2020 Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic HSE
For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the 2020 Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic HSE. For 2020 it’s been fully redesigned and kicks off the 2nd generation Evoque with a slightly longer wheelbase and increased rear legroom. At first glance it may look like a refresh but Land Rover says 99% of this Evoque is new.
Disclosure: Land Rover Canada provided me with the 2020 Evoque R-Dynamic HSE for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #RangeRoverEvoque
ACCELERATION: 8.5/10
2.0L I4 Turbo w/ 48 volt mild hybrid system:
296 HP @ 5500 / 295lb-ft @ 1300-45002.0L I4 Turbo:
246 HP @ 5500 / 269lb-ft @ 1300-45009-Speed Automatic
AWD standard
6.6 second 0-100 km/hr
BRAKING: 6.5/10
Below average braking score because the curb weight is considerably heavier than most of the competition.
HANDLING: 7.5/10
Has a solid feel but since it’s so high off the ground for off roading abilities, it does raise its center of gravity and hinder handling ability when cornering regular roads
RIDE: 8.5/10
Adaptive suspensions allow the driver to pick a stiffer or softer setting. Since it’s designed to also be an off roader, the suspensions are more on the softer side to handle harsher roads.
ECONOMY: 6.5/10
Overall fuel economy is worse than the last gen Evoque
20/27/23 MPG (City/Highway/Combined) - Standard
21/26/23 MPG (City/Highway/Combined) - Hybrid
CABIN NOISE: 8.5/10
Good noise control, 70 dB of noise in the main cabin.
EXTERIOR: 8.5/10
this small SUV is quite stylish and sexy to look at
Land Rover has gone with something more mainstream compared to before when they had previous offered the Evoque as a 2 door convertible option. While it was very different it was also not very popular.
The Evoque takes a lot of the Velar styling elements to modernize it while keeping the general shape of the 1st gen Evoque.
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 6.5/10
The rear window is super small, and to fix this problem you can switch the rear view mirror to display the rear camera view. I actually hope more brands have an option of the digital camera display after experiencing this because you won’t have to worry about passengers in the rear seats obstructing your view!
Seats are very comfortable for the driver and front passenger thanks to the 12 way adjustable seats and massage features
Auto Start and Stop is the worse I’ve ever experienced. It takes far too long for the car to be back in a ready state. Often times I release the brake quickly and give it gas to test it’s 0-100 times but the car would feel like it had stalled because there’d be no reaction for a second. One way to combat this is to anticipate when you’re ready to go and release the brake half way to turn the engine back on so it’s in a ready state.
Not linear in its power delivery. Too much turbo lag.
There is a sensor to report the water line to prevent going to deep and damaging the car.
Visually it seems a bit strange that the two cup holders are different sizes.
Steering wheel has a metal band on the front. This gets really cold during the winter months in Canada. When turning on the heated steering wheel function, it only heats the rear of steering wheel causing a mix of warm and cold touch points. I imagine in hotter weather that metal band might get pretty toasty as well. You might want to consider getting the steering wheel without the metal strip on the front.
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 7/10
Rear passenger leg room wasn’t a strong point in the previous generation but in 2020 you get significantly more legroom but when comparing to the rest of the class it doesn’t fair too well.
Seats are pretty low to the ground in the rear helping improve head room but puts your legs at a weird angle as if you’re squatting. Not super comfortable for long drives!
Panoramic sun roof lets in lots of natural light for passengers in the rear
Combined Legroom:
79.9 - XT4
77.4 - X1
77.0 - XC40
77.0 - X2
75.8 - GLA
75.2 - UX
74.8 - QX30
73.8 - EVOQUE
71.1 - Q3
Combined Headroom:
39.4 - X1
39.1 - XC40
38.4 - GLA
38.3 - XT4
38.3 - EVOQUE
37.5 - QX30
37.4 - Q3
37.2 - X2
36.4 - UX
INTERIOR STORAGE: 8.5/10
21.5 Cu Ft with the seats up which is excellent for the luxury sub compact SUV category
Wish the seats would fold down flatter, there’s a noticable incline and it could hinder fitting longer items.
40/20/40 Rear Seats
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 8/10
My initial impression was wowthis has the same style infotainment as the Velar that we loved
The dual screen touchscreen infotainment is really great to look at and fine to use when you’re stopped but is incredibly hard to use and make adjustments while driving.
Wish the interaction was a bit faster. It’s not the best but also not the worse.
Found it cool it can display what’s under the car in real time by using the front
I found the infotainment straight forward to use but I noticed some of the other journalists struggled for several days with basic things like turning on heated seats. If you’re not tech saavy then you may want to have someone at the dealership give you a walk through or watch a YouTube tutorial.
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2020 Land Rover range Rover Evoque:
The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic HSE in a lot of ways is like a baby Range Rover Velar. At first impression, it looks a lot like the old Evoque but all the body panels are new for 2020 and the only thing carried over from the 1st gen is the door hinges. The look keeps the shape of the 1st gen Evoque that’s been modernized by the Velar styling and tech. In the luxury subcompact suv class the Evoque is the most capable off-roader that I’ve tested.
I joined Land Rover’s Above & Beyound Tour and got to drive the Evoque and Sport in an obstacle course with an instructor. That being said, most people who own one are buying it as a status symbol and will not be driving this through streams or other challenging off road obstacles.
The Evoque is a sleek and sexy looking subcompact suv and has a road presence but for me it’s a bit too expensive, heavy, fuel inefficient, and poor driving experience. The 4 cylinder engine needs a lot of work as the power delivery is very non-linear, and for something in this price range I would expect more. The power off the line is very slow. The experience with the auto start and stop having such a long delay before I can drive was unfortunately the deal breaker for me even being able to live with the other cons. When approaching a red light that’s about to turn green, I frequently roll the vehicle forward very slowly and many times the engine would feel like it’s about to stall/turn off. It was something all my passengers noticed too.
Where the Evoque shines is it’s leading tech features and off roading abilities in the class. Since I know I won’t be doing any hardcore off-roading, if my money was on the line I’d get a Volvo XC40 or BMW X1. However, if I really wanted a Range Rover, I would save up for the Velar. Although the Evoque is not for me, those who owned the first gen Evoque should take a look at upgrading as there are a lot of improvements to the platform from the 1st generation platform.
