Quote: "they each have me dying"
Me too
Guess what I drove today? A
brand new Range Rover Evoque! It's not ours, of course, but we have it for a fortnight or so! We took our Land Rover in to Toowoomba for a free part replacement (the ABS modulator apparently had some problem with it and the recall notice had been in the system for years, so when we took it in to the dealer to have some parts replaced at one point they told us we could have a new ABS modulator as well), and they needed to keep it. And the courtesy car was a new Range Rover Evoque!!
It's absolutely spectacular. Let me elaborate:
It's the most amazingly posh and up-market thing I've ever driven, addictively so. It's an auto, but it's got a
9-speed ZF gearbox. It's all leather. The steering is dead-accurate and you don't actually have to tell it where to go, it just seems to know. The engine pulls like all hell when you put your foot down (despite being a 4-cylinder diesel - admittedly it has a huge turbo). It's deathly quiet, until you turn on the incredible sound system (with real woofers and 4 speakers per door PLUS tweeters in the front) via bluetooth. It has reversing cameras that, when you go to reverse into a marked spot, overlay guides for you to follow to park perfectly. Everything has a solid, premium feel. The centre console has brushed aluminium trim. There are soft, twinkly LEDs in all the hidy holes that let you see without being distracting. When you pull up to traffic lights, the engine stops, and when you take your foot off the brake it starts again (and if you have the icy-cold air-con switched on, the engine will start again to run it if the temperature climbs too high). The brakes are extremely responsive and require practice to not over-brake, but once you know how they require no effort to work. I counted at least 8 airbags. There's no key, just a solid plastic block with buttons, that only has to be in the car to start the car (by pressing the Start button on the dash). It has a digital speedo alongside the analogue one. It gets 5.3 litres per hundred (44.3 US MPG or 53.2 UK MPG). It has huge 20" alloy wheels. The park brake puts itself on when you stick it in Park, and can be manually engaged with a small pull-button on the dash, and disengages itself when you press the accelerator or switch to Drive. It eats up the miles with supreme comfort, and due to its ride and quietness, feels like it's going 60 when it's doing 100 (actually a good thing).
Notes:
- The "Eco" mode automatic engine-stopping at traffic lights is optional and can be easily disabled.
- I could literally only find two bits of trim/interior that I was a unimpressed by, in terms of quality: The sunglasses tray thing that pops down from the roof (was slightly flimsy feeling) and the cloths hangers above the doors (they're cool 'cause they pop down as well, but they're slightly weak-looking).
- It's so powerful and quiet that you often accelerate past the speed limit and have to slow down again.
