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Thread: The "I just drove a..." Thread

  1. #556
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    2012 Range Rover Evoque SD4 4WD

    The recently launched Evoque is Range Rover’s entry into the burgeoning small premium SUV market. Designed to take on cars like the Audi Q3 and the BMW X3 the Evoque faces stiff competition – let’s see if it brings enough attributes to the table to establish a credible alternative.

    The Evoque’s party piece is certainly the styling. From the outside it is a striking looking car, especially if you choose lighter colours or the contrasting roof colours. It looks good, but it feels like one of those cars that won’t age well. If you choose a darker colour it is toned down considerably, with a whiff of poshed up Freelander from some angles.

    The interior follows the same trend as the renewed JLR cars, very modern and good looking, with plenty of screens and modern ambient lightning. Quality is also top notch, at least on par with the German alternatives. Driving position is commanding but comfortable. For such a big car though (over 1.90m wide), space is tiny inside with limited width and claustrophobic rear seats, even in our five door test car, boot also being similarly affected. Visibility is pretty much non existent, especially side and behind, making the rear camera an essential extra for parking manoeuvres.

    Our car was fitted with the top diesel engine paired with a 6 speed manual gearbox. The engine is the same 2.2 litre engine found under the Jaguar XF which in this application delivers 190bhp and 420Nm. Performance is adequate, if not brilliant, and the engine does favour relaxed driving, with plenty of grunt available from 1,500rpm. The weight does drag down the performance indeed, but you are not left wanting for more in such a car, maybe possibly even the 150bhp would be enough although it could be a bit short on power. It has to be said, however, that at on the move at low revs there’s slight vibration which can be felt in the steering wheel pedals. It’s not overtly catastrophic but it’s certainly odd bearing in mind the general refinement of the car.

    One of the surprises of the car was the slick 6 speed manual gearbox. It has very short throws and it certainly does encourage fast shifting, being smooth and accurate. Clutch is easily manageable soft and with an easy-to-get-used biting pointing. Certainly a gearbox that wouldn’t be out of place in a sports car.

    The 190bhp diesel brings, mandatory, four wheel drive. The car I drove also had fitted the biggest wheels available, 20 inchers, which provide plenty of grip. Handling is generally good, with understeer as the ultimate result if you push hard although lit-off oversteer is available if you feel so inclined. Bear in mind that we are speaking about a car that weights almost 1800kg, so it is not quite as nimble as the handling would let you believe. Unfortunately steering is a tad too soft and artificial. Another clear drawback is the size, which limits its manoeuvrability around town in our narrow country roads.

    Despite the big wheels the car rides properly. Fortunately the ride comfort does not compromise body roll excessively, although again the weight, mass and general bulk of the car has to be taken into account. A word of caution, if you are serious about off roading, you’d probably be better off with the smaller wheels, although handling will undoubtedly be compromised.

    Having pretty much every option available fitted to our car, including sat-nav, the aforementioned 20-inch wheels, leather upholstery, xenon headlamps or Bluetooth connectivity amongst others, it retailed for 46.000€ which is actually quite a lot. Again keeping options to a minimum brings down the price, and this is probably the way it should be bought.

    In the end it is basically car bought with the heart. The exterior dimensions do not reflect in the interior size or boot and visibility is severely compromised by the design. It is hopelessly impractical in the city and fuel consumption will probably be abysmal. On the plus side it’s a very distinctive car with an excellent interior, a good drive and serious off road capabilities. If you want one nothing else will do. But if you need a car for transporting people or going to places it’s probably better to look somewhere else. My personal recommendation (pending a definitive test drive to check if it’s enough) would be the 150bhp diesel engine with four wheel drive and a manual gearbox.
    Last edited by Ferrer; 09-10-2012 at 07:54 AM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  2. #557
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    If styling is the party piece, then for me party is over before it has even started....I find it an ungainly looking car. Everytime stylists want to produce different things it does not mean that they always succeed. This is a point in case.
    I suppose the engine is the same twin turbo unit as fitted in my car, so I can imagine that 1800 kgs is quite a task for the poor machine.
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  3. #558
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    I think that it looks good (or maybe a better word would be spectacular/flashy) now, but that it will age badly. Also, darker colours suit it better in my opinion, since they tone down the deisgn's excesses.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  4. #559
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    I think it looks ridiculous, which is mainly caused by the shape of the waistline. The two-door version is far worse looking than the 4 door though. When I spoke with an LR representstive, I think two years ago at the Geneva motorshow he mentioned that the car targeted the same clientele as the Mini...maybe the interior space is therefore so llimited.
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  5. #560
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    2012 Mazda CX-5 2.2D Automatic 2WD

    Mazda’s SUV lineup has never been terribly suited to Europe. When it was first presented the CX-7 was only available with a turbocharged 260bhp petrol engine, and even when a diesel was introduced it was still too big to make an impact in European markets.

    This new CX-5 presents a much more attractive proposition size and engines wise. It also debuts the Skyactiv technology and the new Kodo design language. On the outside this means a new aggressive face and more angular styling. It looks cohesive and just with enough flair to tempt people looking at the plain-Qashqai.

    The interior is a clearly Japanese business. Ergonomically well put together, but not exactly warm and welcoming, there’s just a bit too much plastic everywhere. It is however very spacious and practical with a capacious boot to match. Visibility is aided by the glassy windows and big mirrors.

    Our test car featured the new 2.2 litre diesel. In base guise it develops 150bhp and 380Nm of torque in our case mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox. Thanks to the low weight (1555kg) the car makes the most of the 150bhp. They feel as a brisk as other rivals featuring 30 or 40bhp more. The engine is sufficient for all but the most exigent of usages and actually very nice to use with a strong response everywhere. In terms of NVH it is not quite as refined as the premium alternatives, but I suspect that’s because of sound deadening and isolation material used, not the engine’s fault.

    The car also had the new Skyactiv automatic gearbox, with its trick torque converter. In the end though, it loses badly to the most modern dual clutch gearboxes. It is very smooth both at low speeds and at full throttle but it is slow to react and to change gears, especially noted if you use it manually (through the gear lever, there no paddles not even optionally). I would personally avoid it and stick with the manual.

    The handling comes defined by the tyres fitted to our test car. It had the standard 17 inch wheels with high profile tires, I suspect, of the M+S type. They not only lack grip compared to conventional tyres but also are short on information on what’s happening between the road and the wheels. As a result, and despite the nicely weighted and communicative (surprisingly so for an electric power steering system) steering the cars feels very imprecise while cornering hard. Body roll is well controlled and it is noble, so I guess that with some road-oriented tyres it would improve dramatically. But as it was it wasn’t good at all when it came to corners.

    The upside is that the ride comfort was excellent. The high profile tyres combined with the usual soft sprung suspension of Mazdas makes it a very enticing proposition to drive long distances without noticing the bumps. Mazda has done a very good job with the suspension because, as has been said, this has not meant uncontrolled body roll.

    One of the best things about this car is that compared to the premium alternatives it is very good value for money. A fully equipped petrol engined CX-5, including sat-nav, xenons, cruise control, dual climate control, lane departure warning systems and a vast array of other gadgets retail for 38.000€ which is several thousand Euros less of what a similarly equipped Q3 or Evoque would go for; while also being far bigger and more practical inside than either of those. Overall not a bad effort by Mazda, and one wonders what the new Skyactiv technology will do when it’s fitted to conventional car, like the recently unveiled new 6.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  6. #561
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    Ferrer, are you a car journalist, as a professional as it states "our test car"?

  7. #562
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    I wish I was a car journalist... but I'm not actually.

    It was a test car from a dealer in this case.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  8. #563
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    Kudo's then. The knowledge you have about cars and the way you write about them made me think so.

    Cheers!

  9. #564
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    Thank you for the compliment.

    Anyone from Evo reading this?
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  10. #565
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    You'd just need a bit of help cleaning up some grammar and one or two awkward phrases lost in translation, but your writing is otherwise really enjoyable.

  11. #566
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    Thank you for the compliment.
    You are welcome. I wrote my first official published article this year June about my Alfa. It got published in a Club Magazine and I am forever proud.

    To stay on topic: I drove a 2008 Renault Scenic diesel a while ago. I am not used driving this type of family car and I did not like it.

    Of course it can not be compared with my current car, but the complete lack of feeling in the steering wheel was remarkable. It was somewhat better then in our Twingo, but not that much.

    How are you able to experience a car when you can not feel what the wheels are doing? When you did 120 km/h it felt like riding a waterbed. Apparently "comfort" is more important when being the captain on a small MPV.

    Further more I am not used to having all those gadgets in a car, which I do not miss at all. To start with, there was an ugly plastic card for starting the car. Could they not just try their best to make it more attractive?

    When I had to gear up or down, the car told me to do so. The lights went on automatically, so did the wipers. I forgot the key in the starting slot and there was almost an alarm going off.

    Despite safety features, some people may like all the other gadgest, I don't. Absolutely pointless weight-adding features by my means. Only "feature" which was missing was having an automatic gearbox - luckily! Next step is that machines will take over it all.

    Yes - Unfortunately, my current car also has parking assist, Cruise Control and some other nuisances. But could live without them honestly

  12. #567
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    ʌʌʌ great review, MoS!

    Ferrer, how come you are not banned yet from your local auto dealers?

  13. #568
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    Well, over the last ten years the family has bought 8 different cars from 7 different brands, and now if my friends want to buy new cars I take them there. I guess that's why they love me so much!

    (Also I try to drive anything that falls in my hands, for instance near my office its usual that they present new cars and stage test drives. This why I tried the Smart Fortwo, the Seat Ibiza, the Nissan Leaf or more recently the A-Class Benz)
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  14. #569
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    C'mon, my review wasn't that great ...It seemed to be a 2011 model BTW.

    Although I did not like it I took a few pictures of it. Suited in boring grey of course.

    Compare the styling of the MPV and its boring interior with my current beauty. It is simply not fair (and totally irrelevant)
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    Last edited by Man of Steel; 09-13-2012 at 12:53 PM.

  15. #570
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    Well it is french, what do you expect...

    What about the seats? I've always though Renault makes the beast and most comfortable seats in the business. The ones on a Laguna, for instance, are just uncany.

    They should start a new divison called Ikeanault which only makes seats.

    Or something.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

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