I bought this car because my commute to / from work is 166kms return, so I wanted a comfortable economical ride with the visibility that you only get from an SUV. I wanted something stylish, and as I am in my late 50’s I could afford something a little more special than I have had in the past. The car it was replacing was a turbo diesel SUV and I wanted to keep the torque that you get from a diesel-powered vehicle too. I created a shortlist and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque was the car that my wife and I agreed on.
I like the style and the comfort, we also considered the Discovery Sport at the time but the front seats of the Evoque are so much better, and I didn’t really require the capabilities off-road of the Discovery Sport. The ride comfort is particularly nice, the NVH levels are low and along with the beautiful 9-speed gearbox it makes for a great package to chew up miles in quiet comfort. The Meridian sound system is pretty good to, so is the GPS and 360 deg Camera system, Whilst the car can park itself, it’s not something I use.
My vehicle comes with the option of panoramic sunroof and this makes a special car even more special in my opinion, the puddle lights are a quirky feature and the standard wheels are quite attractive, I can’t see the pointing paying more for the optional wheels but each to their own.
Disappointingly for a car at this price point and it’s “prestige” target audience it does not come standard with electric seat warmers. Some salesmen argue that this is not necessary in Australia but having had them standard on a Honda CRV and an entry level Jeep Grand Cherokee I can tell you they are a real luxury item that I appreciated and having a lower back issue it was great driving the 1hr to work with adjustable lumbar support and heat warmers on, almost like a massage, but the Evoque does not come standard with them and asks an exorbitant price to option them, very disappointing.
Having had the car for well over a year mow the other disappointing thing is it has more rattles than my wife’s 2005 Honda CRV, again very disappointing for a car of its perceived quality.
The service intervals are 34000kms, whilst this seemed attractive at the purchase point, I’ve since come to the conclusion that I will half this and change the oil more regularly, anyone disagreeing I suggest you read the 8-page article on modern diesels in the June 2018 Wheels magazine.
Personally, I think all modern cars are getting too complicated, whilst it’s nice to have all the mod cons etc., do we really need them, it’s just more stuff to break down and will these modern cars last if our father’s cars did, I think not, they are so jam packed with computers and sensors, how long are manufacturers going to stock replacement parts for all these electronics. Electronic components get superseded almost every 6 mths. With the Evoque, when you first start it up in the morning and reverse out of the garage, by the time all the computers have booted up and it finally turns the reversing camera on, you’re ready to drive forward, sure once everything is booted up it responds a bit quicker but, it’s not what’s needed, so you either have to wait, or just look over your shoulder, old school.
The car drives very well, it’s a quiet smooth ride, the gear changes re smooth and the torque is excellent, the car grips and handles really well, particularly for an SUV, it can be quite sporty when driven enthusiastically on a winding road. Th engine transmission combination is perfect, my vehicle has the higher output specification of the 2 diesels on offer 132kW (The other being 110kW)
There’s one thing that I’m very disappointed in though, is the cruise control, whilst it works adequately on a flat surface or climbing a hill, it does not retard speed going down a hill, again for a car at this price point and its target audience, that’s pretty poor in my book.
My car was very reliable for the 1st year but since then I have had a string of warranty issues, including a radiator cap that did not hold pressure and had to be replaced and then a whole string of recurrent issues causing the engine light to come on, these issues are ongoing as I write, all problems seem to be associated with the emissions system including EGR, EGR Cooler, EGR Sensor, DEF Injector, DPF etc, my tip buy the Turbo Petrol version and put up with the slightly higher fuel consumption and enjoy the better performance.
This car would be improved by having the engineers redesign the entire emissions system and test it rigorously in Australia over a long period of time. It would also be improved by having seat warmers as standard fitment, the cruise control should retard speed on downhill runs, either by changing down gears and /or applying brakes. The car should also be revisited for squeaks and rattles, get the engineers at TATA, Yes, most people don’t know that’s who actually own Jaguar Land Rover these days, to take 1-3-year-old cars for a drive and listen for unwanted noises, bumpy Australian roads will reveal many, including rear vision mirror and something resembling a canary coming from the back end that I still can’t pin point.