Road Test: Range Rover Evoque Dynamic Coupe SD4

Does exchanging five-door practicality for two-door concept car looks harm the Range Rover Evoque experience?

A car can distinguish itself from a crowd by being many things: fast, loud, luxurious, comfortably, technically savvy, beautiful and/or brightly coloured. The Range Rover Evoque, aside from wearing a bright Green paintjob in our test unit, is as impossibly well-proportioned as a concept car spinning on a stand at a European motor show, but on paper at least, shouldn’t really stand out from the crowd at all. It’s only a small, posh, crossover sized vehicle with all-wheel-drive. That’s about it really. There have been crossovers for years now, and yet somehow the Evoque does stand out. How? Why?

We’ve been testing the two-door ‘Coupe’ version which looks better than the five-door model we’ve tested before and was a SAGMJ/Wesbank Car of the Year finalist this year, but only slightly better, if we’re honest, and we’re finding it hard to justify the compromise in practicality as a result of losing those two rear doors. And yet, when it’s parked up and you look at it, you can’t help but feel like you’ve got a little crush on the small Evoque. This car is shaping up to appeal on much more of an emotional level than a practical one, and who are we to fault it for that?

Ironically though, Land Rover didn’t host any launch drives for the vehicle when it arrived in South Africa. Building anticipation may have been a strategy, sure, but it could easily have turned into over hyped and underwhelmed. The Evoque Dynamic (that’s the specification level with a sports interior theme and gloss black finishes to much of the exterior) Coupe SD4 we have at our disposal has a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with a six speed automatic gearbox, producing 140 kW and 420 Nm of torque. 0–100 km/h is dealt with in an admirable but not blistering 8.6 seconds and the top speed is a shade over 195 km/h. With the advancing concerns of fuel consumption and emissions around the world it’s understandable that Range Rover moved to a more efficient four cylinder engine range for the first time in the smaller Evoque. Weighing in at 100 kg less than its long lost cousin, the Land Rover Freelander, it’s the lightest Land Rover ever built too, at little more than 1600 kg.

Despite this low weight, the SD4 diesel engine wasn’t a total saint in the fuel consumption department with a claimed average of 6.5 L/100 km across both cycles but we saw a real world average of around 8.5 L/100 km. The urgency of the torque-biased engine is nothing short of sublime though and it even sounds good for a four cylinder, cast iron number. You really find yourself massaging the throttle pedal carefully from standstill otherwise you’d be thrashing around in the Evoque like it was hot hatchback. Not bad, we suppose, for a car with all-wheel-drive that maintains a strong off road capability, and combines the unfiltered luxury you would expect from any other exemplary Range Rover.

In case you haven’t driven one, a Range Rover has always been the mark of one’s arrival in the upper echelons of social standing and those who attempt to dismiss this Evoque most certainly will not accept a further down sized version like. But don’t forget, smaller is cooler these days, as is the coupe version versus the five-door. As with all things Range Rover, style is of the utmost importance and the Dynamic specification of our test unit favours sportiness and dynamism over comfort and practicality. A more agro front grill is finished in black gloss, a lower ride height gives a harsher ride quality and slightly less off road capability, but premium leather stays on the seats and embellishments throughout the cabin give it that bespoke feel.

The toys on any Range Rover never fail to disappoint. To begin with there’s the pulsing ‘Start Button’ with keyless entry, a panoramic sunroof with solar attenuating glass. Then there is an 8-inch central, touch screen as standard, a 5-inch TFT (thin film transistor) drivers display screen in between the dials and our car was optioned with five cameras mounted around the vehicle to provide all around visibility. These are useful because of the stylised, but not so practical sloped rear end, and the fact that placing the front fenders from the ensconced driving position can be difficult sometimes when parking. A nice personal touch is the mood lighting in a variety of colours within the cabin, and the ‘puddle lights’ on the side mirrors which provide a sense of absolute awe every time you see your Evoque silhouette is back lit onto the pavement.

Being a Range Rover the ride quality should be absolutely flawless but as this is the Dynamic model that rides on big, 20-inch rims; it was a little bumpier than the Prestige model we’ve sampled before. However, as a rugged adventurer, looking for the freedom of the open road or the haunting call of a deserted off road trail, the ‘Magne-Ride’ technology comes to the fore on rutted roads. It magnetises iron particles within the suspension fluid to quickly adapt the shock absorbers to varying road surfaces. Combining with the Terrain Response system (selected from the centre console), most obstacles are much more conquerable than you might imagine.

The Range Rover Evoque Coupe Dynamic SD4 is an absolute class act and for those who want to make a style statement, it is fully worth its R 633 100 asking price. If it were our money, we’d probably suggest going for the five-door though due to it added practicality and slightly comfier ride quality.

What we like…

• Concept car looks from the Evoque Coupe.
• Tenacious acceleration from the gutsy diesel engine.
• You’re welcomed with open arms no matter where you go in an Evoque.

What we would like…

• The lack of rear doors does make rear access much more difficult.
• Thin window partitions look good but do make it hard to see out of at times.
• The harder ride quality does impact the normally cosseting driving comfort.

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