just got back from the unveiling of the evoque!

[Twincam16]

Mr Whippy said:

Looks crap.

Just buy *a car*

Unless you want to go off-road, then buy a decent off-roader that can get a bit roughed up.

Edited by Mr Whippy on Friday 9th September 10:02

Usually I agree, but according to the Land-Rover spods I work with, while it'll never bother a Defender, it's leagues ahead of the competition in terms of off-road ability.

That's what must make a Land-Rover for me. Even if it isn't, it must be capable of going off-road and not getting stuck in a muddy field.

However, I soundly agree with the 'why bother putting up with the off-roader drawbacks if you're not going to go off-road' sentiment.

[TazR6]

Manks said:

If it was late afternoon I may have been driving one of them.

There was a "launch" event at Trent Vinyard and the cars were sent out on a loop that way, guided by Sat Nav.

Ahhhh. They looked really nice. It was nice to meet you

[Manks]

TazR6 said:

Ahhhh. They looked really nice. It was nice to meet you

You too.

[Mr Whippy]

Twincam16 said:

Mr Whippy said:

Looks crap.

Just buy *a car*

Unless you want to go off-road, then buy a decent off-roader that can get a bit roughed up.

Edited by Mr Whippy on Friday 9th September 10:02

Usually I agree, but according to the Land-Rover spods I work with, while it'll never bother a Defender, it's leagues ahead of the competition in terms of off-road ability.

That's what must make a Land-Rover for me. Even if it isn't, it must be capable of going off-road and not getting stuck in a muddy field.

However, I soundly agree with the 'why bother putting up with the off-roader drawbacks if you're not going to go off-road' sentiment.

Ah, but it does look cool and make you look wealthy

Well that is what I assume people think. Cue uber ubiquity and shocking depreciation. Lots of people are gonna get stung for a short-term fix of poseur potential!

Dave

[rb5er]

Jacobthechap said:

i was one of 100 people there to see the car before anyone else in the uk!

No you really werent. They had a couple at goodwood fos months ago, seen by tens of thousands.

[Streetrod]

rb5er said:

Jacobthechap said:

i was one of 100 people there to see the car before anyone else in the uk!

No you really werent. They had a couple at goodwood fos months ago, seen by tens of thousands.

Again I saw around 20 on the road around Ascot about 2 months ago all within about 10 mins. It was like a swam

[Zwoelf]

Streetrod said:

rb5er said:

Jacobthechap said:

i was one of 100 people there to see the car before anyone else in the uk!

No you really werent. They had a couple at goodwood fos months ago, seen by tens of thousands.

Again I saw around 20 on the road around Ascot about 2 months ago all within about 10 mins. It was like a swam

Saw those two, crossing Windsor Great Park every morning - part of the dealer network launch was being held at Longcross test track and bits of it in the Great Park itself by the look of it. I'd wager at least a few PHers were in those vehicles and know of at least one.

I thought they looked brilliant, in either body style and it was interesting seeing each colour come past in turn. Found myself thinking, I want one in that colour...then see the next one and want it in that..and so on. Although I think a 3 door in Imperial Stormtrooper spec would win out if I had £45k or so for one.

[Hitch78]

I was back in the UK for ten days in August and saw a handful driving and a load on transporters. Perhaps they have just gone on sale today as the actual launch was at a country house somewhere with a load of celebs - and about six months ago!

[monthefish]

Jacobthechap said:

just got back from the unveiling of the evoque!

Did you get (properly) lost on the way back??
See the unveiling of the new 'baby Rangie' live on PH - Thurs July 1st 2010 8.30PM (BST)

[BoostMonkey]

Hitch78 said:

I was back in the UK for ten days in August and saw a handful driving and a load on transporters. Perhaps they have just gone on sale today as the actual launch was at a country house somewhere with a load of celebs - and about six months ago!

First delivery to a customer I know about it Saturday.

[Twincam16]

Mr Whippy said:

Ah, but it does look cool and make you look wealthy

Well that is what I assume people think. Cue uber ubiquity and shocking depreciation. Lots of people are gonna get stung for a short-term fix of poseur potential!

Dave

Daft really isn't it? It's so endemic I wonder whether the people who associate them with wealth really know why that is.

Back in the '80s the Sloanies loved the Range-Rover because it made them look like they had a country pile somewhere and had regular cause to go to some remote part of the estate and shoot some grouse.

Nowadays the Thick Rich of Alderley Edge probably think it makes you look wealthy because the driving position and tinted windows have an essence of aloofness and separation about them, 'lifted out of the masses' so to speak, into some imagined rarified atmosphere. No knowledge of the 'Gentleman Farmer' context into which the original was born.

Regardless of the interior, I just see a utility vehicle, something with its hands perennially dirty, and as a result several leagues of poshness below any given luxury saloon, almost regardless of 'brand'.

[J4CKO]

Not my bag at all but I think it does look good and I can see why it will sell like mad, nice to see us as a country producting something that people want, even if it is owned by Tata, aloso nice to see that the concept didnt get diluted too badly, it makes the RRS look a bit dated.

[Old Gregg]

Alright, so I think we've established that the OP wasn't one of the first to see an Evoque at all. Unless anyone else wants to confirm that they've seen one before him at any one of many car-based events/on various car tranporters/around the factory/near a test facility/at a shopping centre, just to remove any last shred of doubt?

Dids444 said:

What's the point of the little rectangular-ish "blip" at the top of the plastic wheel arch trim? It annoys me.

[r11co]

Am I right in saying that the Evoque is based on the Jag X-Type platform? If so then this just underlines how right the new owners of JLR have got their market analysis.

Ditching a saloon and 'replacing' it with an SUV in order to corner the same customers' whose tastes have evolved was never done more successfully before than when Nissan finally gave up on the Primera and replaced it with the Qashqai.

This is a winner, have no doubt...

[Mr Whippy]

Twincam16 said:

Regardless of the interior, I just see a utility vehicle, something with its hands perennially dirty, and as a result several leagues of poshness below any given luxury saloon, almost regardless of 'brand'.

Exactly, you just look like someone who bought the wrong car for their needs.

Thus they bought it for style, which is the worst thing to do if you actually want to put across an image of wealth. Wealthy people avoid trying to look flash in such a nasty way these days.

So you just end up looking like an idiot

Dave

[GSP]

Seen them going up and down the M4 for months, infact, when they were added to the company car scheme a couple of months ago there was one at head office to look at for a few days.

[visual123]

I too have seen a 'launch event' - near Windsor a month or so ago. My Uncle has ordered his, at the 'launch' he got the chance to take one down some farm tracks/lanes as 'the sat nav said to go this way'. The RR dealer looked a bit shocked when it turned up covered in crap, apparently that was a wrong turn.

[TJD79]

I think I'm the only person in the UK who hasn't seen one yet.

[LeoSayer]

EK993 said:

How big are they? Dimensions seem to indicate its VW Tiguan sort of size?

I sat in one a couple of months ago. It is almost identical in size to the Tiguan but with slightly less legroom and headroom and what looked like a bigger boot.

It has more of a car like driving position, whereas the Tiguan is more upright which I prefer having quite long legs.

The Evoque interior feels a class above the Tiguan, which it should at that price.

[frp0092]

Fellla over the road from me must work for Land Rover as he always has one of their cars on the drive......as I left early this morning noticed he had a grey metalllic 61 plate 3-door Evoque on the drive.

Hoping he has it over the weekend too, as I think it's time I went over and introduced myself!!!

Simon