Range Rover Evoque D180 SE R-Dynamic

Still beautiful and balanced, the Evoque’s coming of age has done nothing to erode its appeal

Every large family has its own boisterous and footloose youngster; the one who seemingly isn’t mired in the limitations that come with grownup responsibilities but rather gets by with their charisma. And, as much as that person may grate, going against the grain of what the family stands for, there’s no getting away from their infectious personality. This was certainly the case when the Evoque joined the Land Rover stable back in 2011. It left the practical stuff to the Discovery and Defender, instead taking a more style-conscious and fun-loving route between them and the bigger Range Rovers. This ruffled a few feathers among dyed-in-the-wool Land Rover fans; the design input from Victoria Beckham certainly raised an eyebrow or two.

But it didn’t matter; the public fell in love with the footloose youngster and it became a hit among fashionistas. Everyone has to grow up sometime, though, and, with the previously purpose defined gaps between Land Rover’s wares blurring, the Evoque now has to toe the line with its peers. But beneath that more grown-up exterior, the Evoque has lost none of its youthful charm…

In an automotive world where the dimensions of our cars seem to balloon with every generation that passes, the Evoque has managed to retain much of its compact charm. Underpinned by Land Rover’s new Premium Transverse architecture platform, the new car is just 1 mm longer than its forebear and its roofline sits 11 mm lower. The only areas where this Evoque has grown is in its wheelbase, which stretches 21 mm over that of the first-generation model, and body width up just 4 mm. Take a deep breath and you’ll likely show more bodily expansion than the new Evoque.