Range Rover Evoque HSE Dynamic TD4 2016 Review

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque HSE Dynamic TD4
Road Test

A style beacon from the moment it was unveiled, Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque brings a sense of presence to a more accessible segment. Substantial updates for the 2016 model-year, highlighted by the new-generation Ingenium turbo-diesel engine as fitted to the tested HSE TD4 Dynamic flatter with on-paper promise and perform well in the real-world, though don't expect to match the 5.1L/100km fuel claim...

Smaller yet even more attention-grabbing than its more established siblings, the Range Rover Evoque has always stood out from the SUV pack with its unique sense of style.

That statement rings even more truthfully with the MY2016 range, particularly when the exterior melds a bright white body with menacing black highlights, as per the tested five-door version, in HSE Dynamic TD4 form (available from $76,995 plus on-road costs, in three or five-door varieties). Is it truly to die for?

For MY2016 variants, the biggest news is Ingenium engine availability. JLR's new-gen 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is replacing an ageing 2.2-litre power unit. It's 20-30kg lighter and is available in two output levels: 110kW or 132kW – with a stout 430Nm – as seen in the HSE Dynamic TD4. Interestingly, that's less grunt than the Ford-sourced unit it replaces.

Its party piece is claimed economy; even in the higher-output form the Ingenium sips only 5.1L/100km, according to the ADR combined-cycle test; not bad for a 1664kg (kerb) five-door SUV... and there's no doubting the nine-speed automatic also assists in achieving the headline consumption figure.

Beyond this, the step-change in specification for MY2016 remains large, with enhancements including torque vectoring, 8.0-inch InControl Touch Infotainment system (InControl Touch Plus is fitted to HSE and HSE Dynamic), autonomous emergency braking, HUD, gesture tailgate, auto-recirculation climate control and Oxford leather trim with 12-way adjustment and memory front seating in HSE Dynamic spec, which is further differentiated from HSE with bonnet vents, 19-inch, seven-spoke alloys and illuminated tread plates among the highlights.

This vehicle has a host of options, too: 20-inch black wheels are part of the Satin Black pack it wears for an additional $4650. Extended leather ($1920), fixed panoramic roof with blind ($1800), blind-spot monitoring pack ($1090) and Santorini black roof ($920) take the as-tested to $87,375 (plus ORCs).

On approach the Evoque's small-window exterior side view remains alluring, the contrasts of white paint and black highlights on this example adding further aggression and presence.

While the exterior needed little refinement, the interior specification upgrade is evident, though the illuminated scuff plates draw a mixed reaction. Climb-in and hesitations regarding headroom – such a sleek roofline and high driving position will surely limit head-room, right? – disappear; there's plenty of headspace, even for my 185cm height. In the back there's still 101cm headroom, while luggage space is 575 litres. It'll also tow 2000kg (braked).

There's no doubting the sense of occasion, however. Like its exterior, the Evoque's interior oozes style and substance, with comfortable seats and soft leathers mixing with a clean infotainment design and the nicely-applied, large-screen infotainment package with its intuitive Bluetooth connectivity and hard disc-based navigation system.

Given the Ingenium diesel range forms a substantial part of JLR's future, the initial fire-up, idle sequence generates more cabin-intruding chatter than the best Germans. It's not bad, but it's initially not as smooth as you may envision.

Things smooth out once the engine is under load, though the nine-speed automatic has a propensity to range-hunt as it attempts to optimise response and economy simultaneously. It would prove more coherent if the transmission relied instead upon the engine's abundant low-rev torque (the 430Nm peak is available at only 1500rpm) and response to lug a higher gear.

Additionally, when accelerating firmly the combination of nine gears and a change-point of under 5000rpm creates a feeling not unlike a restricted rally car; there's a narrow drop in revs between gears, so you keep pulling the paddle. Nine gears are too extravagant in a nation with a 110km/h speed limit usually in place.

Despite these issues the Evoque accelerates strongly and cruises with relative ease once up to a speed, though tested fuel consumption of 7.5L/100km is well off the claim.

From the commanding driving position visibility is more reasonable than you might expect, given the relatively small windows and new tech such as the head-up display makes the drive less stressful, allowing occupants to concentrate on the 380-watt Meridian 11-speaker sound system's again-exceptional quality.

On-road manners are good enough with a reasonable (but obviously tarmac-biased) ride on large alloys and decent NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) suppression at a cruise. These attributes are expected given the Evoque's more-urbane pitch, but the steering feels overly-assisted and inconsistent in its weighting. When taken off tarmac, it is this trait that frustrates.

In this reviewer's opinion, the Evoque trades the inherent multi-surface quality of Land Rover's longer-tenured products in favour of a more expansive electronic-trickery feature list… and it's worse off as a result.

Yes, the removal of low-range capability and air suspension (adaptive damping is cost-optional) that are present on larger Land Rovers needs to be accounted for if the Evoque is not to embarrass itself off-road. But the combination of torque vectoring (which you feel as a 'pinch' of brake on the road wheels), an 'active' driveline that can decouple the four-wheel drive system at speeds above 35km/h (it can apparently send drive back in 200ms) and electric steering that is bereft of consistency and feedback means you are never confident of the car's ability to negotiate sometimes-rutted country gravel roads with confidence.

More than once, the Evoque's front axle pushed wide without warning, the suspension too firm to breathe over the surface.

Additionally the four-mode terrain response feels less effective than in its bigger brothers, though there is a noticeable shift in throttle response when selecting the sand mode.

Slow things down by leaving two-lane gravel back roads for trickier pathways and the Evoque's off-road quality shines more, its systems deploying effectively to maximise traction and bringing its 18.5-degree approach, 22-degree break-over and 30-degree departure angles to the fore.

Amazingly, service intervals have been pushed out to 34,000km, underlying JLR's confidence in its latest engineering.

All-round capable in best Range Rover tradition, but not outstanding in any one discipline, the Evoque still adds a dose of distinctive style to its segment and cuts a fine figure on the road.

The new engine's quality is dimmed by the overly busy gearbox, and the electronic trickery may be too much for some, but you buy an Evoque as a forward-thinking statement, not for fine off-road response.

Perhaps I'm a dinosaur for wanting a more genuine sense of feedback to go with the stylistic experience, which remains unrivalled.

2016 Land Rover Evoque HSE Dynamic TD4 Five-door pricing and specifications:
Price: $76,995 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel
Output: 132kW/430Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 134g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Four-star ANCAP