As well as the looks, the familiarity theme continues inside too with the same premium-feeling interior as the previous version. There’s still a generous amount of equipment and leather included and it remains a relatively comfortable place for four adults too.
Some minor changes can be found though:
The front centre cubby box lid now slides forward to act more effectively as a central armrest
There’s now only a single USB Port inside the box as opposed to two (although it does light up nicely at night for easy locating).
The door mirrors have thankfully been reshaped and are now slightly smaller for better outward visibility …
…and the Dual-view screen appears to have increased in resolution too, giving better clarity.
The assisted parking system now includes a couple of additional features too, with a setting that caters for bay parking and one to steer this mini-Range Rover out of parallel parking bays.
I imagine a lot of owners were left stranded after being parked into a tight spot!
Reverse Traffic Detection now warns you of potential hazards during manoeuvres via the Blind-Spot Monitors in the door mirrors. It’ll send the Blind-spot monitor light flashing while sounding a subtle beep as a car approaches with speed from behind.
Interior quality has improved in some areas with the infra-red headphone transmitter now neatly integrated into a redesigned overhead console – no more overhead buzzing!
As well as incorporating a couple of phone controls for SOS situations or breakdown assistance, the touch-sensitive courtesy / map lights are now LED.
However, they do now clash with the yellow-ey glow of the filament bulbs fitted elsewhere in the roof.
There are a couple of niggles – for a £40,000+ car, its pretty disappointing that the rear wiper can sometimes judder and that there’s no auto-dimming rear-view mirror fitted. Simple things like these shouldn’t really be apparent on a car this expensive, and it’s worse when our current Fiesta manages to avoid any judder and is glare-free.
The main bugbears from the last Evoque remain though. The flat seats struggle to be supportive enough on longer journeys and rear visibility remains poor for an SUV (if you’re coming from a saloon, it’ll be an improvement).
Rear legroom and boot space isn’t as generous as it’s rivals, and it’s still wise to spec the expensive panoramic roof option if you, or any regular passengers are above six-foot.
Land Rover InControl
This combined Land Rover app / service was introduced into the 2014MY Evoque to be used on both Apple and Android phones. Having activated your InControl Services account, the “InControl Remote” app can be downloaded onto your handset whereby certain aspects of information relating to your cars current condition can be viewed. This could be the location, how much fuel is left in the tank, whether you’ve even locked the doors, or even closed the windows, boot or bonnet. If you’re struggling to remember where you parked, the app can even map out a route from your current location too.
“Journey Logging” will keep a track of your driven routes, aiming to assist those when it comes to claiming business miles. Mind you, I can’t help but think of this…
“InControl Secure” then takes things further by texting you and alerting the InControl Monitoring Centre if your vehicle has been stolen.
“InControl Apps” is a separate, downloadable app which enables you to connect your phone via USB and use a specific set of vehicle-optimised apps on the car’s centre touchscreen. Currently, the number of apps are pretty limited though so don’t expect full ultilisation of your phone, but if you want to use say, Spotify, we’d just stream it as you would normally via Bluetooth!
It’s a nice try by Land Rover, but the slow-responding infotainment and sat-nav system elsewhere lives on and it’s desperately due for an update soon. Many second-hand Evoque’s will be coming onto the market with imprinted fist marks on their centre screens otherwise…
The abundance of wasted, blank spaces on the menus make for distractingly small buttons, while the Sat-Nav makes for some questionable choices over routes in conjunction with its delayed commands.
Spec: Dynamic Lux 5dr 2014MY Engine: 2.2 SD4 Diesel, 187bhp, 309lb ft Transmission: 9-Speed Auto Mpg: Official: 47.1mpg Achieved: 35 – 42mpg Performance: 0-62mph: 8.5 Secs, 121mph Colour: Firenze Red Running Period: Summer 2015 – Present, 10,500 Miles Options: Privacy Glass, Premium Interior Pack (Powered Tailgate, Panoramic roof, 825W Meridian Sound System - 16 speakers + Sub, 8” Dual View TV/Touch Screen + infrared headphone, auto-dimming rear view mirror, Surround Camera system, Blind Spot Monitoring, Keyless Entry, Park Assist, Climate Control, Heated Seats)
First World Motoring 