As some of you may have noticed, we got ourselves a new Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (MY2019 Germany). Mainly for my daughter, she turns 18 soon and will get her driver's license but my wife and me will drive this car, especially in winter time, as well. It replaces our Mini Cooper JCW.
Yes, the Range Rover Evoque is no sportscar but I think we have enough fast cars in the family. 
The Evoque model we've chosen is the Si4 Black Edition with a 240 hp WLTP(!) compliant engine and the 9 speed automatic transmission.
Performance is better than expected, 0-100 kph in 7.3 seconds, Vmax is 221 kph. Not bad for a small SUV but it doesn't really feel that fast, probably because it weights 1.8 tons.
The car doesn't really feel like a slouch but it has some throttle lag, especially if you fully accelerate at any given moment. There is a S (Sport) setting which enhances throttle response and shifting and it provides a huge (though not sensational) improvement but this is not something a beginner, like my daughter, would be fond of since the throttle response is a bit too direct and the car would get faster than expected. My daughter already tried and switched back to D, which is kind of safer for beginners. It is good to have this option though, especially for me.
The Black Edition model is pretty well equipped, there is not much additional stuff you really need for the car. The car has a price of slightly over 54000 EUR (incl. 19% German VAT).
I guess Landrover wants to sell as many Evoque as possible before the new model comes out around April next year as a MY2020 car (Germany).
Since we live in Bavaria, I already mounted winter tires, the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV 235/60 R18H and they seem to be great for the car, at least on dry and wet pavement. Surprisingly "sporty". Haven't tried them in the snow yet but the reviews are excellent and since I've chosen the H speed index version, it should be amazing in snow.
The Evoque is surprisingly agile for a SUV, there is basically no side roll and the seats are quite good as well with some decent side hold in curves.
The steering is surprisingly direct and comfortable (not too light, not too firm) at the same time, very good setup.
Interior quality look and feel is also excellent, incl. leather seats. Not at Porsche Macan level but worthy for a 54k car.
The entertainment system with touchscreen and standard navigation (Black Edition) works very fast and is easy to use but unfortunately there is no CarPlay or Android Auto. The Bluetooth audio streaming feature, a USB port and a microSD card slot are nice alternatives though.
PRO
- Nice and quiet turbo petrol engine, fuel consumption around 10 liters / 100 km on average (at full throttle on the Autobahn, you can easily hit 17 liters though). Real life range under normal (mixed) driving conditions is slightly over 600 km, which isn't bad at all.
- Very good steering setup (direct but still comfortable, not too light).
- Sporty chassis with a quite comfortable setup but with a perfect amount of stiffness (in my opinion but I like stiff suspensions).
- Very good Xenon front lights.
- Infotainment system (touch screen) is easy to use, responsive and fast.
- Car feels solid and safe to drive, good driving position with a good overlook.
- inControl app (registration required) which shows you various status reports (alarm, doors open/locked, fuel consumption, last GPS position of car, etc.) on your smartphone.
- Car key allows to turn on lights or the alarm, which can be helpful at night.
- Huge panoramic roof (standard on Black Edition) which provides a more "roomy" feel for the rear passengers
- Comfortable adjustable (leather) front seats.
- Trunk not huge but usable.
- Nicely working A/C (auto)
- Various Off-Road settings (button) available, car is fully off-road capable.
CONTRA
- Basically no exhaust sound, not that it is really needed on such a car.
- Rear seats not that comfy, especially on longer trips (third seat in the middle barely usable, unless you are a kid), they should be slightly more inclined to the back.
- Standard sound system (80W) sounds OK and even good when turned up loud but it lacks bass and could certainly need a subwoofer. I understand why manufacturers need to sell their premium audio systems but a cheap subwoofer would have done an excellent job to improve the sound.
- No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, not even as a possible retrofit since the new Evoque comes out next year (2019) in April.
- The heated windshield is a great feature (standard with Black Edition cars) but unfortunately some people can see the fine wire web which often comes with this feature (I have no issues with that since I am farsighted but my daughter has).
- Throttle lag in D mode, also the automatic transmission tends to take too much time to downshift. Not a problem in S mode.
- Handsfree option (phone) sometimes not loud enough when driving (noise).
- Panoramic roof cannot be opened.
- Fast acceleration up to 190 kph but then, it gets slow...
- High fuel consumption when driven full throttle on the Autobahn (over 17 liters /100 km).
CONCLUSION
The Evoque will be replaced by the next generation in 2019 but I think it is still a very nice small SUV for little money (if you are lucky to get a good lease deal right now) and since it's engine is already WLTP compliant (Germany), I think this car is a very nice choice, especially if you live in a region with snowy and rainy winters.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mercedes E63 S AMG Edition 1 (2018), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)
Re: Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019) - short "review"
