Evoque 2,2 diesel in a glance
Price: from R582 995 (VAT and emissions tax included)
Lowest blow: “Looks like a hatchback Hummer,” said a young woman who shall remain nameless.
Highest praise: “No Daddy, I want to stay in this car,” — Luke (3)”
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Depending on the reaction it gets at the 2012 Geneva auto show, Tata may sanction cutting the lid off the Evoque like this. |
Among all the impressive things about the 2,2 diesel (140 kW, 420Nm), the second most impressive thing is how it gave 8,8 km per litre (11,3 litres/ 100 km) in town. This from a vehicle with a gross laden mass of 2,3 tons, doing stop-starts up steep hills, mind.
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| The Evoque diesel passing the toughest 4x4-test known to man: Taking the short cut from a kiddies party overan axle-bender on wet grass. |
The most impressive thing about the Evoque is how it effortlessly lives up to the Range Rover legend.
No you ninny, it did not break down — that was when commies still nailed the Rovers together between strikes. The new-era Landies are up to the task. And as shown here, it completed the toughest test known to 4x4ers: taking the short cut after a kiddies’ party by inching up an axle bender on wet grass. This goat-like climbing ability stems from all that torque being available from only 1 750 revs per minute, i. e. at just over idling speed.
The topless Evoque Coupé will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and if it proves anything as popular as the roofed version, expect its owners Tata to sanction the Halewood Operations in the UK to trim the roofs off a few Evoques. Everything is ready for the metal shears. Last year, Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern had already achieved the most difficult part of the new model in successfully reproducing the lines of the Evoque without its roof and now it’s up to the public to decide if the potentially new category is viable.
“The Evoque lends itself beautifully to the idea of a convertible,” said McGovern. “This study is not a traditional convertible design execution; instead, we have worked with the balance of the Evoque’s lines to retain its distinctive shape and create something that is unique and, we believe, highly desirable.” Meanwhile the awards for the Evoque just keep coming. Last week more than 30 000 readers of MSN Cars automotive website chose it as their Car of 2012, earning the Evoque its 90th global award. The very critical readers gave wide-ranging votes with few cars scoring double-digit percentages. The Evoque got 12% of the votes. Readers surveyed for the site reported this was the car that “most captured their imagination during the past 12 months”. It faced off some truly spectacularly designed wheels, getting more votes than the Aston Martin Virage and the McLaren MP4-12C.
Seems the Evoque still impresses as much as is did when it was nominated as the Car Design of 2010, ahead of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Audi A7 at the 2010 Geneva Show. Tom Evans, managing editor of MSN Cars, comments: “With over 30 000 votes, this year’s competition generated a great deal of public interest. The MSN Cars Car of the Year award is often won by supercars like the Audi R8 or Ferrari 458 Italia. I’m really pleased to see our prize being won by a car that many people can realistically aspire to own.
