An interesting variant of the smallest SUV offered by the Jaguar Land Rover car company got into the editorial test this time. It was the Evoque HSE Si4 model, i.e. a version with a turbocharged Ingenium petrol engine with a power of 290 hp.
This is not just any engine, for example, the basic engine of the Jaguar F-Type has this engine.
Evoque is an interesting and popular version, let's add this great engine and an excellent automatic transmission and you get a very interesting vehicle.
Its exterior design has a noticeably more dynamic feel than its larger siblings, yet it still has classic shapes and its appearance is clearly legible and recognizable. The Evoque is not adorned with any fancy tinsel, it is about classic, understated and elegant lines.
The front part has relatively massive intake grills, which together with the front lights form a dynamic composition.
The Evoque has a quite original and typical for it side part, it is a big contrast between the solid and the glazed part. The car thus appears powerful and sturdy. Another interesting feature is the significant widening of the side skirts, which is most noticeable at the front wheel, where the skirt transitions into a clear line that connects to the headlights and separates the hood from the fenders.
The clear division between the glazed and solid parts of the body transitions smoothly into the rear part. In its lower part, it is equipped with a pair of exhaust tips, and then a decent diffuser. The small rear lamps, which have a wonderful light signature similar to the front lamps, have a rather contrasting but effective effect. The roof is pulled into a discreet lollipop in the rear part with integrated brake lighting.
The tested version, equipped with the Dynamic package, had a beautiful combination of white paint with a black roof and black twenty-inch wheels. Simply a great and pleasant combination.
The interior of the car again looks very decent and elegant. The dashboard is legible and well laid out, its horizontal division is clear and the controls are very intuitive.
In the tested version, it had a 10.2-inch wide on-board infotainment touchscreen, which we know from the tested Jaguars. The display is relatively tilted, in the slope of the dashboard itself. It is also integrated into a chrome frame (similar to the automatic transmission selector), which will also serve you well as a support for your hand when operating it. Unlike the on-board computer, it communicates with you in Czech.
The instrument panel has a classic speedometer and tachometer, between them the aforementioned on-board computer display controlled from the steering wheel. The steering wheel is well-fitting, covered in leather and, of course, multifunctional and heated.
The only weakness of the interior, for me, were the controls for the CD drive and air conditioning, located on the central tunnel, compared to the rest of the interior, they looked a bit cheaper.
The central tunnel is further dominated by the classic, retractable automatic transmission controller, as well as the drive mode selector and a storage space with an armrest. The leather seats are tuned sporty for the front crew and have good lateral guidance.
The interior of the tested version, together with its external appearance, forms a compact unit that has flair and it is difficult to fault it in this respect.
But let's move on to the most interesting part, the engine. This beauty was powered by an Ingenium four-cylinder petrol engine. This engine under the name Si4 has a turbocharger with two channels for the supply of exhaust gases, electro-hydraulic control of the intake valves and direct injection with a pressure of 200 bar. All this results in an output of 213 kW / 290 hp and a torque of 400 Nm.
The engine has continuous thrust without any sign of the presence of a turbo. Waiting for his move is simply not possible. The cooperation with the nine-speed automatic transmission with Quickshift function works great. Its tuning has a purely sporty character, which is underlined by the possibility of switching to sports mode and shifting paddles under the steering wheel. The Evoque is one of the few cars I've tested recently that I really enjoyed using the paddle shifters.
The tested Range Rover Evoque in the given specification has a purely sporty character, quite quickly it will make you forget that it belongs to the SUV category. It's great in corners, comfortable on the highway, its 20-inch wheels with low-profile shoes sometimes show unfortunately in the city, but otherwise it's nimble and nimble. Of course, the Evoque copes with the terrain to some extent, thanks to its small overhangs, 4 x 4 drive and assistance systems, it is well equipped for this.
The consumption of the car obviously depends on the driving style. The tested Evoque and its motorization offer you a lot of these driving profiles. As part of a gentle drive, you can get 9 liters with it, in the city it says about 12 liters, and during vigorous driving (which it really is no stranger to) the consumption logically goes up.
We were very pleased with the Range Rover Evoque in the tested version. The variety of its driving performance is really great thanks to the excellent engine and gearbox. Add to that his originality and charm and you can't help but fall in love with him.
Actually yes, there would be one thing, the basic tested version with a more powerful gasoline four-cylinder starts at 1,726,065 CZK including VAT.
