Range Rover Evoque

[SCRover]

Visited my local LR dealer today and inquired about the Evoque. The GM said the reps had been there two weeks ago (that's when I saw a red 5-door on the road near my office). Those I spoke to said the vehicle is awesome to drive - a couple of them took it on some local backroads filled with sharp turns and steep inclines/declines. All were very impressed.

I asked about pre-sales and one of the sales guys said orders have been placed for every vehicle expected for delivery in October. (The models start at $44K, with three models being available, and they will go as high as $57K.) It will sell well here where outdoing the Joneses is of paramount importance to many. The Evoque is unique enough to set itself apart from other cross-over types and, of course, it carries the RR badge.

As for the Defender, the GM confirmed that the new model will be unveiled at the Frankfurt show.

And, fwiw, a pristine, low-mileage NAS 110 that had been sitting on the dealer lot just sold for ~$80K. Apparently, the truck is in OR now.

 

[ltngaines]

It looks like a North Shore mom should drive it. Not my kind of Rover.

 

[roverrocks]

It looks like a North Shore mom should drive it. Not my kind of Rover.

Ditto

 

[discotdi]

I think people said the same about the RR and Disco when they came out. " not a real LR etc" it's not for everybody but it will be for lots of people.

 

[MattScott]

It looks like a North Shore mom should drive it. Not my kind of Rover.

I have no problem with cougars enjoying LR products. It makes my job 10x better.

 

[ltngaines]

I have no problem with cougars enjoying LR products. It makes my job 10x better.

10/4 the cougars Matt. It kind of looks like a Ford Edge but with a much bigger price tag.:Wow1:

 

[haven]

The British rally prep firm RaBe will prepare this Evoque for duty at next January's Dakar rally in Argentina. Under the hood will be a BMW 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine that produces 275 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Not bad for an urban runabout!

Photo courtesy of RaBe.

 

[overlander]

OK, I'll give it to you. That looks more like what the future of land rover should be.

 

[Snagger]

I saw some Evoques in the flesh for the first time at my local dealer the other day, and they look a lot better than I expected and much better than in photos. Still not my sort of thing, but a cool road car all the same.

 

[MattScott]

Evoque as a rally car makes me really, really exited! :Wow1:

 

[Antichrist]

The target customer is the urban professional who wants stylish all-weather transport in a smaller, more fuel efficient package.

Watching people around here I don't know what the "all weather" means. When it's cloudy?
4 snow flakes and people stay home or check in to a hotel. 4 rain drops and they turn on their flashers and drive at 25mph with a rolling roadblock on multi-lane roads.

"All-weather" transport is a buzz word to convince people they need 4WD. My dad's VW Rabbit was a fine all weather car.

As for the Evoque, I've been driving Land Rovers for over 35 years and Land Rover hasn't imported anything to the US that interests me since probably '95, certainly not since '97.

It's certainly ugly, so I'm sure it will sell well.

 

[Rocket Ship]

Watching people around here I don't know what the "all weather" means. When it's cloudy?
4 snow flakes and people stay home or check in to a hotel. 4 rain drops and they turn on their flashers and drive at 25mph with a rolling roadblock on multi-lane roads.

"All-weather" transport is a buzz word to convince people they need 4WD. My dad's VW Rabbit was a fine all weather car.

I know what you mean. It is a marketting buzz-word to sell AWD, but then people leave the all-season tires on and either crash, or stay home at the first sign of "weather".

But for me, it meant being able to commute in a blizzard at 100mph since there was no traffic or cops. :smiley_drive:

 

[Snagger]

So you might not get caught by the police at irresponsible speeds, Rocket, but what about the risk you pose to other road users, including pedestrians? What about the pointless increased to emergency service workers like the police, ambulance and fire crews who have to attend you crash in a blizzard? I know your 100mph figure is a gross exaggeration, but even the best drive in the best vehicle has to drive carefully and relatively safely in that bad weather.

Anyway, the main reason for the weather references in LR's marketing will be the last two relatively harsh winters in Europe - most of northern Europe had snow, and while thin (at a few inches) compared to Scandinavia and Canada or the north east coastal US, it was enough to bring most of Europe to a halt - since significant snow is relatively rare here, the transport infrastructure simply isn't prepared for it and most peoples' cars were stranded while all trains were cancelled. Any 4WD with sensible tyres would cope.

 

[Antichrist]

Any 4WD with sensible tyres would cope.

That was pretty much my point. I don't remember what the snow fall was there in Europe, but my dad's Rabbit/Golf with good winter tires did fine in snow nearly up to the sills.
Of course, knowing how to drive in snow helps too.

 

[Rocket Ship]

So you might not get caught by the police at irresponsible speeds, Rocket, but what about the risk you pose to other road users, including pedestrians? What about the pointless increased to emergency service workers like the police, ambulance and fire crews who have to attend you crash in a blizzard? I know your 100mph figure is a gross exaggeration, but even the best drive in the best vehicle has to drive carefully and relatively safely in that bad weather.

I'm talking only about empty roads with nobody to endanger. That's not how I am. As for emergency people, that would be a great point if I ever had to use them. It's the people in 4WD's with "sensible tires" (ie: All-seasons) that litter the ditches. Nothing is more dangerous than some average Joe in a 4WD with "sensible tires" in a snowstorm.

And no, that's not an exaggeration.