Range Rover Evoque 2016 Review

Some car companies make such beautiful vehicles that it gets difficult to further raise the ante. Or maybe just like Coca Cola, where the company tried to get an all new Coca Cola and failed miserably. I was under the doubt of how could the Evoque facelift be made to look even better? Let us be honest that the Evoque is a head turner and does carry its sexiness! Just like “Rekha”, who is know to be a timeless beauty. If given the ask to facelift the Evoque to someone pessimistic like me, I would keep the same design and not play with what has already been liked. However, Land Rover did introduce the Range Rover Evoque 2016, we tell in detail how does it behave.

Range Rover Evoque 2016 Design

When I first saw the images of the new model year Evoque, I wasn’t impressed. Photography cannot always do justice to cars. When I saw it in person, gushes of wows came out. I’m not that easy to accepting a new car when the previous one has been a love. With the Evoque, I had a different opinion. The designing team back in Solihull has done wonders to the Evoque. The new “Oh-its-a-fantastic” orange makes the Evoque transformed from a lady carrying LV hand bag wearing a gown for a red carpet into a hot bikini model that will make everyone turn their heads.

It does look a lot more stunning than before.

The new LED strips make it look so much more stylish and appealing too. The silhouette is where there are no changes made and the rear too is the same. More changes might have been difficult to gulp down. The dual tone has always been enhancing and the Evoque’s 2016 model looks a lot more appealing.

Range Rover Evoque 2016 Interiors

The interiors haven’t seen a major change either. Evoque’s interiors always were stylish and it still doesn’t seem to have aged. A neat black dash with limited number of buttons looks clean and easy on eyes. Our press demonstrator came with black and tan leather upholstery that made it look appealing to the eye. The three spoke wheel with Range Rover embedded on it, and the touchscreen system looks appealing.

The rising gear knob on push start is still new for those who haven’t experienced any of the JLR, however it looks a lot more stylish on the XF and XJ.

The HSE variant has heads up display, and a 11 speaker Meridian music system too. There are three variants available on the Evoque. In terms of space, both rows offer good amount of space for front and rear passengers. The boot size too is large also. With the small glass area the visibility isn’t that great on the Evoque. Even the pillars are thick that obstruct some of the road vision.

Range Rover Evoque 2016 Performance

Evoque’s diesel engine is quiet and doesn’t sound harsh like other engines. On the outside it is loud, but in the cabin is where it doesn’t sound loud. Acceleration is linear like a petrol engine and it does a job to drive in city or even the highway. You do not need to go to the Sport mode, unless you are participating ina drag race. Overtaking is just a breeze as the engine response and the nine-speed ZF transmission are good enough. The engine and the gearbox have sufficient torque. The Evoque normal starts in the second gear and the first gear can be used by downshifting the paddle for better torque on uphill or during some kind of some off roading obstacle.  There are different terrain modes as the Terrain Response system comes embedded in the Evoque too.

Driving Dynamics

The Evoque is an all wheel drive, but it uses all wheels for power only during the start and once the vehicle crosses 120km/hr. Also, when the vehicle detects slip, it activates all wheel drive. The suspension set up is good enough for India roads as it soaks up most of the road bumpers and it does feel comfortable and convenient to drive on bad roads also as the suspension irons out most of the road shocks. The handling too of the Evoque is just like a car, there isn’t much of a body roll and it does a fine job. The hydraulic steering means the feedback from the wheel is good and it does weigh up nicely at high speeds.

Also Read: Land Rover Discovery 5 spotted on test

Buy or Avoid?

What do you expect from a luxury SUV? It should look stunning, should be spacious, feature rich and even powerful. The Range Rover Evoque ticks all the correct boxes and it does makes you special. It also has a badge that isn’t very common like the German and it boosts a heritage of the British marquee.

Range Rover Evoque 2016 Images