Is baby Land Rover’s ‘reductive’ interior redesign a help or a hindrance?
ILLYA VERPRAET
TESTED 22.11.23, HERTFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW
Oh, poor little darling, what have they done to you? Despite the Mk2 Range Rover Evoque having been on sale since 2018, it didn’t desperately need a facelift. That’s up for debate, but it definitely didn’t need the one it has received.
On the outside, not much has changed. The redesigned matrix LED headlights now integrate the indicators. It’s inside where it’s new and very much not improved.
Land Rover says that the “reductive new centre console design ensures a serene cabin, crafted from the finest materials, with more usable interior space”. What has actually happened is that the rotary knobs and separate touchscreen for the climate control, Terrain Response, plug-in hybrid drivetrain modes, and phone and media shortcuts have been replaced with a slab of cheap plastic and a lid for the storage bin behind.
It’s almost funny how cack-handed the redesign is. The gear selector sits on a big expanse of satin silver plastic that could have hosted some more storage trays but doesn’t and the plastic of the cupholders feels slightly flimsy.
JLR’s infotainment system is generally a very agreeable one but less so now that it has a ton more work to do. The way the new functions have been integrated seems like an afterthought. The new menus are ugly and clunky, the buttons are too small (because the interface wasn’t meant to host that many) and the screen’s responses seem more sluggish than before.
There’s more cheapening to be spotted around the cabin. Our test car had a trim rattle, the sunroof has a big slab of flimsy plastic and the leather-free Kvadrat option has been noticeably downgraded. It was a lovely cloth; now it’s part cloth, part synthetic leather, and not of the convincing sort. It’s the eerily soft stuff you find in a BYD, and it has the same chemical smell.
Other news? In preparation for July 2024, when even existing models must be fitted with a speed-limit warning, the Evoque now comes with an unhelpful chime. To JLR’s credit, you can set up a custom configuration of the driver assistance features and easily dial that up with a button on the steering wheel.
Otherwise, the Evoque is as before, which means it still looks very sharp and carries off its baby Range Rover vibe with style. You get a very raised driving position for a car of this size, with high-quality, widely adjustable seats. Noise refinement is
