The compact luxury segment of the auto industry is one of the hottest of all of them. It features popular vehicles like the Lexus NX, the Audi A3, the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Acura RDX, and the list goes on. This week I have another great entry, the 2025 Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SE, one of the larger of the compacts, and some will say the most attractive of this category.
Exterior
I find the Evoque exterior to be quite attractive and sleek with its 19” wheels, LED headlights and taillights, black trim all around that accents the Eiger Grey paint, a larger spoiler in rear (with the wiper tucked under, YEA!), the aerodynamic pop-out door handles, and a somewhat over-exaggerated roofline. It is an attention-getter to say the least.
Under the hood of this stylish SUV sits a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that is hooked to a 9-speed automatic. Together they put out 246-horses, and 269-pound feet of torque, which gives the 4-banger the feel of a six cylinder just a few years ago. All Rovers are all-wheel drive, and it is one of the best systems available, but most people will never have their Rover off the pavement.
You open the door to a luxurious interior that really gets your attention with dark and light colorings. The power heated, but not cooled, grained leather seats are inviting, the steering wheel is among the prettiest I’ve ever seen on a compact luxury SUV and it is power adjusting, and even the door panels look great with two-tone contrasting colors. All materials are soft to the touch.
When you push the start button, a High-Definition Interactive Driver Display comes to life. It is extremely configurable and there are a lot of settings you can change, including putting an entire map on the screen. Look up and you’ll see a very clear head-up display. My only complaint on it is it causes quite a large bulge in the dash that sort of looks funny to me. Still, it is worth it to have a high-quality head-up.
On the center console is a stubby gear shifter, and that is all. Nothing else. There is a phone charger behind a covered storage bin, and a USB-C port.
As you look up, you see a large 11.4” touchscreen that truly operates everything. Thankfully, Range Rover touch screens have gotten quicker and easier through the years. It used to be a real problem. You do a lot of swiping with this system, but there is a home button and a menu button on the bottom left that brings all functions up on one screen to make it easier.
It saddens me to say this is where this vehicle would lose me as a buyer, and everyone knows how much I love Rovers, Lord, I’ve owned over a dozen of them. I do not want everything to be on the screen. I want a knob for my radio volume and for tuning the radio. I want a dial to change the temperature and a push button to turn on the heated seats. To be fair, some of these things can be done from the steering wheel controls, but that isn’t enough for me. I realize many people will not have the same feelings on this I do, and that is great, because there are so many things to love about this Evoque. If there is a plus side to this, the interior look is ultra-clean and 100% uncluttered or busy.
Back seat legroom is fairly limited, but headroom is actually quite good, which I didn’t expect given the roofline and the panoramic moon roof. Rear passengers have heated seats, air vents, 2 USB-C ports, a pull-down armrest with cupholders, and a power plug. The back seat is done in a 40/20/40 configuration in case you need to carry something that is long.
Cargo area is bigger than I expected with 21.5-cubic feet of cargo area, and an actual spare tucked away underneath. If you fold the back seat down, you more than double the area to 50.5-cubic feet.
Notable standard features include a power tailgate, panoramic moon roof, rearview camera mirror, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, emergency braking, park assist, automatic headlights, power lumbar controls, heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, pushbutton start, Meridian Sound System, and adaptive cruise control.
Options include $980 for the Cold Pack which includes a heated windshield, heater windshield washer jets, heated rear seat, and power headlight washers (Texans you might want to save this grand). The Technology Pack gives you the head-up display, rear camera mirror, and the 3D surround view camera for $1,480. The Black Exterior Pack runs $750, Meridian Sound is $480, the Eiger Grey paint is $950, Wi-Fi is $350, and couple more items under $100.
Ride and Drive
The Evoque drives great, and the engine is smooth and quiet, the acceleration is outstanding, especially from a dead start. It has a switch on the touchscreen to turn off the stop/start system and turn on the auto brake hold. I am extremely pleased with the handling and steering of the Evoque, and the 8.3” of ground clearance makes this SUV easy to get in and out of, and should you venture off the pavement, you’ll be in good shape as far as clearance.
Fuel economy is good for an all-wheel drive SUV at 20 city and 27 highway, for a combined 22.
MSRP is $61,765 as my tester is equipped and that is not out of line for a luxury SUV by today’s standards. In fact, I would call this a good value compared to some of the others. Bear in mind, base price on the S is $49,900.
There is a lot to love about the 2025 Evoque, and it is extremely capable both on and off the pavement.
To view larger photos see a slideshow on CarPro.com.