What is it? You won't get a much bigger car launch this year than the eagerly awaited 'baby' Range Rover, the Evoque.
The version we've just tested, however, is the Coupe diesel that's likely to be the most popular of the three-door versions.
Our test car was in Prestige spec, with four-wheel drive and powered by a 187bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine mated to an six-speed automatic gearbox.
What's it like to drive? Just like the other Evoques that we've driven, it's impressive on the road. The 2.2-litre turbodiesel doesn't quite have the punch or refinement of the excellent 2.0-litre petrol, but it's capable of brisk progress nonetheless and is genuinely fun to drive – especially if you flick the gear selector to 'Sport' and use the wheel-mounted paddles to shift the gears.
The Coupe feels agile, too. Not just because it has quick, direct steering, but also because there's little body lean and huge amounts of mid-corner traction. In fact, we'd go so far as describing it as a high-riding hot hatch.
Yet it also takes on the role of motorway cruiser well. The diesel's commendably refined at motorway speeds and although there's a little more wind- and road noise than you might expect from a baby Range Rover, it's certainly not off-putting.
Just like the five-door, the ride is firm but not uncomfortable. That said, it was firm enough for us to question the need to have anything bigger than the 19-inch alloys our test car had fitted.
Our test route also included some mild off-roading, covering mud ruts, steep descents and plenty of green-lanes, so we're confident that the Evoque is good enough off-road to cater for what most of us would throw at it – and, importantly, good enough to be rated as a proper Land Rover too.
- Three-door diesel Evoque tested
- Coupe from £28,950
- Picture gallery and rivals, too
