Evoque PHEV delays

[Leemcd]

Hi all, as per title, does anyone have one on order? I ordered mine at the end of January with an eta end of may approx. But i have been advised recently this could be pushed back to July / august. Anyone else?

[GrahamPM]

If I was you, wait until LR sort the Evoque Hybrid out. We had ours (my wife’s car) delivered (or should I say dumped on the drive) early November 2020
Issues so far - camshaft timing fault- car recovered repaired.
Hybrid power pack replaced
Alarm goes off when fast charging
Cruise control faults
Just got it back on Thursday this week after being in at main dealer for the last 4 1/2 weeks trying to resolve issues. Oh, and a new front wheel as their ‘test driver’ managed to mash up one of the diamond cut wheels.
So, IMHO, take the delay or change brands
Meanwhile my Cayenne Hybrid hasn’t missed a beat in 9 months of ownership!
Graham

Edited by GrahamPM on Sunday 28th March 11:34

[Leemcd]

Oh no! That’s not very confidence inspiring. May re think the entire order. When did you get yours out of interest?

[critical mass]

I ordered one on 27 Feb. Originally promised for 9 May. Date subsequently slipped to 6 June. Now come left again to 28 May.

It will be my third Evoque since 2013. Never had an issue with mine.

[psp]

I too ordered a 300E Autobiography Jan build date is 16th April, I was updated by my dealer this morning. It was a May build but was moved to April 3 -4 weeks ago now, lets hope they have practised building them enough by now!!!

[Leemcd]

critical mass said:

I ordered one on 27 Feb. Originally promised for 9 May. Date subsequently slipped to 6 June. Now come left again to 28 May.

It will be my third Evoque since 2013. Never had an issue with mine.

That’s reassuring, I haven’t had any LR car previously so very exciting.

[Leemcd]

psp said:

I too ordered a 300E Autobiography Jan build date is 16th April, I was updated by my dealer this morning. It was a May build but was moved to April 3 -4 weeks ago now, lets hope they have practised building them enough by now!!!

My original build was April, seems to be more like the end of may now. Current lease ends beginning of June, so hopefully all lines up.

[GrahamPM]

This is our 4th, or rather my wife’s 4th Evoque, and to be honest had high hopes as we never had an ounce of problems with them over the past 9 or so years. All the others were diesels, the early 2.2 just suffered with turbo lag sometimes at junctions - the step-on / step-off and then hesitation
We had a hybrid Mini Countryman - and this really suited my wife’s driving usage, myself already a convert with 2 previous i8’s.
Unfortunately this current Evoque P300 HSE R-Dynamic though looking fantastic is proving a pile of the preverbial.
The dealership is floundering !
Rubbish - I have twice weekly contact from the Land Rover experience team, apologising for the length of time it’s taking.

[Mikehig]

I have just scan-read a review of LR's upgraded PHEV version of the Disco Sport. Apparently it has the same underpinnings as the Evoque, being powered by a 1.5 litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels with an electric motor driving the rears.

So does that mean it only has 4-wheel drive when there is charge in the battery to drive the rear axle?

If so, that could get tricky. Say you've been driving fast for far enough to leave the battery at or close to minimum and then face some uphill driving in slippery conditions. Traction could be a serious problem.
A family trip to, say, an Alpine ski resort could become a real challenge. The car would be heavily-loaded and the climbs up to resorts are typically long, steep and with no downhill sections to charge the battery. That dinky engine would be screaming its nuts off, dragging 2.5+ tons up the mountain. And 2-wheel drive in snow could make things very interesting.

Perhaps, if 4WD is needed, the engine drives the starter-generator to provide some boost?

If not, it made me wonder how many buyers are aware that, despite the badge, the car does not have permanent 4-wheel drive?

[Boxbrownie]

I am sure I read this query before and the answer was LR made sure there would be four wheel drive available when needed, the rear motor being powered even when the traction battery is low/depleted.

I assume it is as you say from the generator on the engine?

It would be VERY embarrassing if a LR with 4X4 capabilities could revert to 2WD when you really needed 4WD.

[Boxbrownie]

Mikehig said:

If not, it made me wonder how many buyers are aware that, despite the badge, the car does not have permanent 4-wheel drive?

There are countless 4X4 capable vehicles than run around in 2WD the majority of the time, even LR model the Evoque replaced, the Freelander 2 had only 2WD (FWD) most of the time.

[mat205125]

Boxbrownie said:

Mikehig said:

If not, it made me wonder how many buyers are aware that, despite the badge, the car does not have permanent 4-wheel drive?

There are countless 4X4 capable vehicles than run around in 2WD the majority of the time, even LR model the Evoque replaced, the Freelander 2 had only 2WD (FWD) most of the time.

The way its described above suggests that there is no physical connection between the engine and the rear axle. Electric only for the rear wheel drive

Is this correct?

[Mikehig]

mat205125 said:

Boxbrownie said:

Mikehig said:

If not, it made me wonder how many buyers are aware that, despite the badge, the car does not have permanent 4-wheel drive?

There are countless 4X4 capable vehicles than run around in 2WD the majority of the time, even LR model the Evoque replaced, the Freelander 2 had only 2WD (FWD) most of the time.

The way its described above suggests that there is no physical connection between the engine and the rear axle. Electric only for the rear wheel drive

Is this correct?

Agreed there are lots of part-time and faux 4x4s but that wasn't my point. It was whether buyers are aware that they may not have 4WD when they need it most (if that is actually the case).

It could be, as someone said, that the engine diverts power to the rear wheels via the battery, if needed. That seems unlikely as it would need a starter/generator of considerable output. Also the article (in Autocar) talked to going on a run to check the real fuel economy "with the battery on fumes" which implies that it does indeed run down almost completely.

As for any physical linkage, the article linked to an earlier piece on the Evoque PHEV which commented how the use of an electric motor cleared space under the car for the battery and fuel tank.

Here's the article; maybe I misread it?:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/land-rover/di...

[mat205125]

Mikehig said:

Agreed there are lots of part-time and faux 4x4s but that wasn't my point. It was whether buyers are aware that they may not have 4WD when they need it most (if that is actually the case).

..... or when they need it most, itll be just the power from the iCE only, with a proportion sacrificing to directly power and drive the electric axle.

[Mikehig]

mat205125 said:

Mikehig said:

Agreed there are lots of part-time and faux 4x4s but that wasn't my point. It was whether buyers are aware that they may not have 4WD when they need it most (if that is actually the case).

..... or when they need it most, itll be just the power from the iCE only, with a proportion sacrificing to directly power and drive the electric axle.

Could be....although it would need a gutsy generator to provide any significant power. That seems unlikely as they make the point that the transmission package is smaller and lighter than the previous version.

Anyhow, if people do start to find issues, it will be news so we'll hear about it.
Alternatively, maybe someone who is/will be an owner could shed some light?

[Boxbrownie]

mat205125 said:

The way its described above suggests that there is no physical connection between the engine and the rear axle. Electric only for the rear wheel drive

Is this correct?

Yes, I believe that is correct, as I mentioned above the rear axle is electrically driven only, but I had heard that LR didn’t want to,get caught out in exactly the scenario you describe and have made provision that even with a flat battery there will be power available to run the rear axle, let’s face it if your in a muddy field you don’t want tins of power just gentle continuous until free of the problem

I have not been able to confirm this either way as yet as I have not been in touch with people I know who would know definitively.

[raspy]

Boxbrownie said:

I am sure I read this query before and the answer was LR made sure there would be four wheel drive available when needed, the rear motor being powered even when the traction battery is low/depleted.

I assume it is as you say from the generator on the engine?

It would be VERY embarrassing if a LR with 4X4 capabilities could revert to 2WD when you really needed 4WD.

Land Rover's engineering bloke, Chris Carey clarifies the matter (the difference between the Evoque/Discovery PHEVs and the RR PHEVs is that the RR PHEVs can go off road in EV mode, whereas the Evoque/Discovery can't go off road in EV mode and need the engine to be on)

"Powering the rear axle is a new-to-JLR, 108bhp GKN electric drive unit capable of regenerative charging, powerful and accurate low-speed drive and control (handy for off-roading) and an electric-only V-max of 84mph. The permanent-magnet motor is housed, together with its inverter and single-speed reduction gearset, in a tough little casing (and NVH jacket) that doesn’t compromise the multi-link rear suspension.

While the rear axle can only be driven electrically, don’t think that compromises either car’s off-road performance.

‘Even at a state of zero of charge we’re always a four-wheel drive car; never two-wheel drive,’ explains engineer Carey. ‘There’s always a minimum state of charge in the battery, and when you engage off-road mode the powertrain puts more charge into the battery.

The target was to match the off-road ability of the non-PHEV cars. We’ve surpassed that.’"

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/hybrid/land-rover/

[Mikehig]

raspy: thanks for that clarification.
So the power available to the rear wheels is limited to the output of the integrated generator, once the battery is drained. However that is likely to be a rare occurrence for most owners; my Alpine scenario is a bit extreme.
Out of curiosity I might try and find out what that output is - if we get more of this winter weather and I'm really bored!

[Boxbrownie]

Thanks for confirming my memory.....I was getting worried

[Leemcd]

Just to update the thread!

My car was delayed until the end of July, now it’s delayed until September!!
Ordered the thing in January. But after the horror stories about the model this may be my time to cancel.

Unrelated matter....anyone tried an x3 phev?? 🤔