The second album is always difficult, but the Range Rover Evoque 2, launched in 2019 and still in production, was more than a worthy follow-up to the original.
Comparing old and new, Mike Cross, Land Rover's former dynamics guru, said: "The latest model is just as much fun to drive, but it's also better at being a Range Rover." There, in a nutshell, is what separates the Evoque 2 from its forebear-and from its rivals.
Even more stylish, roomier, plusher and with even better off-road chops than the Evoque 1, the Evoque 2 is, after seven years on sale, still able to hold its own against newer competitors. Offered in five-door form only, it arrived with Terrain Response 2, which detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up to suit.
Depending on the trim it also had ClearSight Rear-View Mirror, a camera-based rear-view display, and, borrowed from later Mk1 Evoques, a Wade Sensing option that displays the water level as you approach the maximum 600mm wade depth (100mm deeper than the Mk1).
Mild hybridisation for the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines was also now on the table. The exceptions were the 148bhp D150 and later 163bhp D160 diesels, which were paired only with front-wheel drive. A manual gearbox was an option on these versions, too, where all other models, petrol and diesel, were automatics, either nine-or eight-speed, and four-wheel drive.
Sitting above the entry-level diesels were, at various times, the 178bhp D180, 237bhp D240, 163bhp D165 and 197bhp D200. Opt for the powerful but economical D200 and you won't go far wrong. A 2022/22-reg D200 MHEV R-Dynamic S auto 4WD with 40,000 miles costs around £17,000.
Petrol Evoques are thinner on the ground but free of the DPF and timing chain issues that can bother the diesels. At various times, the line-up has comprised the 197bhp P200, 247bhp P250 and 296bhp P300.
The 304bhp 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid P300e arrived in 2020 with 34 miles of electric-only driving. It was replaced by the 265bhp P270e in 2023, with 39 miles of EV range. From a price and performance perspective the best-balanced engine is the P250; a 2022/22-reg P250 MHEV R-Dynamic S auto 4WD with 44,000 miles is around £18,500.
The driver of an Evoque 2 occupies a lofty position in a spacious cabin that has ample head and leg room. That comes at the expense of the boot, though, which is on the small side. Material quality is excellent, and on earlier models the infotainment system is reasonably intuitive.
