Yahoo Autos 2024 Range Rover Evoque First Drive Review: A Designer Crossover for the Trendy Crowd
The difference between an expensive designer jacket you'd buy at the trendy mall and a mainstream one you'd find at Target isn't radical. They both have two sleeves and a couple of pockets, and they'll both do an equally good job covering your body. Similarly, you could buy a mainstream crossover to get you places, or you could buy an expensive designer one. You can probably guess which camp the 2024 Range Rover Evoque belongs to.
Since its debut in 2012, the Evoque has catered to design-forward folks who are more likely to wear a Hugo Boss jacket than a Barbour ("What is it with this guy and jackets?" you're probably thinking). A far cry from its Range Rover siblings in terms of ethos, size, performance, and price, the Evoque has cleverly marketed itself as the young and hip Landie rather than just the entry-level model.
Dinner at the newest trendy spot, tickets to a show, and a late-night cocktail before heading back to an ultra-modern loft: my road test wasn't as chic as this crossover's target customer's life, but it was enough to find out what prospective buyers can expect from the lightly refreshed 2024 Evoque.
2024 Range Rover Evoque Specs | |
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The Basics
Often referred to as the baby Range, the Evoque is the smallest and least expensive of four models in the newly-created Range Rover brand. No longer Land Rover Range Rover, now it's simply Range Rover, with the large and luxurious Range Rover (and Range Rover Sport) at the top, Velar in the middle, and Evoque at the bottom. Redesigned in 2020, the Evoque sees very few updates for 2024, but a couple of them are rather impactful.
The exterior remains mostly the same, with minor changes to the grille design that now has a mesh-style look with a rectangular pattern. Like on the Velar, headlight DRL signatures are slightly different for the new model year, showing a more streamlined light pattern throughout the clear housing. The headlights themselves are new, too, with Pixel 1 LED lights replacing the outgoing units. These feature three times as many LEDs to provide better coverage for the driver. The signature floating roof look of the Evoque remains, and now buyers can opt for cool contrasting roof color options, including a sleek gold color called Corinthian Bronze.
It's inside the cabin where the biggest change has happened, with a new ultra-minimalist cabin theme in place for 2024. Designers have completely done away with all physical buttons and knobs. Yes, the steering wheel still has buttons, but you won't find another on the dash or anywhere else. All HVAC, media, navigation, and vehicle setting controls are handled within the new 11.4-inch curved touchscreen. The overall feel is quite luxe but also a bit cold.
The Baby Range gets the baby-est engine of the lineup: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 246 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. It has a top speed of 143 mph—which frankly sounds a bit optimistic given its near-4,000-pound self—and it'll take all of seven seconds to get from zero to 60 mph. Regardless of which trim Evoque you buy, this is the engine you'll get. If you want something with more oomph, you should consider the Velar with its lovely turbo inline-six.
