Evoking Style: The Range Rover Evoque

Only an SUV built with style, luxury and capability can attract this kind of attention


The smallest, lightest and most fuel-efficient Range Rover (RR) ever produced. 'How much of a Range Rover is it?' This is one massive burden every Evoque must be carrying as it rolls out of the Halewood factory, near Liverpool. By the time they reach the Indian shores, more load is added in the form of import duties and taxes. So now the question is, as the British say, will it be worth all the quid? We'll try to answer that in this report.

Design

To cut a long chase short, the Evoque looks just stunning! This is Range Rover's new design direction, traces of which are also visible in the DC100 Defender concept showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year. The Evoque is an ultra-modern take on British SUVs. It's compact, chic and super sexy. Sorry, I had to use the word, after all Victoria Beckham was part of its design and style team. This spunky mini-SUV will make more heads turn than many oversized, boxy SUVs that you might have bought to do the same.

Soft front design, with slit-eye type menacing Xenon with LED headlight. Large wheels, flared wheel arches that encroach upon the bonnet on the sides, low roof-lines that taper further towards the tail, squeezing the rear windows. The design opposes traditional Range Rovers and yet manages to be very, very attractive. The Evoque is macho and intelligent in a metrosexual way. It's sensitive and brawny, a little bit like Christian Bale in American Psycho.