Was held in Moscow, Russian presentation of the Range Rover Evoque. The car, which would be perceived by many as the modernization of the Land Rover Freelander, turned out to be quite extraordinary. But will he its regular buyers in Russia? To understand helped introductory test drive.
Modernize is a trend that should be remembered not only in relation to politics. After a relatively quiet decade, the voices of those who want change were awakenled around the world. The automakers were no exception. And this is the birth of a Range Rover Evoque, a model that is designed to win a new audience among the lovers of style and luxury, tired of standards and stereotypes. However, it is often so: what is popular around the world and in Russia does not find an appropriate response. But this, however, did not stop the Land Rover company in the withdrawal of the Range Rover Evoque to the Russian market. The first, as always, was tried by a car of journalists. The venue of the presentation is largely symbolic. Park Gorky, once one of the favorite and most beautiful places of rest of Muscovites, in the nineties turned into an expensive fair with used European attractions, Chinese souvenirs and poor-quality food. But quite recently the park survived the second birth and became almost the only place in the city that truly resembling Europe. Of course, the Evoque felt himself on his plate. By the way, here he is, and more precisely, they brought about 60 cars to the presentation. The event is impressive! However, we are interested in the machine itself, not the welcome speech, so at the first opportunity I sit behind the wheel. Out of a few places where Evoque could be tested, I chose "off-road". But first, a few words about the appearance. The design of the car is attractive. And if the Range Rover is traditionally associated with a golf-field and people in polo discussing teacups from financial fields, Evoque is more of an aristocrat, prefering such a company more informal communication in a noisy bar. The materials of the interior of the compartment at the level of the seat allow you to choose the comfortable position of the landing-from the high city to quite relaxed extra-urban. The data required by the driver collects a large central display of the multimedia system. I will not list all the advantages of the new gadgets, the good for me has already been done by a colleague who tried the Range Rover Evoque in Great Britain. Just let me remind you that in Russia the machine is available in three pick-Pure, Prestige, and Dynamic. The car is capable of overcoming the depth of the three-door length of the three-door version to conquers various obstacles, among which are ramps for diagonal drying, rollers, rise up to 30 degrees, dry ice and even ford. It is worth to say that the track is rather narrow and the car is wide-by mirrors 125 mm. The cameras located not only in the rear and in the front, but also in the car mirrors in the city fuel, will be useful. With all the obstacles the car can handle, in particularly difficult situations, the help of the instructor comes to the rescue. On dry ice, almost everything is taken out, and I am no exception. In "rollers" you have to press "gas" more than you expect. The conclusion is that the temperate Range Rover Evoque is not afraid, but it is clearly not the main part of it, though the passage of the Fords-and the "Englishman" is capable of overcoming water obstacles of 500 mm deep! And ahead of the main test is the streets of Moscow. I got the three-door again. After some 100 meters on the sign of "The road", I understand that the "Imijet exam has passed!"-I am missing the Lexus, and the driver is being openly watched on Evoque. The picture then looked similar to the one in the car park and in the budget Daewoo Nexia and Renault Logan and the 5-series luxury BMW. There was even one character on the Porsche Cayenne, who started yelling at speed and asking to stop to get a better look at the Range Rover Evoque. What about the driving characteristics?The five-door version is no worse than the three-door frame under the hood of the car, the 2.2-liter diesel engine SD4 with a capacity of 190 l. There's enough power in town and on the road. However, it seemed to me that a six-speed transmission could respond quickly to a gas pedal. The most impatient for the rescue comes are friends of the world. For those who do not aspire to riders, there is a less powerful diesel TD4, issuing 150 litres. and those who are used to gasoline will have to have a 2.0-liter petrol Si4 with a power of 240 horseback. At the speed of the saloon, the creators worked hard to the glory. But the suspension gave a mixed impression: on the one hand, Range Rover Evoque, and is well kept by the road-there is little difference between a car and a car. On the other hand, the road signs of suspension have to be paid. And if there's a lot of "lace police officers" crossover the light, the bigger car is shaking, in my opinion, not by status. The main audience of the Range Rover Evoque is the townspeople who do not know the serious thoughtlessly. In addition, the people are secured: the cheapest car, five-door in Pure Pure, will cost 1 600 000 rubles, while the most expensive version is a three-door crossover in Prestige-2,300,000 roubles. It's nice to feel like a wealthy gentleman in a tweed jacket, but the time of the Range Rover Evoque is coming to an end. Originally, Evoque was seen as a modernized Freelander 2 in a more expensive suit. In fact, everything was not so or not quite so: the appearance of a new, stylish, but also a car completely different. Well, how much will it be for the Russians, they will show the sales and how they will vote for him in the All-Russian contest "Grand Prix". Under a raised floor, a Buataag is enough to transport a small set of standard things, but do not expect too many cars to travel at a depth of 500 ,mm.