2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Quick Spin

by Lyndon Bell

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September 21, 2014

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3 min. Reading Time

2015 land rover range rover evoque

The little Range Rover has big shoes to fill. A member of the family of the most capable and luxurious SUVs on the planet, people look to it with high expectations. Offered in both four-door and two-door body configurations, the Evoque is a highly evocative looking automobile (you had to know that was coming—right?). For 2015, the four-door Evoque gets Autobiography trim packages to further enhance its appeal. Going into its fourth year, Evoque delivers sleek styling, a nicely crafted interior, a great deal of agility, strong offroad capability, and more power with the new Autobiography Dynamic package.

Models & Pricing

Land Rover offers the 2015 Range Rover Evoque in five trim levels; Pure, Dynamic, Prestige, Autobiography, and Autobiography Dynamic. Pure trim level standards include 18-inch alloys, automatic wipers, a rearview camera, front and rear parking sensor arrays, keyless entry and pushbutton start, a dual-zone automatic climate control system, and power adjustable front seats. Bluetooth telephone connectivity and audio streaming are paired to an eight-inch touchscreen electronics interface fronting an eleven-speaker sound system supporting a CD player, an audio input jack, and two USB interface ports. Evoque pricing starts at $41,100. As of this writing, Autobiography pricing hadn’t been announced.

Design

Differentiating the new Range Rover Evoque Autobiography models from the rest of the Evoque lineup are a set of forged 20-inch alloy wheels, plus a unique grille design, lower front valance, and foglight surrounds—all finished in silver. Crystal headlights and taillamps along with Autobiography badging complete the exterior package. Autobiography models also get a full leather interior treatment, illuminated doorsill plates with Autobiography script, and Autobiography script embossed into the headrests. These features nicely enhance what many already consider to be the best-looking small SUV currently on the market. Indeed, nothing else shows like the Ranger Rover Evoque.

Comfort & Cargo

Boasting supportive seats, reassuring visibility, and a host of luxury features, comfort is readily attained within the confines of the Range Rover Evoque. The sloping roofline does eat into rear seat headroom a bit, and if we’re to be perfectly frank, legroom in the rear is largely dependent upon the empathic nature of those riding in the front seats. In other words, if they’re not selfish—or freakishly tall, the Evoque will seat a quartet for short trips. Cargo capacity is also meager for a SUV at 51 cubic feet with the rear seat folded (47.6 for the coupe).

Features & Controls

Evoque’s driving position, as well as its positional relationship between the steering wheel and the pedal set is very near ideal. Instrumentation is readily legible, and we love the flowing center console. The new Autobiography package’s leather dash and door trim elevates the luxury quotient. Also new is the incorporation of Land Rover’s In Control Apps system permitting smartphone apps to be employed from the Evoque’s touchscreen. It works with both iOS and Android operating systems when a phone is connected to one of the Range Rover’s USB ports. Functionalities include satellite-navigation, music streaming, Internet radio, and location services.

Safety & Crash Test Ratings

Included with the purchase of every Land Rover model is a two-hour offroad training session with a Land Rover Experience Driving School Instructor. Other standard safety features include roadside assistance, antilock brakes, stability and traction control, trailer sway control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags, along with front and rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera. Optional features include self-parking, park exit, a 360-degree camera system, smart cruise control, closing vehicle sensing (warns you if the Evoque is about to be rear ended), and forward collision warning. However, neither NHTSA nor the IIHS have crash tested the Evoque.

Engines & Fuel Economy

The standard engine offering for the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is a 240-horsepower turbocharged and direct injected inline 2.0-liter four-cylinder, generating 251 ft-lbs of torque. Autobiography Dynamic gets a 285-horsepower version of the same engine, with 295 ft-lbs of torque. Power from both is transmitted to all four wheels by way of a nine-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy ratings for the base engine are 21 miles per gallon in the city, 30 on the highway, and 24 combined. Fuel economy ratings for the Autobiography Dynamic powerplant had yet to be announced at the time of this writing.

Driving Impressions

Delivering an enjoyable driving experience; thanks to its relatively powerful engine, sharp steering, and outstanding agility, the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque can easily be said to be a driver’s SUV. What’s more, its prowess in urban landscapes is complemented nicely by its capability offroad. Benefitting tremendously from Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, Range Rover Evoque will take you pretty much anywhere its larger Range Rover siblings will go. The incorporation of hill start assist and hill descent control figure prominently in the Evoque’s offroad prowess as well. The Autobiography Dynamic’s added power will make it even more pleasing.

Final Thoughts

That said; we do find the four-cylinder engine to exhibit less polish than we’ve come to expect from the marque, given the highly sophisticated ministrations of Evoque’s larger Range Rover siblings. Not that it’s bad, it just isn’t Range Rover smooth. Frankly though, we wouldn’t mind it at all if the engine note had a more roundly mellifluous sound. In other words, we’d appreciate it more if Land Rover acknowledged Evoque’s sporty nature and let it deliver an aggressive growl. Employing largely the same engine as the Ford Focus ST, we wish Evoque sounded sporty like the Focus ST.