RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

Feel-good luxury meets off-road capability in form. Mark Pearson reports shrink-wrapped.

-  Mark Pearson

The first-generation Evoque was such a handsome beast it would have sold by the bucketload even if it had handled like a shopping trolley. As it turned out, it didn't handle like one, but it did gain a bit of a reputation for poor reliability.

Unsurprisingly, this second-gen car didn't mess with the visual formula. It was a gentle but neat styling evolution of the first, while underneath it introduced a range of more powerful and efficient engines and some upgraded tech. It's a lovely car, but guess what? You still might find yourself on first-name terms with your local Land Rover service manager.

Don't write it off, though, because there is plenty to like here. To begin with, there were three power grades for both 2.0-litre petrol and diesel options. The petrol range consisted of a 197bhp P200, 247bhp P250 and 296bhp P300, while diesel lovers could pick from a 148bhp D150, 178bhp D180 and 237bhp D240. Merely a year after launch, the diesel range was revised to a 163bhp D165 and 197bhp D200. There was also a 305bhp plug-in hybrid, the P300e, for 34 miles of electric-only driving.