCAP, but for reference the five-door version was tested and awarded a maximum five stars by EuroNCAP in 2011, although in line with local spec, ANCAP rates the hardtop at four stars.

The Range Rover Evoque is covered by a three year/100,000km warranty.

Diesel models require servicing every 12 months/16,000km, while petrol-powered variants should head to the workshop every two years/34,000km. Land Rover doesn't offer a capped-price servicing for the Evoque.