RE EVOQUE YOUR COOL LIFE WITH THE RANGE ROVER EVOQUE.
Driving the 2021 Evoque model, I was totally wowed, so surprised at the lovely refinements, the smoothness, luxury aspect, subtle style and design changes, the interior looks and ofcourse the comfort, suited for the executives, the youth generation, let me add, family SUV too. Comparing it to the competition in this compact SUV size, the BMW X2, Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, Mercedes GLA, the Evoque still clearly stands out, even though with its subtle sleek contemporary design.
I did get the Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic HSE – 2021 in Santorini Black, highlighted the elegant silhouette, gleaming, mirror finish, could see the skyscrapers above me.
The Evoque has various model options to choose from, Evoque, Evoque S/SE, Evoque R-DYNAMIC, Evoque R-DYNAMIC S/SE/HSE, the R-Dynamic package, provided with sportier exterior look and accents and various editions – RANGE ROVER EVOQUE BRONZE COLLECTION/HST/AUTOBIOGRAPHY. The top end model is the Autobiography. There is a choice of diesel engines, petrol and a plug-in hybrid unit for the Range Rover Evoque, all equipped with four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox.
I headed for a meeting to meet a Blockchain – Metaverse/NFT startup at the Hotel Address Dubai Mall. Seated inside, clasped the leather steering wheel, with all controls, paddle shift, I just love it. I adore the interiors, contemporary, sleek and luxurious. The Deep Garnet/Ebony Diamond Perforated Windsor Leather Seats with Deep Garnet/Ebony interior(above) went well with the black suit, pink shirt and maroon loafers, I was attired in.
The seats very comfy and having 14-Way Electric Front Seats with Memory, plenty of power adjustments, always can upgrade for ventilated and massaging front seats I could precisely set it perfectly for my lumber support, relaxed and as I am hearing Dj Black Coffee music from the MERIDIAN™ Sound System with 11 Speakers Including Subwoofers 380 Watts Output, classy and real sounds, as if the DJ playing live and the controls embedded to the InControl Touch Pro Duo Infotainment system, on the 12” TFT Virtual Instrument Panel, so elegantly styled and flushed with the dashboard, the reductive lines create a refined, premium-feel cockpit, providing a very spacious feel and settle into. Meridian by using a combination of sophisticated acoustic technology and strategically positioned speakers, they have managed the sound stage, with intensifying the levels of depth, clarity and realism of the music.
The legroom and headroom for even a 6 footer person is well suited. The Headroom space – Maximum front/rear headroom with panoramic roof is 1.013/997 mm and Legroom space is Maximum front/rear legroom 1.016/864 mm, slight smaller.
The Range Rover Evoque’s infotainment system, the All new PIVI 10” Touchscreen Infotainment, featured an intuitive Touchscreen interface, and an Interactive Driver Display, very clean and structured layered menu, for quickly finding your option, stress free and efficient. Reach everyday tasks in two taps or less, right from the home screen, playing music, or navigation, with the Smartphone Pack containing Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, etc. Easily find what you’re looking without getting lost in menus, screens and hidden features.
One main feature, I really desired, is for a Panoramic Roof, and the Evoque has the option. Let the natural sunshine in and gives a more spacious feel for the Range Rover Evoque’s interior. The addition of a fixed1 or sliding panoramic roof2 invites the outside in. As it started raining, with the touch of a button, it shut.
The design element and ethos is very important to fall in love with the SUV or Car and the Evoque has just got it perfect, subtle, sleek, elegant, and outstanding exterior design, still makes an impactful statement, and accentuates a modern and trendy styling. The distinctive coupé-like silhouette is finished with flush deployable door handles and resting on 20″ wheels attached to the 5 split-spoke rims, Gloss Dark Grey with contrast Diamond Turned finish. The Evoque’s design ethos, the front and rear styling cues is taken from its master, the Velar. The horizontal strakes divide the vertical air inlets on each side of the front bumper, giving an aggressive look and bumper openings to make them seem larger than they really are, improving air flow and aerodynamics. The hallmarks of the first-gen Evoque design, the rising beltline and descending roofline remain, the visibility for the rear view gets bit narrowed and the rear roof spoiler gives a very sporty look.
The front of the Range Rover Evoque features a range of innovative technologies including sleek Matrix LED headlights with signature Daytime Running Lights* (DRL), an adaptive beam, Auto High Beam Assist (AHBA), Animated Directional Indicators and mainly the heated, electric, much required for snowy regions with the power fold door mirrors with approach lights and auto-dimming driver side mirror. The inverted trapezoidal honeycomb grille and the decorative air inlets on both sides are impressive, accentuates a sharp serious look.
Driving the Evoque, it’s so silent and smooth, I felt like I was driving the electric version, but it was the petrol engine. Super smooth, silent, even the baby will fall asleep. This was done by optimizing body and chassis aerodynamics, drastically reducing offsets and gaps between exterior panels, resulted in reducing noise and wind resistance by 10% respectively, creating a calm driving experience and enjoying the music much more.
The body of the Evoque has a new structure, intelligent mix of various materials such as aluminum magnesium alloy and composite materials, amalgamated with large number of high-strength steel to increase the body strength by 13%, resulted in receiving the highest five-star rating in the 2019 NCAP EU safety test for new cars and for Dynamic Driving Experience.
The architecture foundation of the Evoque has a 13 per cent stiffer structure, due to the use of mix of ultra-high strength steel and aluminum, which is based on the Jaguar Land Rover’s Innovative Platform, the Premium Transverse Architecture (PTA). The new PTA platform is suited best for the hybrid variant 48v MHEV 2.0T Ingenium Engine, of the Range Rover Evoque.
Apart from a super silent engine, turbocharged 2.0-liter litre Ingenium four-cylinder petrol engine is responsive, 4 Valves per cylinder, slightly more peppy pickup would be preferred from the drivetrain, delivering maximum power (PS/rpm) – 249/184/5,500 and Maximum torque (Nm/rpm) – 320/1,300-4,500, did 0-100 km/h in 7.6 Seconds, mated to the nine-speed automatic transmission; gear delivery is bit slack, 7 speed is more preferred for this engine.
The featuring All Wheel Drive (AWD), torque can be redistributed to maximise traction on slippery surfaces such as grass and snow, this is needed most for rural regions/snow falling countries and for off roaders. For extreme conditions where the front or rear wheels lose resistance completely, up to 100 percent of engine torque can be distributed to the opposite axle for optimum grip, gives you the confidence for the vehicle handling both on and off road. Excellent handling. Maximum speed 230 km/h.
During parking between two cars, tight parking, the steering is very responsive, smooth and very good turning radius, the turning circle kerb-to-kerb 11.6m, wall-to-wall 11.9m, turns lock-to-lock 2.3 and for better visibility during parking, with the surround-view parking camera system are now standard, helps a lot.
With rougher terrains, the four-wheel independent suspension and front and rear stabilizer bar, stability is superb and optimised with the Land Rover’s intelligent All-Terrain Response System capability, at the core of its brand for superiour handling. The All New Range Rover Evoque has fully upgraded the ATRS technology, giving the confidence to the very experienced drivers to go with the Land Rover’s spirit of “Above & Beyond”, in exploring the world. Terrain Response 2 offers 6+1 driving environment modes, which enables you to set and maintain a steady speed between 1.8km/h and 30km/h in challenging weather conditions. It will help you out in mud, wet grass, ice, snow and on dirt roads. The newly added auto mode, like an “all-terrain adaptive expert”, is able to automatically select the best terrain mode according to different road conditions, allowing drivers to enjoy conquering all terrains. The peerless wading depth up to 530 mm makes it easy to deal with heavy rain seasons and flooding, with ground clearance of 8.3 in., it can tread through almost two feet(21 inches) of water or manage steep inclines with electronic hill-descent control. Plus, with the addition of optional Advanced Tow Assist*, you can take any equipment wherever you want to go.
Selecting Adaptive Dynamics2 via the Touchscreen lets you experience your Range Rover Evoque’s tightest body control, with flatter handling and sharper responses. And, if you want even more control of your drive, optional Configurable Dynamics2 is available to enhance either driving refinement and your comfort or the vehicle’s performance, allowing you to configure throttle mapping, gearbox shift points, steering settings and suspension to suit your driving needs.
Safety and precautionary warning, Evoque has a very important feature, during parking or changing lanes(blind spots). So if another car is detected in your blind spot when you begin to change lanes, a warning light illuminates in the corresponding door mirror and steering torque encourages you to guide your vehicle away from potential collision. With Passing vehicles and cyclists, the Clear Exit Monitor – warns passengers as they exit of approaching hazards. When reversing out of a parking bay, the Rear Traffic Monitor – Warns you of vehicles, pedestrians or other hazards approaching from either side. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)system reduces the risk of skidding on the road by limiting engine torque and applying the brakes to the appropriate wheels to correct the skid.
There is sufficient space to store your golf bag, fully loaded, as the Evoque’s cargo space is midpack for the luxury subcompact SUV class, with 21.6 cubic feet of space(472 litres) behind the second row and 50.5 cubic feet with the back seats folded down(maximum of 1,383 litres (or 1,576 if measured to the roofline), even full weeks grocery shopping can be stored, still have space remaining, ok, add the baby trolley. A power liftgate is standard, and hands-free liftgate access is optional. The Evoque is 4,371mm long, 2,100mm wide and 1,649mm tall, and the wheelbase at 2,681mm.
From Solid paint to Metallic paint options, the following exterior colors are available to choose from – Fuji White, Firenze Red, Santorini Black, Seoul Pearl Silver, Nolita Grey, Eiger Grey, Portofino Blue, Lantau Bronze, Ostuni Pearl White, Carpathian Grey, and Silicon Silver.
I had been invited for the launch opening of the METATERRACE, a Metaverse themed open air lounge restaurant, situated in the Central Park Towers, DIFC. METATERRACE perfect for the Dubai nightlife goers. While driving there, gazed at the near full moon through the panoramic roof was wonderful. At the Metaterrace, seated and the views of the Burj Khalifa dazzled me, while having non-alcoholic drinks and enjoying with friends.
The Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic HSE – 2021 with its trendy design, smart tech, latest safety features, luxury features and superb all-terrain capability is ideal for the youth, the senior executives and must or family, with a dog member too, an elegant statement.
