{"id":800948,"date":"2019-11-02T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-02T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=373921"},"modified":"2019-11-02T09:00:15","modified_gmt":"2019-11-02T15:00:15","slug":"mountain-wheels-updated-range-rover-evoque-brings-class-and-technology-to-smaller-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/mountain-wheels-updated-range-rover-evoque-brings-class-and-technology-to-smaller-package\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Wheels: Updated Range Rover Evoque brings class and technology to smaller package"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
While it still serves as an entry point to the world of Range Rover, the Evoque is now an increasingly upscale experience \u2014 despite its oddities.<\/strong>
Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Having sold almost three-quarter million units since its
\nintroduction, Range Rover\u2019s Evoque SUV has been successful in offering a classy
\nand distinctive gateway to those fascinated by the British brand.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly a big improvement from the Ford Escape-sized
\nLand Rover LR2, and 10 years after its debut, Evoque continues to provide an
\neye-catching alternative to other companies\u2019 smaller SUVs.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still nothing that looks quite like it, with a
\nbig-wheeled angularity that takes the severity of the Kia Soul and incorporates
\ntechnology, luxury and the ongoing commitment to off-road capability \u2013 though
\nits marketing still suggests it is designed for well-heeled young urbanites
\nsearching for parking in Brooklyn, rather than crawling over rocks on Mosquito
\nPass.<\/p>\n

So it goes with reality versus potential in the SUV world,
\nputting Evoque into a curious upscale space of its own. But the 2020 Evoque
\ncertainly could handle almost anything you\u2019d like to throw at a $59,215 vehicle,
\na First Edition model riding on upgraded 21-inch wheels, and equipped with the
\noptional adaptive and configurable dynamics systems, providing instantaneous
\nadjustments to ride quality.<\/p>\n

Evoque is now capable of wading through water 23.6 inches deep,
\nwhich is certainly not the case for most other off-the-shelf SUVs out there,
\nand the vehicle\u2019s 8.3 inches of ground clearance also give it a leg up over the
\ncompetition.<\/p>\n

Evoque was part of the first wave of a design makeover for
\nthe entire Range Rover and Land Rover family, and that process has now looped
\nback around and given the style-heavy vehicle an even more distinctive profile
\nand grille.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s forward lean to the whole shape, capped with a
\nblacked out wall of glass, door frames and rear uprights, creating an intensely
\nfocused shape. Up front, tiny LED headlamps, a more rounded grille and face and
\na pair of jet engine intake-styled vents \u2014 sexed up with copper-colored
\nhighlights on my model as well as copper swatches on the sides of the cabin \u2014 all
\ncertainly make it look like a smaller rendition of the current family of
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n

The wheels are enormous; however, and the ride can be
\ncurve-huggingly precise and sporty on dry corners and just a little ponderous
\non ruts.<\/p>\n

You may also be just a tad underwhelmed by power in the nonhybrid
\nmodel. A turbocharged 2.0-liter engine puts out 248 horsepower, which got me
\nabout 25 overall mpg during my drives, but also failed to produce the flat-out
\nblast of acceleration I was hoping to get to pass trucks during a dry-road
\ntransit over Vail Pass last weekend.<\/p>\n

The experience is otherwise pleasant, and the nine-speed
\nautomatic transmission can be activated by paddles, useful in helping to slow
\nEvoque down during the descents.<\/p>\n

Inside, the vehicle has adapted the new multilevel screen
\nlayout first seen in the Velar, which includes a fully reconfigurable digital
\ninstrument panel and wide, slightly forward-pivoted navigation\/entertainment
\nscreen up top. Below that, an even larger panel offers digitized and infinitely
\nreconfigurable climate, seat heat and on- and off-road dynamic controls, all of
\nwhich still can be a little overwhelming. Happily, the whole display cannot
\nalso show your favorite Netflix series as you drive along, though you can get
\nlive CNN news updates on the infotainment screen.<\/p>\n

Switch to the Terrain Response vehicle setup, and you can
\nscroll through various modes for snow, sand, dynamic highway driving or a new
\nfully automatic option; off-road adventures are assisted by ClearSight Ground
\nView, a hood-level camera offering 180-degree views of what\u2019s actually in front
\nof the bumper, also helpful in snagging those Williamsburg parking spots.<\/p>\n

That stacked display system also means pretty much zero room
\nfor your regular American-styled assortment of driving junk, though there is
\nstorage underneath the arch, and a small space under the double-split center
\narmrest. Otherwise, it\u2019s an oversized shifter and nothing else, though you can
\nput an iPhone-sized cover over the cupholders and risk dehydration, I guess.<\/p>\n

Mostly it\u2019s Evoque\u2019s continued little-bigness that seems
\nodd. The seats seem perched just a little too high for the cabin size and the
\nenormous black void of window-line, rear-view mirror and roof can seem a bit
\nclaustrophobic \u2014 the sunroof begins a considerable stretch from the front of
\nthe vehicle. Rear views are also very limited, though rear seat headrests do
\ntilt forward.<\/p>\n

And I don\u2019t think anybody\u2019s going to be particularly happy in the rear seats for a long voyage, though seating throughout is at least sporty-comfortable.  <\/p>\n

Andy Stonehouse\u2019s column \u201cMountain Wheels\u201d publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Greeley. Contact him at rossandrewstonehouse@gmail.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While it still serves as an entry point to the world of Range Rover, the Evoque is now an increasingly upscale experience \u2014 despite its oddities.Courtesy photo Having sold almost three-quarter million units since its introduction, Range Rover\u2019s Evoque SUV has been successful in offering a classy and distinctive gateway to those fascinated by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-800948","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 22:29:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}