2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Despite being one of the smallest vehicles in the Land Rover lineup, the Evoque is instantly recognizable as a member of the Range Rover family. The sleek headlights and blacked-out pillars that frame all the windows are telltale Range-Rover styling traits. Like other new Range Rovers, the Evoque features deploying door handles. When locked or in motion, they retract, which helps with aerodynamics and contributes to the sleek overall aesthetic. But one has to wonder if (or when) one of these will break, or what will happen to these powered door handles if the battery dies. All four wheels are pushed to the corners, giving the Evoque a sporty, dynamic appearance. As we’ll later explain, it also contributes to the vehicle’s handling properties.

The clean, modern design theme continues inside the Evoque. The infotainment screen is nestled into the dash, which features straight lines and is angled in such a way that it all flows down into the centre console driver controls. The gun-handle-style shifter is placed directly in the centre console, which aids the clean design, but as we’ll explain later, lacks additional functionality.

The cabin features plenty of metallic trim. This contributes to the Evoque’s upscale presence, but returns lots of distracting glare in sunny conditions. The centre console controls are a combination of touch-capacitive elements and digital dials. Once again, this looks sharp, but leaves something to be desired from a functionality standpoint.

Range Rover Evoque models are the base model, R-Dynamic, Bronze Collection, and HST. The base trim level comes incredibly well equipped, including features such as 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, a 12-way power-adjustable front seat, 10-way front-passenger seat, remote keyless entry, a partially digital instrument panel, dual-zone automatic climate control, two USB ports, and wireless device charging. It also comes standard with a 10-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

We drove the R-Dynamic, which features many of the same features as the base model, and builds on it with unique styling elements. These include 20-inch wheels (the black wheels shown are not standard in Canada), dark exterior accents, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and metal pedals. This trim also upgrades the infotainment system to the larger 10-inch power-tilting touchscreen and adds a lower touchscreen for climate and driver controls.

There are a number of packages and options available. For example, our test model came equipped with the Cold Climate Pack ($550) with a heated windshield and heated headlight and windshield sprayer jets. Standalone options on our test model included a dual-panel panoramic moonroof ($1,800), and the upgraded Meridian sound system ($500).

The Bronze Edition trim makes the panoramic roof standard and adds Corinthian Bronze exterior accents, including as a contrast roof colour.

The HST is the range-topping trim. It features an upgraded powertrain, gloss black 20-inch alloy wheels, and auto-leveling headlights. The HST also adds a suede headliner, and a suede steering wheel.

The Range Rover Evoque comes equipped with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in two variants: P250 and P300. The P250’s engine makes power specs of 246 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The P300 makes a combined 296 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque. Both engines route power through a nine-speed automatic transmission to an all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain.

We drove the P250 powertrain, which provides solid acceleration in most driving scenarios. It has good pickup around town and can scoot along at highway speeds. Clicking the shifter to the left engages Sport mode, which delivers quicker acceleration and holds shifts longer, but it is not overly aggressive. In addition to the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, the centre console shifter has a manual tap mode. Like true race cars and performance vehicles, you tap forward to downshift and pull back on it to upshift.

The Evoque strikes the perfect balance of handling ability and on-road comfort. The suspension easily soaks up potholes and bumps in the road, but it does so without sacrificing cornering and handling abilities. Body roll through off-ramps and turns is minimal, and the steering is well-weighted and precise.

Despite having road-oriented tires, the Evoque is capable when getting off the beaten path. With 21.2 centimetres of ground clearance and the wheels pushed to all four corners, the Evoque also has the under-body geometry to tackle obstacles.

The Evoque provides a total of 1,432 litres of interior space, which is typical for a small luxury SUV. With the rear seats in use, the Evoque’s 472 litres of cargo space is also average for the segment. A power rear tailgate is standard equipment and you can get a hands-free power liftgate as part of a $900 Convenience Pack.

The driver has a commanding view of the road thanks to a comfortable, yet upright seating position. There are decent spaces for items in the door, in the centre console, and even space underneath the shifter area. In fact, the only major issue is the poor use of real estate around the shifter. This could be a terrific area for your wallet, keys, and/or phone, but it goes unused.

While the front seats are comfortable and spacious, the rear seats are tight, especially for taller occupants. The legroom is lacking and the sloping roof cuts in on headroom.

Our test vehicle featured the entry-level 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It is recessed into the dash, which allows you to brace your hand on the frame around the screen when using it. This system has fantastic graphics and a sensible layout. It includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and the icon for these popular phone-projection apps presents in a helpful location on the main screen that is easy to locate.

The upgraded infotainment system is also 10 inches, but as mentioned, is a power-tilting screen that rises to meet the driver’s right hand. When the car is turned off, the screen tilts away. The screen layout is similar to that of the base infotainment system. The big changes with this upgraded offering come in the lower area of the centre console. The touch-capacitive panel is replaced with a touchscreen with a similar layout. Pressing a button for a particular system (such as climate or vehicle controls) cues up a different screen and the dials are repurposed for toggling within that screen. With both the base and upgraded system, pressing the climate temperature dials turns them into the heated (and ventilated where available) seat controls.

The Evoque is also available with the optional ClearSight Ground View system. It provides a crisp view of the trail ahead. This is helpful in an SUV where you still have to consider certain obstacles when taking to the trail.

Standard driver assistance features on the Evoque include automatic emergency braking, forward collision avoidance, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and driver drowsiness monitoring. It also comes standard with front-and-rear parking sensors.

Buyers can opt for additional safety tech such as automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a 360-degree parking monitor. Another option is the Clear Exit Monitor, which uses the blind-spot sensor to detect upcoming traffic when parallel parked. If it senses oncoming traffic, it will sound an alert.

As this review is being published, official fuel consumption ratings for the Evoque from Natural Resources Canada have not been made available. In the U.S., the P250’s fuel economy figures from the EPA are the equivalent of 11.8 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 8.7 highway, and 10.7 combined. Due to additional climate testing, Canadian figures trend higher. The Range Rover Evoque requires premium fuel.

Base MSRP for the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is $52,850 for the base trim, $58,450 for the R-Dynamic trim, and $58,500 for the Bronze Collection trim. The range-topping P300 HST starts at a retail price of $63,000. These prices do not include the mandatory $2,445 destination charge. The Evoque is backed by a four-year/80,000-kilometre basic warranty.

This pricing is now par for the course among other well-equipped small SUVs like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, and Volvo XC40. The base price is on the high side for the segment, however, its long list of standard features helps to justify that price.

The Evoque is something of a paradox. Considering its off-road capability, one would expect it to have a more utilitarian cabin. For that, you may want to check out a fully-loaded Ford Bronco Sport. But the Evoque delivers its capability with Land Rover’s own brand of interior comfort. And few vehicles–if any–deliver the combination of the on-road and off-road performance of a Range Rover. Despite its smaller size, that artful combination extends to the Range Rover Evoque.

Note: Images show a US model.