Range Rover Evoque 2014 Tow Test

Think Land Rover tow tugs and Discovery and Range Rover spring to mind. However, for two-tonne towing the eye-catching Evoque compact SUV is a surprise package, especially with new nine-speed auto fitted. It hauls a mid-size trailer with ease, and comes with useful features like trailer stability assist and hitch assist technology. But you pay a price for this level of styling and prestige.

Let’s face it, the average tow vehicle tested by caravancampingsales.com.au is not likely to win any style awards. Nor is it that great to punt around ‘solo’ when not on holiday duties.

Some of Australia’s best tow tugs, such as Toyota’s LandCruiser or even the Land Rover Discovery, are box-shaped, utilitarian beasts with road manners reminiscent of a B-double, and the looks of a delivery van.

So it’s a refreshing change to tow-test one of the more stylish SUVs to hit the market in recent times; a five-door, compact wagon that blends eye-catching design, silky-smooth road manners and on paper at least, decent towing performance.

Based on Land Rover’s Freelander 2, the Evoque is remarkable for at least two reasons: it made the transition from eye-catching 2008 concept to equally eye-catching 2011 production with minimal changes.
It’s also one of the first cars to receive ZF’s ‘world first’ nine-speed automatic transmission, as part of a recent mid-life update.

As is the case with most luxury models, the Evoque comes in a confusing array of variants, not to mention more options than a share trader's portfolio.

Currently, the cheapest Evoque (at $49,995 before on-road costs), is the five-door eD4 Pure variant with 110kW/380Nm 2.2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and six-speed manual transmission.

Or almost double that for the range-topping three-door, Si4 Prestige Evoque with 177kW/340Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and nine-speed auto, from $81,490 (plus ORCs).

As one of the plusher versions, the Evoque TD4 Prestige reviewed here costs $72,695 (plus ORCs), and for that you get such niceties as 19-inch alloy wheels, a tyre pressure monitoring system, 8.0-inch colour infotainment display with satnav, eight-way electric adjustable driver’s seat, leather trim, keyless start, front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, 11-speaker audio system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity… the list goes on.

In addition, our test car came with more than $10,000 worth of options including the aforementioned nine-speed auto, powered tailgate, keyless entry, lane departure warning, adaptive LED headlights, panoramic roof, metallic paint and privacy glass, boosting overall cost to a wallet-draining $83,245 (plus ORCs).

The upside is you get much of the flash and pomp of bigger, more expensive Range Rover offerings, at least in the up-spec TD4 Prestige Evoque. With its rich Loire Blue paint, sumptuous Lunar/Ivory leather, excellent cabin ergonomics and classy touches like brushed aluminium inserts, interior mood lighting, and the conversation starting ‘pop-up’ transmission dial, the Evoque impressed both inside and out.

The driving experience was equally soothing and stress free. While the extra 30kW/20Nm of the $4000 pricier SD4 engine would have been nice, seamless, super-swift gear changes from the nine-speed auto ensured the engine was almost always in the desired 1500-2000rpm sweetspot.

Turbo lag was virtually non-existent, making the small-capacity diesel engine feel more powerful than it was; not to mention the 1685kg Evoque feel faster than its official 9.6sec, 0-100km/h time suggested.

The effortless performance was backed up by a whisper-quiet cabin, firm but compliant suspension and competent handling.

Our test vehicle was also fitted with Land Rover’s on-demand all-wheel drive system with selectable Terrain Response modes as well as hill ascent and descent controls, making it surefooted over different surfaces and terrain.

While less practical than similar-sized ‘high roof’ SUVs, there’s decent room for four or five occupants and the sculptured seats were perfectly suited to long-haul stints.

However, boot space wasn’t great, the spare wheel not full size, and rear headroom for taller passengers compromised by the sloping rear roofline and optional sunroof.

For the tow test, we hooked up a single axle Elddis Avante caravan weighing just over 1300kg and putting just 55kg on the tow ball – well within the 150kg towball and 1800kg overall weight allowable on all Evoques [except the entry level eD4 which has a 1500kg limit].

Not surprisingly, the lightweight, British-built van proved a perfect match for the Evoque, both in styling and size. The only issue was some slight pitching or bouncing at lower speeds on rougher bitumen, but it smoothed out nicely on the highway.

Not surprisingly, there was little dip in the rear suspension; a good thing as Land Rover doesn’t advise use of a weight distribution, or load sharing device.

Acceleration from the lights was on a par with other traffic (second gear starts smoothing out the process), and we often had to check the mirrors to remind ourselves there was a van behind, particularly when cruising in ninth gear with the engine ticking just over 1000rpm at 100km/h.

It was forced to work harder up hills, but not that you’d know from the driver’s seat with little extra noise or perceptible gear changes even when revving hard up an incline.

Engine braking on downhill descents was made easy with the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters but otherwise we were happy to let the clever transmission do its thing.

Before towing we were getting an average fuel reading of 7.5L/100km around town, slightly more than 6.0quoted. But the biggest surprise was the 12.0L/100km average while towing – one of the better results over our regular 100km loop along Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

The idle stop-start system helps fuel efficiency, but the slightly annoying hesitation at the lights before kicking back into life, will make some drivers want to turn it off.

Also enhancing the towing experience was the excellent rear-view camera display, which had an (optional) hitch assist mode that magnified the view when backing up to the ball for easier guidance.

The Evoque also came with a Trailer Stability Assist feature which, according to Land Rover, gradually reduces speed of the vehicle upon detection of trailer sway by cutting engine power and applying brakes to help regain control.

There's no denying the Evoque is pricey, particular in Prestige spec. It’s also less practical than similar-sized ‘high roof’ SUVs, although the off-white leather interior stood up well to two weeks of family punishment.

More sensible (and frugal) types should look at the mechanically-similar Freelander II which is available with the same engine, towing capacity and six-speed auto for as little as $44,600 (plus ORCs).

However, it’s hard to go past the Evoque if you’ve got the cash and something suitably stylish to tow…

Not so much:
>> Price!
>> Rear headroom
>> Small boot