2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The Range Rover Evoque underwent a significant overhaul in 2020, not that you could tell. Land Rover redesigned one of its most successful models and made it look almost the same as the old version.

The old one won more than 217 international awards and sold a record number of units in its seven-year lifecycle, to be fair. More than 770 000, which is roughly 100,000 per year. That's a stellar achievement for a premium vehicle. So, no wonder Land Rover didn't want to mess with a highly successful formula.

In the last few years of its life, rival German crossovers started hammering away at its lofty pedestal. Premium SUVs like the BMW X2, Audi Q3, and Mercedes-Benz GLA introduced several new features to the segment, making the Evoque feel old and outdated on the inside.

The new Evoque arrived two years ago, sporting a (supposedly) new body, updated technology, and a 246-horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to a nine-speed automatic. Does the 2022 model improve on the formula?

The 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque carries the "Range Rover" moniker on its snout, which means luxury equipment should be standard all the way through. Exterior-wise, it doesn't disappoint, even though the design is familiar. It looks like a Discovery that's been to WeightWatchers.

The new Evoque's door handles sit flush with the body and only jump out as you get closer to the car. All models in the range have LED headlights, heated power-folding side mirrors with integrated puddle lamps, and 18-inch wheels or bigger on higher-spec models. From the 2022 model year, a power tailgate is standard on all trims. Every model but the base S is equipped with auto high-beam assist.

The body is 172.1 inches long and the wheelbase measures 105.5 inches. The Evoque is 78.6 inches wide with the mirrors folded in and 64.9 inches tall. Because of the Evoque's blacked-out windows and floating roof design, it appears squatter than it is.

Front and rear overhangs are short, allowing for impressive off-road-related figures. Land Rover claims approach/breakover/departure angles of up to 25/20.7/30.6 degrees respectively. The minimum ground clearance of 8.3 inches is good, as is the maximum wading depth of 20.86 inches. Land Rover claims a curb weight of 3,935 pounds for all gas-powered models, with HST being around 500 pounds heavier.

Fuji White is the only free paint option. The metallic color palette is eight colors strong, retailing for $610 each. Available colors include Firenze Red, Santorini Black, Seoul Pearl Silver, Nolita Grey, Eiger Grey, Portofino Blue, and Lantau Bronze. Last year's Yulong White has been replaced by Ostuni Pearl White. The premium metallic palette consists of Carpathian Grey and Silicon Silver. Both cost $1,325.

This year, the 296-hp mild-hybrid turbocharged four-cylinder engine is back in a sole model, the HST. Every other Evoque besides the HST is powered by a more traditional 246-hp version of the same engine, sans the electric help.

Performance is acceptable. Land Rover claims that the standard car is capable of getting from 0 to 60 mph in seven seconds and reaching a top speed of 143 mph. The HST is not much faster and is claimed to reach 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Every model in the range comes as standard with a nine-speed automatic transmission. That's relatively quick, but the four-wheel-drive Evoque is more than just a relatively quick pretty face. Under the specifications section on Land Rover's website, you'll find all sorts of information not usually available for compact luxury SUVs. We're talking wading depth, off-road geometry, and roof-carrying abilities. More on that later, but for now, we'll just say that the Evoque has a maximum towing capacity of 3,968 lbs.

The entire Evoque range is powered by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot engine, coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Outputs of 246 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque apply to the S, SE, and R-Dynamic models. On the HST, this engine is supplemented by a mild-hybrid system to produce 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It's interesting to note that the Evoque's cousin, and one of its main rivals, the Jaguar E-Pace, is available with the same two powertrains.

In terms of power output, the Rangey is not the least potent competitor nor the most powerful.

At lower speeds, the gearbox is sluggish. As the standard Evoque's maximum torque output is available from an extremely low 1,300 rpm, we find this extremely odd. And with nine gear ratios to work with, the car should have been a joy in all situations. Instead, the gearbox hesitates too much at slow speed, which results in an almost unpleasant city driving experience. The gearbox is more capable at higher speeds and makes merging onto the freeway and overtaking easy. The HST does offer more bottom-end torque, thanks to the hybrid assistance.

When it comes to off-road ability and a sporty driving experience, it's usually a case of either one or the other. It's rare to find a vehicle that will do both well, and Land Rover is one of a small selection of manufacturers that can do it properly.

The Evoque feels sporty, thanks to a responsive and accurate steering setup. There isn't much feedback from the front wheels, but the weighting is spot on. Rivals like the BMW X2 and Mercedes-Benz GLA are much better in this department, though. We also think Jaguar and Land Rover drew a line in the sand, clearly marking the Evoque and E-Pace's territory. The latter does a much better job beating the Germans in the handling department.

We do find it odd that Land Rover chose to give the Evoque such a firm suspension setup. Adding 20-inch wheels amplifies the problem, allowing every minor bump to pulsate through the cabin. That's not something we expected from a car with "Range Rover" pasted on the nose.

Off-road, it makes a mockery of other compact luxury SUVs. Land Rover's Terrain Response system is a splendid bit of electronic wizardry. We doubt owners will ever use the Evoque for anything more than cold-weather driving, but it's satisfying knowing it can wade through 20.86 inches of water.

One of the main reasons manufacturers moved over to small-capacity turbocharged engines is better gas mileage. To demonstrate this, we'd like to take you back to 2012, just before the Evoque's introduction. Back then, Land Rover's smallest offering was the LR2, equipped with a 3.2-liter naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine. According to the EPA, it could manage 15/22/18 mpg city/highway/combined.

Nearly a decade later, and after dropping two cylinders, the Evoque comes with EPA estimates of 20/27/22 mpg. The HST should return around 21/26/23 mpg. That's a significant improvement, and the new engine is more powerful. Even so, the Evoque lags behind its main rivals in the economy stakes. The gas E-Pace is capable of 21/26/23 mpg and the MHEV model matches the Evoque HST's figures exactly. But the show's real star is the BMW X2 xDrive 28i. It's not only faster than the Evoque but thanks to a stunning turbocharged four-pot and eight-speed automatic combo, the EPA estimates it can achieve work out to 24/31/27 mpg.

The Evoque is equipped with a 17.7-gallon tank, which means a theoretical range of between 389 and 407 miles between refills on the combined cycle.

The Evoque scores a tremendous amount of brownie points when it comes to the interior. It fights its main rivals on two fronts: tech and quality. On high-end models, it comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a dual ten-inch touchscreens. Even the base model's interior is a thing of beauty. It does without the digital instrument cluster and dual touchscreen interface, but leather seats, a Light Oyster Morzine headlining, and Gradated Linear Bright Aluminum trim is standard. The quality is exceptional, and the added tech higher up in the range only adds to an already beautifully crafted interior. The room up front is ample, but the rear seats are a little cramped.

The Evoque is sold as a five-seater, but like all of its rivals, you can only reasonably expect four people to be comfortable. The driving position deserves special mention, mounted low-down in the car. You feel like part of the machine instead of sitting on top of it. Visibility is poor because of the small rear window, but Land Rover takes care of that problem by adding driver assistance features.

Front legroom and headroom are good at 40 inches and 38.9 inches (39.9 with panoramic roof), respectively. The rear headroom is also ample at 38.3 inches (39.2 with panoramic roof). Unfortunately, the rear legroom is only 34 inches. Tall passengers are going to have a tough time getting comfortable back there.

High-grade materials are a given inside the Evoque, but there are levels. The more affordable models (S and SE) come as standard with grained leather seats, but Eucalyptus textile and Ultrafabrics seats are available at no extra cost if you're feeling environmentally friendly. The leather trim is available in Ebony, Cloud, and Eclipse. All three options are no-cost, but Eclipse requires you to upgrade to 12-way power-adjustable heated seats with a memory function for an additional $760. A leather steering wheel is standard. The trim options include Gradated Linear Bright Aluminum and Gradated Linear Dark Aluminum, both at no extra cost. The Natural Grey Ash and Natural Umber wood veneers cost an additional $205.

On the more expensive R-Dynamic, you get more interior options. Ebony and a combination of Ebony and Cloud are available at no additional cost, but the Ebony/Eclipse option also requires you to upgrade to more expensive seats. You can upgrade the perforated leather steering wheel to a full-leather steering wheel for $300, while the suedecloth option is $950. The R-Dynamic HSE boasts an extended leather upgrade as standard and a choice between perforated Windsor leather or Kvadrat premium textile/Dinamica suedecloth. An additional color choice at this level is Deep Garnet/Ebony. On the R-Dynamic SE, Deep Garnet/Ebony isn't offered but you can get either the perforated Windsor leather or the Kvadrat premium textile/Dinamica suedecloth upholstery for an additional cost.

The Evoque's trunk capacity is 21.6 cubic feet. This isn't as spacious as the Audi Q3 (23.7 cubes), but more significant than the trunk space of the supposedly more practical Volvo XC40. In any case, anything more than 20 cubes is useful. If you require more room, the rear seats fold flat in a 40/20/40 configuration, expanding the cargo capacity to 50.5 cubic feet.

Interior storage consists of door pockets with bottle holders for all doors, a small storage space underneath the climate control interface, two cupholders, and a storage compartment underneath the center armrest. A center rear-seat armrest can be folded down to reveal two cupholders for the rear passengers.

Land Rover is more than generous with the standard features across all models. The base model comes with an auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather seats, 12-way power adjustment for the front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and a full suite of driver assistance features. For the 2022 model, heated front seats, a power tailgate, keyless entry, and wireless phone charging with a signal booster have been added as standard. The list of standard driving assistance deserves a special mention, as even the base model comes with emergency braking, a 3D surround-view camera system, cruise control with speed limiter, lane-keep assist, parking sensors front and rear, traffic sign recognition, an adaptive speed limiter, and wade sensing. There are cars costing twice as much that can't say the same.

SE trim adds auto high-beam assist, a power tailgate, a memory function for the front seats, dual ten-inch infotainment displays, a rear traffic monitor, and a clear exit monitor to the safety features list.

The R-Dynamic is a visual package, and the S and SE equipment levels remain the same. The top-spec R-Dynamic HSE from last year falls away. New is the hybrid HST that is now the best-equipped Evoque with a heated suedecloth steering wheel, sliding panoramic roof, DuoLeather upholstery, and an Ebony suedecloth rooflining.

The Evoque is equipped with Land Rover's latest Pivi Pro interface. The base S is equipped with just one ten-inch touchscreen interface, while the SE gets a dual ten-inch setup. Both models have a six-speaker sound system. The HST model comes with a 650-Watt 14-speaker (plus one sub) Meridian premium sound system.

The infotainment features include 2D and 3D navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, HD Radio, SiriusXM, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. A wireless charging pad is standard on all 2022 Evoques.

Reliability has never been a strong point for Land Rover, even though the brand has made giant leaps forward over the last few years. Shoppers in the USA still have their doubts, however. Although the 2020 model was recalled nine times, no recalls have been issued for 2021 or for 2022 so far.

The Range Rover Evoque scored a rating of 71 out of 100 from the J.D. Power Survey - this score applies to both 2020 and 2021 models. This is way below average, with owners not being impressed with the dealership experience and quality and reliability. The 2022 model has not been rated yet.

No Land Rover Range Rover Evoque crashworthiness review has been published by either the NHTSA or the IIHS. The closest thing we have to an independent test is Euro NCAP, which gave the previous model the full five stars for safety. It's doubtful Land Rover will drop the ball in such a crucial department, and the new Evoque's long list of standard driver assistance features proves that.

On the traditional side, the new Range Rover Evoque is equipped with eight airbags, ABS, stability, and traction control. The driver assistance suite is mighty impressive, consisting of emergency braking, a 3D surround camera, cruise control and speed limiter, lane-keep assist, parking sensors front and rear, traffic sign recognition, an adaptive speed limiter, and wade sensing. The SE and R-Dynamic models add a rear traffic monitor, a clear exit monitor, and blind-spot assist. The optional ClearSight rearview mirror feeds an unobstructed, high-resolution image directly to the rearview mirror.

The first-ever Evoque was a groundbreaking SUV, but competitor vehicles caught up quickly enough. We like the unique styling, the handling dynamics, and the off-road ability. Land Rover's turbocharged four-pot delivers adequate power, but the fuel consumption figures are disappointing. The ride is too firm, especially with a set of 20-inch wheels.

On the plus side, the Evoque's interior is beautiful. The materials are worthy of the Range Rover badge, and the standard specification is more than generous. The available dual ten-inch touchscreens look superb. There's not much to dislike but it is worth stating that the Evoque's class leadership is no longer as cemented as it once was. Many rivals offer the same blend of build quality and tech but at a more attractive price.

The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque range is split into two categories: the standard Evoque available in S and SE trim, and the R-Dynamic Evoque, available in S, SE, and HSE variations. The base Evoque S has an MSRP of $43,775 and the SE goes for $48,475. An R-Dynamic S retails for $45,375, going up to $50,075 for the R-Dynamic SE. The price of the 2022 Range Rover Evoque reaches $53,900 if you opt for the top-spec HST. These Range Rover Evoque prices exclude Land Rover's destination charge of $1,050. Of course, you can avoid this charge by finding an almost new example for sale in the US.

The 2022 Range Rover Evoque lineup comprises five trims: S, SE, R-Dynamic S, R-Dynamic SE, and HST. Every trim is powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four gas engine with 246 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, but on the HST, this is supplemented by a mild-hybrid system to produce totals of 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission is used on all models and AWD is standard too.

The base S trim comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lights, an analog instrument cluster with a seven-inch driver-information display, leather upholstery, 12-way electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a heated and leather-trimmed steering wheel, an auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, and a power tailgate. Infotainment comprises a single ten-inch touchscreen and incorporates a six-speaker audio system and a wireless smartphone charging pad with a signal booster. Standard driver-assistance features include a driver attention monitor, parking sensors front and rear, a 3D surround camera, emergency braking, an adaptive speed limiter, traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assistance, wade sensing, and cruise control with a speed limiter.

The SE trim adds to these 20-inch alloy wheels and premium LED headlights with automatic high-beam assistance. Inside, the driver's seat gains a memory function and the infotainment system is upgraded with an additional ten-inch touchscreen. The gauge cluster is a 12.3-inch interactive display. Additional driver-assistance features are blind-spot assist, a clear-exit monitor, and a rear traffic monitor.

The R-Dynamic S and SE models gain only a few extra trim items, such as chrome treadplates, satin chrome shift paddles, and a perforated leather steering wheel. These models also feature the R-Dynamic Exterior Pack and unique alloy wheels.

The flagship HST additionally gets a sliding panoramic roof, a heated suedecloth steering wheel, Ebony suedecloth rooflining, and DuoLeather upholstery. This is also the only model with the 650-Watt 15-speaker Meridian premium sound system.

The cost of the Range Rover Evoque can rise rapidly thanks to a lengthy options list. On the base model, the Cold Climate Pack ($650) makes the SUV more suitable for colder climates and comes with a heated windshield, heated washer jets, and a heated steering wheel. The Technology Pack retails for more than $2,000 and adds a ClearSight rearview mirror, an additional touchscreen in the case of the S, a head-up display, and an interactive driver display. If you want a more racy Evoque, the Dynamic Handling Pack goes for $1,080 and adds adaptive dynamics and red brake calipers. The Technology Pack is also available for the SE, but it retails for just over $1,000 as it already has a few of the features as standard. The Driver Assist Package retails for $1,330 and adds adaptive cruise control.

When buying a premium SUV, you usually want to go for the top-spec model as it offers the best toys. Indeed, in this case, that's also true. The HST also comes with a 12-speaker Meridian premium sound system, DuoLeather seats, and the more powerful hybrid powertrain.

Still, we found ourselves drawn to the less expensive SE, as it comes well-equipped with everything you need. All we'd add to it is adaptive cruise control. Still, there's only a $5,425 price difference between the SE and the HST, and the extra features included in the latter are worth more than that price difference.

Starting at $56,900, the base Range Rover Velar is $3,000 more expensive than the top-spec Evoque. The Velar is also available with a turbocharged inline-six which gives it a 0 to 60 mph sprint time of 4.9 seconds. But that model costs around $77,000. You're looking at the same four-pot at the base level as used in the Evoque with one additional horsepower. Performance is slightly better, but fuel economy takes a bit of a hit.

As it's a bigger SUV, the Velar offers more space for rear passengers and more cargo capacity.

Off-road, the Velar is surprisingly good, but at this level, you won't be getting nearly as many features as you get in the top-spec Evoque. If you need the extra space, the Velar is worth the upgrade. Otherwise, stick with the Evoque.

The Range Rover Sport is the ultimate blend of performance, handling, and off-road ability. It's much bigger than the Evoque and requires a lot more power to live up to the "Sport" in its name. That's why it's available with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8, good foursome mighty performance specs like 575 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.

The Sport is also more practical, better off-road, and a lot more capable when the road gets twisty. The downside is the price. Even an entry-level Range Rover Sport with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine is over nearly $26,000 more than the base Evoque. It's worth every cent if you can stretch the budget that far, however.