BirdmanQ5

I was in a parking lot the other day and parked next to one of those gorgeous Range Rover Evoque's, probably the one I see almost every morning at the same time. I was reading up on it and saw that it was very similar to the Q5 in terms of engine size, efficiency, performance. I was wondering if anyone had the experience of driving both or catching eyes with the driver of one at a light.

Don't get me wrong - I love my Q5. My heart lies with Audi and I have no desire to venture into the realm of British Autos, I have heard nothing but gripes about Range Rover and Jags. I'm just curious how the two stack up to each other. Which is faster? What handles better - I feel like RR may have refined their AWD too much to make it more of a city car. Any notable differences in technology? Let me know your thoughts, even if you haven't driven it personally.

TNBoiler

I was in the same boat as you until today. I just realized that the Evoque has a "Fixed" roof. Since I'm going to buy my Q5 as the ultimate utility vehicle (serving as sports car, snow plow, convertible, and fuel efficient), I came off the Evoque pretty quickly. Why have all that glass and not be able to open it? Am I missing something?

The G Man

The Evoque is the best Range Rover Ford ever made British electrical system and air suspension spells nothing but trouble.

HotRodW

I drove the Evoque a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it! The Ford 2.0T felt at least as responsive as the Q5's turbo mill. I like the looks of the Q5, but the Evoque looks looks downright seductive to me (my wife agrees). It felt surprisingly roomy inside - probably due to the extra width. Despite the sloping roofline the rear seat headroom was fine. The Evoque's cargo area was slightly smaller, and the aggressive styling does compromise rear visibility somewhat, although not as bad as I expected. I like that LR offers three distinct trim packages with lots of wheel and paint options. You can even get a contrasting roof. With all the factory combinations available on the Evoque, you won't see duplicates on the road very often. (I have always been disappointed in the limited number of Q5 paint and trim configurations we get here in the States.) The Evoque is considerably more expensive, but it also comes with more standard features. And as TNBoiler mentioned, the glass roof is fixed. Personally, I'm fine with that. In fact, I'd prefer a fixed metal roof myself, but if it has to be glass I'd rather it didn't open in the interest of simplicity and structural integrity.

kchao2000

We had two Land Rover in the family before and both of them had nothing but troubles. Those two vehicles were nightmare to us. So... don't care how nice they are; stay away from LR.

JohnBoyToo

We had two as well....
but they were older than me at the time we were in Iran working for Bell Helicopter a LONG time ago...

8 or 9 passenger, four cylinder, could climb a tree,
and in any color you wanted as long as it was green

but since there were no more being imported at the time, they were well taken care of before we got them and made money on them when we left !


we didn't even look at the Evoque though... soon as we drove the Q5, we bought it ~

The G Man

We just test drove an Evoque over the week end, the only reason why the Evoque is not giving the A5 a run for its money is because of the Evoque's limited supply. The Evoque handled very well during the test drive, handle as good as the Q5 but a bit more fun to drive. The Ford 2.0 turbo engine has plenty of power and build quality is up to the Range Rover standards. The interior was a bit nicer than the Q5 in my opinion, although the back seat were tighter and cargo space is even less than the Q5. Exterior design is very sharp all around, my only complaint was the back window is a bit too small. We kind of lost interest as soon as we learned that it was selling at MSRP with no discount. The Evoque is a nice SUV, but not worth the $57000 they were asking for.

awryexperiment

In my opinion, Land Rover is completely OUT of consideration due to the fact that it is owned and managed by TATA Motors in India. I have no faith in their quality.

lmariorod

Yes but...If you give any credibility to Consumer Reports:

"CR's editors noted that the X3 offered a sporty drive, a smooth eight speed transmission, a well finished interior, good braking, large cargo area and a quiet ride.
In total, the X3 outscored eight previously tested compact luxury SUV's, coming in second only to the Audi Q5 3.2."

Looks like the Evoque is all fluff and no Stuff.

HotRodW

Sure, if you put stock in CR. Or you could argue that the car guys/gals that awarded the Evoque with the North American Truck of the Year and Motor Trend SUV of the Year honors might know a little something about cars, too. Personally, I tend to take into consideration what all the "experts" have to say, then test drive and draw my own conclusions. Nobody knows what I'm looking for in a car but me.