Used 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Land Rover’s rugged-yet-luxurious Range Rover line has long appealed to the well-heeled and adventurous elite. But with rising gas prices and ever-more-stringent environmental standards, even the mighty Range Rover needs to adapt. Attracting younger fans away from BMW X3 and Audi Q5 models won’t hurt either. Enter the 2014 Range Rover Evoque, a sleek and stylish compact SUV that comes in 5-door and 3-door coupe flavors and five trim levels that Land Rover calls "design themes.” With an efficient 240-horsepower turbo-4 engine, good aerodynamics and a small, lightweight body, the all-wheel-drive (AWD) Evoque reinterprets the classic Range Rover formula with a renewed sense of style and a newfound environmental conscience.

Despite being smaller and lighter than any previous Range Rover, the 2014 Evoque still delivers the brand’s expected measure of on-pavement refinement and in-the-rough capability. Over the road, the Evoque feels polished and sophisticated yet sporty and maneuverable. The body doesn’t lean or bounce around too much, the steering feels right, and the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine produces plenty of power for quick acceleration, or relaxed cruising. New this year is a 9-speed automatic transmission, designed to help improve acceleration and fuel economy. When the pavement ends, the Evoque impressively handles muddy, rutted back roads and slippery hills, ably getting power to the ground and absorbing impacts from the surface. True, the Evoque lacks the locking differentials and low range of full-size Range Rovers, just as its on-road ride is a bit less plush. But against rival compact-luxury SUVs, the 2014 Range Rover Evoque delivers.

Contrasting with the flashy exterior is a simple-laid-out interior. Material quality is excellent, and the details like buttons and switches have a quality feel. The seats are comfortable yet supportive, and passenger space is good though a little tight in back. Sitting three across is strictly short-term. Accessing that rear seat is obviously more challenging in the 3-door. Cargo space is OK in both models with fold-down rear seats adding some room for loads, but the rakish, tapering body design does squeeze space.

The initial design for the Range Rover Evoque was carried over largely intact from the Land Rover LRX concept vehicle, and the 2014 Evoque is little changed. That’s fine with us. While retaining the signature Ranger Rover details like a clamshell hood and "floating roof," the 2014 Evoque gets a restyled front end to coexist with an ultra-narrow greenhouse and sharply drawn features, giving the Evoque a low, wide, athletic and modern appearance. Pragmatic types might gravitate to the more useful and $1,000-cheaper 5-door body style, while style-focused buyers will appreciate the slightly lower roofline and stylized hood vents found on the Evoque coupe.

PANORAMIC GLASS ROOF
The panoramic glass roof – standard on all models but the base Pure – helps keep the Evoque’s interior from feeling confining despite the low roofline and shallow side windows. It lets in an abundance of sunlight and gives a brilliant view out.

POP-UP SHIFT KNOB
Turn on the 2014 Evoque, and a solid aluminum rotary shift knob ascends from the center console to give the driver control of the transmission. Found on the top-line Range Rover models (and throughout Jaguar’s lineup), the ceremony of the pop-up shift knob reminds you that you’re about to drive something special.

The 2014 Range Rover Evoque gets an upgraded all-wheel drive (AWD) system called Active Driveline. This system uses only the front wheels when cruising at speeds above 22 mph; it automatically activates the rear wheels when it senses extra traction is needed. The torque vectoring redirects engine torque among the four wheels to enhance stability in corners. This comes on top of other luxury amenities like keyless entry and engine start, power-adjustable leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power liftgate, 19-inch alloy wheels and an 11-speaker audio system with an 8-inch touch screen. Evoques also come standard with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system with its different modes for sand, mud and snow, and safety features like stability and traction controls, roll-stability control, Trailer Stability Assist (to help when towing) and six airbags.

Options are grouped into trim levels Land Rover calls design themes: Pure Plus, Pure Premium and Dynamic on both 3- and 5-door models, and also a base Pure and top-line Prestige on the 5-door only. The Pure Premium trim adds a 5-camera surround-view system, navigation, adaptive xenon headlights and a 17-speaker audio system. From there buyers can move up to either the sporty Dynamic or the luxurious Prestige trims, each offering specific interior and exterior upgrades. The optional Adaptive Dynamics system serves to improve ride and handling, and the new Adaptive Cruise Control manages the distance between you and cars ahead of you, even in traffic.

There’s one engine available for the 2014 Evoque: a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that provides good power, impressive running smoothness and virtually no throttle lag. Based on the engine in the Ford Explorer EcoBoost – a legacy from when the company owned Land Rover – the Brits have tweaked it for better waterproofing and operation at more extreme driving angles. The sole transmission offered is a new 9-speed automatic that includes steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for manual control. Full-time AWD is standard on all Evoques.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
240 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
251 lb-ft of torque @ 1,750 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/30 mpg