I have a Range Rover (evoque) for the next week. AMA

"Deputy Kovacs" (grandbudapest)
04/16/2015 at 20:29 • Filed to: None

I think it has the 9 speed, and I already don't like it. First ZF I've used that I don't like. Other than that, ask away. I have a corporate finance test I need to procrastinate for.

DISCUSSION (17)

Sam > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:33

Do you feel like you're driving a Focus ST? Because it has the same engine, surprisingly enough.

jkm7680 > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:33

How little can you see out the back window?

PS9 > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:35

Are you going to do terrible off roading tests with it like 'everyman' does?

Rainbow > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:35

Are you sure it's not an Explorer?

MegaSuper > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:36

1) Does it feel sporty in any way, shape, or form? Some reviews I've read say it handles like a hatchback; would you agree?

2) How is the visibility? In pictures it looks like a military pillbox on wheels ;_;

3) How is the satnav/gadgetry? I've heard some complaints that the units that JRL uses are rather out-of-date/slow to respond.

MLGCarGuy > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:40

When you accelerate to pass someone, is there a delay due to the transmission needing to shift down a couple gears?

Deputy Kovacs > Sam
04/16/2015 at 20:42

What?!?!

I'm beyond surprised. The engine has very little linearity to it, which I miss from the 5.0 in the RR Sport that's being serviced. It actually handles pretty well, but I drive the sport 9 months out of the year and either an E63 wagon or 911 Targa in the warm months, so it's hard to find that in between. In summary, it's not bad.

Deputy Kovacs > jkm7680
04/16/2015 at 20:43

I've hit 10-20 children while backing out in the 12 hours I've had it.

Deputy Kovacs > Rainbow
04/16/2015 at 20:44

It's definitely not like a Range Rover. Not very solid feeling, kind of flimsy, four cylinder detracts from the bougie-ness of the brand.

Deputy Kovacs > PS9
04/16/2015 at 20:44

Dealer car. I wish. It would reflect my feelings toward it.

jkm7680 > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:45

That's a good statistic.

Deputy Kovacs > MegaSuper
04/16/2015 at 20:49

1) It's honestly not too terrible in the handling department. Regularly I drive either a RR sport year round and a 911 targa or an E63 AMG wagon in the summer (parents cars), so I usually go from driving a barge to some really high performance cars. At the moment, this car feels like a good medium. It certainly has low limits, and the transmission holds it back quite a bit, but it isn't awful.

2) I hate the visibility. It's awful.

3) The nav unit is the same across the range and it pretty much sucks. Slow to respond, weak Bluetooth connection, archaic nav tech, no toys.

Deputy Kovacs > MLGCarGuy
04/16/2015 at 20:52

There's certainly a delay but more than anything there is a delay from the turbo spooling up. I've driven plenty of new turbo cars and this is horrid in comparison.

MegaSuper > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:53

Thanks for replying!

Could you tell me more about the E63 Wagon? :D

What is that like in terms of

A) Reliability

B) REAL-WORLD fuel consumption

C) Is it fun to drive?

D) It's a performance vehicle for sure, so is it so low to the ground that it makes daily driving difficult? Have you ever scraped on a driveway, parking lot entrance, anything like that?

E) It's a fairly long vehicle, right? I've never driven a wagon; does the length pose any problems for say, driving through narrow streets or alleys in a city or something?

Thanks! So rare to encounter an owner of one!

Deputy Kovacs > jkm7680
04/16/2015 at 20:53

Let's keep it our little secret, though.

jkm7680 > Deputy Kovacs
04/16/2015 at 20:56

Got it boss.

Deputy Kovacs > MegaSuper
04/16/2015 at 21:06

Of course!

A) No problems so far. It's the 2014 E63 AMG 4-Matic S Model (yep, long), so it's less than two years old.

B) It's bad, but what were you expecting? It's a twin turbo V8.

C) It's unbelievably fun to drive. It's a bit heavy, but the initial turn in is really quick followed by some push, but the motor is the real fun. It's just hyper speed fast to me at this point. You peg it on an onramp in Comfort and realize it's not even shifting at redline, but you're still doing 120+. It's purely intoxicating. I love putting it in manual 7th gear, slowing down to ~50, then mashing it and feeling the torque kick you in the ass and the deep grumble softly massaging it.

D) No issues scraping at angles since I slow down quite a bit, but the nose is low and hard to determine where it is while parking, so I've inevitably scraped under it a few times.

E) The car is a lot bigger than you'd think (own a 2005 E500 wagon and it's not nearly as big), so skipping around town you just have to be weary of where the back end is.