Don’t be sucked in by the Evoque’s attractive styling, flashy interior, and Land Rover brand cachet. This overpriced luxury SUV has a disappointing drivetrain, a rough and bumpy ride, and confounding controls. By the time our testing was complete, we came to the conclusion that the redesigned Evoque is the least talented luxury compact SUV, yet the most expensive.
The frustration starts as soon as you hit the gas pedal, with a delay when accelerating from a standstill followed by an abrupt burst of power when the turbo engine finally kicks in. The automatic engine stop/start system also is slow to re-engage, making things worse. These characteristics make it particularly tricky to pull out into fast-moving traffic from a stop. The transmission’s gear shifts aren’t particularly smooth, either, and downshifts don’t come quickly enough when the gas pedal is pressed harder.
The Evoque is neither quick nor efficient. It takes 8.3 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, and it manages just 20 mpg overall, which is among the worst small luxury SUVs with a four-cylinder engine.
On the plus side, handling is fairly nimble. It turns into corners willingly with restrained body lean, although we wish the steering did a better job communicating front-tire grip levels to the driver. When pushed to its limits through our avoidance maneuver test, the electronic stability control caused the front tires to slide excessively—this not only hurt its speed through the exercise, but it eroded driver confidence.
Ride comfort is another Evoque weak point. The suspension is too stiff, transmitting pronounced jolts into the cabin on any road that isn’t perfectly smooth. The cabin stays pretty quiet, with a minimum of road and wind noise.
The SUV definitely lives up the Land Rover badge in terms of its superb interior fit and finish, with numerous padded and stitched surfaces and lots of glossy black trim. The front seats are comfortable, with good support and plenty of adjustments, but tall passengers might find the rear seat snug. Thick roof pillars and short window glass make it difficult to see out of the back.
Some aspects of the Evoque give strong initial impressions, but even those wear thin over time. For instance, the retractable door handles might look cool to onlookers in a parking lot, but it’s an unnecessary trick that takes a couple of extra seconds to open the door, which can be annoying when drivers are trying to get in from the rain.
The dazzling-looking infotainment system is another example: the dual-screen setup shouts high-tech, but it’s complicated, slow-reacting, and very distracting. At least Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard.
Forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance are standard.
The Evoque has always been about styling. Unfortunately, this new version fails to bring any added substance to the table other than the allure of the Range Rover badge.