What's with the evoques

[eye.surgeon]

The Evoque is targeted at aspirational younger professional women, in their career but with no family. These people would otherwise be leasing a 3 series or lexus IS, or mercedes C class. They can't afford and don't need the size of the full size range rover. Whether that is a sustainable demographic will remain to be seen. It's just a shame to see manufacturing capacity dedicated to a slow moving vehicle when they can't make enough of their core products-- RR, RRS, and Discovery/LR4.

 

[PeterA]

The Evoque is targeted at aspirational younger professional women, in their career but with no family. These people would otherwise be leasing a 3 series or lexus IS, or mercedes C class. They can't afford and don't need the size of the full size range rover. Whether that is a sustainable demographic will remain to be seen. It's just a shame to see manufacturing capacity dedicated to a slow moving vehicle when they can't make enough of their core products-- RR, RRS, and Discovery/LR4.

Sounds good on paper but has that demographic ever been part of LR's base? Women out here driving LR's tend to have kids in the back. Slapping the Range Rover name on the hood when its anything but told me it was doomed for failure.

 

[eye.surgeon]

Sounds good on paper but has that demographic ever been part of LR's base? Women out here driving LR's tend to have kids in the back. Slapping the Range Rover name on the hood when its anything but told me it was doomed for failure.

Personally I dislike the "lifestyle" LR models and consider them a dilution of the brand. Unfortunately, as we have seen with Porsche, sales of those models allow continued production of the legacy vehicles that built the brand.

 

[AxelR]

Besides the fact that this thread is becoming really sexist which is never a good idea in this day and age, yes women do drive a lot of LR3/4 RRS or RR and in many ways they are the ones that carry the brand so we shouldn't talk too much crap about them or LR strategy.

Here in the Boston area, Evoques seem to be driven both by men and women on an equal level.
These people allow us to still get access to really capable off-road Vehicles branded with the LR logo. I'm not going to complain.

Niche brands are disappearing rather quickly and if LR needs to sell toned down vehicles to stay around I'm fine with it.

 

[Soda]

I see lots of Evoques daily where I live and work. They are driven equally by both men and women. My buddy has one. He loves it. He also has a RRS. I would consider an Evoque if I was looking for a small SUV. I think they look awesome and while they can't compete with the LR4, they are at least somewhat capable off-pavement. I've also seen very reasonable lease deals on them in the range of $400 - $500 a month. That's comparable with a BMW X3.

 

[JotaDe]

The local dealers near me have plenty of LR2s and Evoques and some RR (no LR4s of course).

Because of the difficulty getting an LR4 I've looked pretty hard at the LR2 and Evoque, I just couldn't find a way to appreciate the LR2, the look was too far off from what I wanted with the LR4. I actually really like the Evoque, it's just not the type of vehicle I'm looking for at the moment.

I've looked at those vehicles to get an idea of paint and interior colors though so their abundance has assisted me in figuring out my exact LR4 config

 

[umbertob]

Like the LR2 - which always sold like gangbusters over in the Europe but mostly sat collecting dust in US showrooms - I think the Evoque has a more limited appeal here in North America, with its smallish dimensions and 4-cylinder engine, and despite its in-your-face, modern styling that without a doubt brought in huge sales numbers in the beginning to the metrosexual types (both males and females) I normally see behind the wheel. Even Land Rover must have known those numbers were not going to be sustainable in the longer run.

In fashionista LA / OC they still seem to be everywhere, definitely easier to spot than the LR4 and at least as popular as its less flashy small-SUV competitors, but I am sure sales are tapering off around here as well. The Evoque will continue to do a lot better in countries where fuel is expensive, such as Europe / UK. But I'm afraid its edgy styling is a double edged sword that may already look dated to our local trend-setters, and when they move on to something newer and more exciting (you'd think Tesla was the best selling car in the world if you drove around L.A. today), sales normally fall off a cliff.

 

[avus9]

After having driven a handful of Evoques both as loaners and of friend's personal vehicles... the only thing Range Rover about them is the lettering adhered to the bodywork.
As umbertob elluded, the exterior styling (while well executed) is now dated. I think the Evoque now comes across as the 2nd oldest model in the line-up.
The interior never felt special since inception. I personally think it feels cheap. That there is no power adjustment for the steering wheel placement gets me every time. And that coarse Ford ecoboost 4cyl does not help either.
Personally, I am looking forward to the upcoming Jaguar ute (with a s/c 6cyl) -- what the Evoque could have been.

 

[Surfrider77]

Friend of mine took one of the first Evoque deliveries here in the Middle East years ago. I do like the modern styling, but from day one I felt that it needed an option for a bigger engine. Keep the 4 cyl for fuel concious drivers, but it screams for a V6, if not a SCV6.

 

[bushway9172]

Jeez... tough crowd here. I've driven the Evoque back and forth from Massachusetts to Florida on two separate occasions and had zero complaints. Sure, I may rather have been in the LR4, but the Evoque is comfortable, quick, surprisingly roomy, and fuel economy is almost 2x what my LR4 gets. With that being said, I would choose an LR4 over an Evoque any day, but it is a great car for what it is. There is definitely a market for them, and I usually see at least a handful a day here in Florida.