Launching the Range Rover Evoque in 2011 put Land Rover ahead of the curve, because this premium compact SUV now finds itself competing with countless rivals.
As I've mentioned before, the Evoque needs a new generation to keep pace, but it's faring well given its age (seven years for the Mk2).There are several obvious competitors from BMW, Audi et al, but arguably the most notable entrants over the past couple of years have come from China.
One such car is Chery's Jaecoo 7, which colleague Alastair Clements is currently running. It's particularly relevant here, because plenty say its looks are somewhat Evoque-inspired.
The 7 is already a common sight on UK roads, which is a significant development for an early model from a new brand. Alastair and I brought the two cars together to ponder how they sit alongside each other.
RB I quite like my Evoque's styling, but the Jaecoo has something of JLR about it which might not be a surprise in light of the various Chinese copycat controversies over the past decade or so. What do you think of the Jaecoo's design?
AC My daughter called it a Shein Range Rover when it landed, and there is no doubt that there is a very clear inspiration from JLR. To me it blends all three of the Range Rover products into a surprisingly cohesive whole.
I can totally see why people are seduced by it particularly when you consider that my car is more than £10k cheaper than the entry-level Evoque, and if you loaded the Range Rover to a similar level the difference would be £20k-plus.
RB That's a great reference point from your daughter. It's interesting looking at them side by side. Some of the Jaecoo's elements clearly are very closely aligned to the Evoque for example, the steering wheel design, door handles and sweeping rear window lines. But the Jaecoo is clearly bigger and feels more spacious inside.
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I can't imagine any one is really cross shopping a Jaecoo and an Evoque, but can see why people cross shopping Qashqais, Grandlands etc would would go for something with the looks (from 100+ yards) of an Evoque.
The same people probably buy fake designer goods and knock off watches. Champagne dreams, lemonade money. Good luck to them. I'd never be able to ignore the fact that I know its all superficial even if others were convinced, but then I dont care for the designer brands in the first place.
Why hasn't there been a big article about the looming issue in car manufacturing? We are about to see a seismic shift in the collapse of major brands, with some seriously big names going bust. When you reach the stage of even Porsche looking iffy, surely that warrants some major discussion, doesn't it? Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, and Nissan will all go next year, followed by Ineos (of course). But even larger companies and brands are on shaky ground.
Come on, Autocar, give us a discussion about it.
Bit of a knee jerk reaction?, might be, what I'd like to see in more car sites especially in a respected Magazine like Autocar is going back to back to back two three car road tests where all parameters of performance are tested hopefully giving an unbiased opinion, im not saying anything that's not made in Europe isn't any good, I'd just like a benchmark, I don't want to buy a car that's got all the whistles and bells and find out one two years from then that it's under performed and that what I saved buying it has been swallowed buy what I'm losing and what I've got to payout for its replacement.