The successful execution of the midsize Velar left me keen to find out if the brand was able to capture that magic once again with the smaller Evoque. It moved the styling yardstick for the Land Rover brand both inside and out when it came out in 2017, and the same can be said for the in-vehicle tech it introduced. ![]() The Land Rover ate it all and smiled, mud-splashed from boot to bonnet yet having not backed down an inch from whatever was placed in front of it.Let’s start this review of the 2020 Range Rover Evoque by first taking a quick look at its bigger sibling, the Velar. Able to ford nearly two feet of water and featuring several different traction-assisting driving programs through its new Terrain Response 2 system, I sent the Evoque down narrow canyons, over rushing streams, and up steep, craggy trails, before culminating in the instrument-only mountain ascent and descent that would cap my second storm-filled day behind the wheel. See Also: Range Rover Sport Does Something No Other Vehicle Has Ever DoneĪs impressive as its on-pavement proclivities may be, they are surpassed by its unexpected off-road capabilities. Power delivery is excellent all-around, with only the occasional corner push to remind you that this is a true SUV and not merely a lifted hatchback (with the heft to match). On pavement, the Evoque feels quiet and competent, if not quite athletic, when tackling the sinuous asphalt route that the day before had ultimately delivered Ken and me to our near-disappearance down the side of a Greek mountain just outside of Athens. Despite maintaining its modest size, the Range Rover also manages to be a smidgen more practical than before, too, leveraging its near-inch increase in wheelbase to provide better accommodations for second seat riders, as well as just a touch over 50 cubic feet of total cargo space with the rear row folded flat. This, combined with the surprising range of eco-oriented materials used throughout the Evoque (including fabric-like upholstery for the seats made from sustainable and/or recycled products), ups the ante for the vehicle, especially as compared to simpler, less-detailed presentations from competitors such as the BMW X2 or the Audi Q3. Most prominent is the available dual-pane infotainment system, the main touchscreen tilted towards driver and passenger upon ignition and the second hovering below between the dash and the center console to serve as the primary point of interaction for climate, entertainment, and other vehicle features (with much of its functionality also accessible on the primary display). Once inside, there are clearer indications from Land Rover’s design team that the Evoque has been taking lessons from the recent Velar’s beyond-slick interior. I take my foot off the Evoque’s brake, and the four-wheel drive system scrambles for purchase against the loose rock that’s eroding under the wheels in real time as the torrential downpour remakes the ‘road’ in its own image. I glance at the navigation screen, which neither confirms nor denies anything other than our proximity to a squiggly blue line that seems to stretch forward, forever, into the gloom. ![]() “Still, I think we’re going to have to make a right.” “I’d prefer that to the cliff drop I’ve got here outside my window,” Ken returns, the tension in his voice matching the general mood of our creep-forward driving pace. “I think there’s a rock wall just to the left,” I offer hopefully, not entirely certain as to whether my eyes have locked onto obsidian shale or sheer apparition. ![]() The auto start/stop system outfitted to the Range Rover Evoque SUV has killed the engine, leaving my co-driver, Ken, and myself to ponder the very existence of the path forward – obscured entirely, as it is now, by some of the thickest fog the Aegean can conjure and then hurl up at the peaks that frame this sliver of the Mediterranean. It’s quiet at the top of the rain-soaked mud-and-gravel track that’s been carved out of the Grecian hillside.
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