Range Rover Evoque Prestige auto 2012 review

I remember the `Wow' that escaped my lips when I laid eyes on this car for the first time overseas in Wales.

Driving the Evoque months later in Sydney it still had the same effect on me and I'm not on my Pat Malone. Whatever else you want to say about the baby Rangey, it's certainly an attention getter.

Not everyone likes the look though. Our office courier prefers the squarer look of the Freelander, but Alan strikes me as a conservative kind of bloke. Each to his own.

Explore the 2012 Range Rover Evoque range

• Range Rover Evoque Pure SD4 2012 review
• Range Rover Evoque Si4 Dynamic Coupe 2012 review
• Range Rover Evoque Prestige auto 2012 review
• Range Rover Evoque 2012 review
• Range Rover Evoque eD4 2012 review

THE COST

Priced from $49,995 the Evoque comes in three and five-door guise, two and four-wheel drive, with a choice of diesel or petrol engines. Our test vehicle the three-door, all-wheel drive petrol Prestige SI4 auto, is priced frm $77,395 but a few extras brought the grand total cost at the time of testing to $98,759.

THE ENGINE

It's a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine that delivers 177kW of power and 340Nm of torque. This is the same engine that powers the just released four cylinder Falcon, but in a slightly different state of tune.

It's hooked up to a six-speed Japanese auto with paddle shifts (note there's no shifter lever as such). As with other Jags and Rangies initial gear selection is performed via a space saving rotary knob.

PERFORMANCE

0-100km/h takes 7.6 secs, top speed is 217km/h and fuel consumption is rated at 8.7 litres/100km (we were getting 10.1). We're still not completely sold on this engine. It's still a little slow to respond sometimes and makes some odd noises on occasion.

But generally it provides lively performance and relatively good fuel economy. The electric steering is good with plenty of feedback, but perhaps not as good as BMW's variable ratio steering.

OFF ROAD

Yes. Despite its manic urban appeal you can still take yourself seriously off road in this car. Not that most owners would even consider the possibility. It actually has 12mm more ground clearance than the Freelander on which is is based.

THREE OR FIVE?

The more practical five door costs $1500 less. The roof line is actually 30mm higher than the coupe, but you wouldn't pick it unless the two were side by side.

BACK SEAT

There's plenty of room back there but getting accessing it can be challenging. The front seats slide forward electrically but they are oh so slow to do so. The resulting opening is okay but still requires some athletic ability to negotiate the opening.

PRESTIGE

This model represents the ultimate in Range Rover luxury. It also includes all the latest safety gear, but sadly scores only four stars in crash tests. Comes with 19 inch alloys, xenon/LED lights, and a 380 watt, 11-speaker sound system.

The finish inside is first rate with a two tone colour scheme that featuring premium twin-stitched leather and real wood and metal finishes. There's still plenty of options to chose from, like the Prestige tech pack for $5900 that includes such things as satnav, front parking sensors, a reversing camera and power operated tailgate.

VERDICT

You know you want to. Goes as well as it looks. This car has way more character than a BMW and we suspect that Land Rover is going to have trouble keeping up with demand.