Any time I have charged, it has quickly kicked into play, and I’ve been in no doubt that the tech is working as I lock the car and leave. The third-generation Evoque is due in 2027, and it’s a given at this stage that there will be an electric version, but a PHEV is likely too, which will presumably have a much more significant electric range. I did ask JLR, but it won’t comment on future product strategy.
The above is worthy of note, for sure, but shouldn’t take away from how much I’ve been enjoying the Evoque as an overall daily driving experience.
There’s plenty of opportunity to muse on the car’s execution, because I see so many of them on the road. I remember not being that keen on the original Evoque (maybe I felt it was a bit brash at the time), but when I see how it has evolved, I think it looks slick and premium.
It’s an easy driving experience too, with a comfortable ride over my road’s many speed bumps plus light steering that’s well suited to predominantly town driving. No wonder there are so many of them on suburban roads.
Update 3
Can you fit more than 1000 vinyl records in the back of a Volvo EX30? It was a question I had cause to ponder recently, and I doubted the crossover was quite big enough. Thankfully, magazine editor Rachel Burgess was keen to try the EX30 so offered a car swap. Next question: can you fit more than 1000 records in the back of a Range Rover Evoque?
The huge vinyl haul belonged to my late uncle, and it has spent the past few years occupying a chunk of space in my mum’s house. I found a company, Atlas Records, that bought whole vinyl collections – and it was based just outside of Taunton in Somerset, an hour or so down the M5 from my home town.
The motorway trip to Somerset reinforced the Evoque as a pleasingly relaxed cruiser, although, as Rachel has found, the 1.5-litre petrol element of the plug-in hybrid system sounds gruff as you work up the rev range.
It’s a shame the small battery – a reminder that this PHEV technology is dated enough to feel like vinyl in the streaming era – is so quickly depleted, since the powertrain is much more pleasant when it’s electrically assisted. On arrival at my mum’s house I was more concerned with load space and making best use of the Evoque’s 1383 litres of capacity with the rear seats down.