2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Review

This year brings myriad exterior and interior upgrades to the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Revised headlights, LED taillights and a redesigned rear spoiler give the Evoque a freshened look. Inside, you'll find full leather upholstery (previously, it was partial leather seating) and Land Rover's InControl safety telematics system as standard. Revised touchscreen and instrument cluster graphics are also new. Available as new options are full LED headlights, a hands-free power liftgate, lane keeping assist, a driver drowsiness monitor and a head-up display. Land Rover has also consolidated and renamed the Evoque's trim levels to fall in with the rest of the company's product line.

While the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque will be an appealing choice for compact luxury crossover buyers looking for something more than an everyday grocery-getter, it's not a very practical vehicle, so we can't fully recommend it.

Land Rover earned its reputation for building luxurious sport-utility vehicles with unequaled off-road prowess long ago. Given that, it's probably not much of a surprise that the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque trumps other compact crossovers when the asphalt turns to dirt. But at its core, the Evoque is best suited for everyday driving on paved roads.

The Evoque is chock full of standard convenience and luxury features even at its most basic trim level. That's especially true this year, as Land Rover has made many changes to the Evoque, including adding more standard equipment. This is also a fairly frugal crossover, as it comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that can deliver 30 mpg when cruising at highway speeds. Then there's the way the Evoque looks. It was a showstopper when it debuted in 2012, and the design has only grown better with time.

But beauty isn't everything, and the Evoque has some flaws that diminish its overall appeal. Interior space is very limited, even by compact crossover standards, as the sloping roof line cuts back on rear headroom and cargo and luggage space (especially in the two-door model). Rear visibility suffers as well. Another possible drawback is what Land Rover charges for the Evoque's lust-worthy shape. This luxury crossover is typically more expensive than many of its competitors.

If you're shopping in this segment, we suggest taking a look at the 2016 BMW X3, which is more spacious, boasts a higher-quality interior and has superior acceleration. The X3 also has additional engine choices available, including a fuel-sipping diesel variant. The 2016 Audi Q5 is another strong choice, with plenty of interior room and smooth, high-performing engines. For something closer to the Evoque's size, you could check out the Lexus NX 200t or the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class as well.

Although the 2016 Evoque's good looks and exceptional fuel economy may win over some, it is tough to recommend over its top-tier rivals. In fact, the toughest competition may come from Land Rover itself. The Discovery Sport is larger, offers third-row seating and undercuts the Evoque by thousands of dollars.

The 2016 Range Rover Evoque comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard, as is all-wheel drive. All Evoques come with Land Rover's Terrain Response system, which provides selectable settings for specific road and trail conditions. Also included are hill start assist and hill descent control systems.

According to the EPA, you can expect fuel economy of 24 mpg combined (21 city/30 highway), which is better than average for a gas-powered small luxury crossover.

That superior fuel economy comes at the expense of performance, though. At our test track, an Evoque took 7.2 seconds to make the sprint from zero to 60 mph, which is a bit slower than average.

Standard safety features on all 2016 Range Rover Evoques include antilock brakes, stability and traction control, trailer sway control, front side airbags, a driver knee airbag and side curtain airbags. Also standard are front and rear parking sensors and a rearview camera.

Optional safety equipment includes a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree parking camera and a frontal collision warning system that can apply the brakes if it detects an imminent collision.

In Edmunds brake testing, an Evoque with 19-inch wheels and all-season tires came to a stop from 60 mph in 121 feet, about average for this segment.

The 2016 Range Rover Evoque is by far the most nimble vehicle in the Land Rover stable. Quick steering and high grip levels inspire more confidence than most crossover SUVs. Ride comfort is compromised somewhat by the standard sporty configuration, but we suspect this can be cured by the adjustable suspension in the HSE Dynamic variant. The Evoque also possesses above-average levels of off-road ability, and the selectable Terrain Response modes help optimize the vehicle's traction in various conditions.

We're less fond of the Evoque's engine and on-road behavior. While its on-paper specs seem competitive, the Evoque moves slowly from a dead stop when you first apply the gas, and only shows some verve at higher rpm. Upshifts from the nine-speed automatic are smooth, but the transmission's lackadaisical downshifts for highway passing are off-putting in cutthroat traffic situations.

The Range Rover Evoque's attractive styling doesn't stop at the sheet metal, especially with the 2016 refresh that has added new refinements to the interior. The Evoque gets new seats all around, with options for heated and ventilated fronts and heated outboard rears. The integration of the large, 8-inch touchscreen in the center of the dash is superb, and the uncluttered, steeply angled center stack is effective and pleasing to the eye.

Less delightful is the touchscreen's menu interface, which is sometimes slower on the uptake than top rival systems. Land Rover's InControl Apps system integrates Apple and Android smartphones in such a way that certain apps look the same on the touchscreen as they do on your device. Remote features include the ability to unlock and lock doors, start the engine and activate climate control. The Evoque still isn't an infotainment leader in this segment, but native smartphone compatibility goes a long way toward balancing the scales.

Front seat comfort in the Evoque is quite good, but the sloped roof makes rear headroom tight for adults, and the pinched side windows and rear hatch glass don't permit much light to enter. The two-door Evoque is even worse, as it makes a challenge out of simply entering and exiting the rear seat. Rear visibility is also poor, so the 360-degree parking camera and blind spot monitor are worth the investment.

Finally, the Evoque's shape and comparatively compact footprint don't leave much room for cargo. There's a hatchback-size 20.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seatbacks (19.4 cubes for the two-door), and the maximum volume of 51 cubic feet (47.6 for the two-door) with the rear seats folded is at the bottom of the compact luxury crossover SUV class. Rivals like the X3 and Volvo XC60 are certainly roomier.