Range Rover Evoque S Premium Pack 1.5 Review: Small Heart, Big Love

What we like:

Punchy engine, despite downsized

Sublime ride and refinement

Premium Pack is worth the $10k

Interior quality

What we dislike:

Gearbox gets a bit confused sometimes

Dismal fuel consumption

Two things stood out for me with the 2025 Evoque - one is that it is now equipped with a downsized 1.5-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, and the other is that it is front-wheel drive (FWD).

There were a couple of concerns. Could that little engine give ample power to the baby Rangie? Even though it’s the smallest Range Rover, compared to other SUVs in its class, it’s still pretty sizable with a 2.1-metre width. And a front-driven Range Rover? How is it that the maker of the most capable off-roaders in the business is selling something like that?

Thankfully, most of my doubts were unfounded. JLR products have a habit of making engines that overdeliver, and with 160 PS and 260 Nm, the Evoque didn’t feel sluggish at all, which was a pleasant surprise. Delivering 0-100 km/h in 10.3 seconds, it definitely felt faster than that. The tuning is biased towards the low-end, giving you ample torque for most situations you’d encounter on our roads. However, it is detrimental to fuel consumption. Don’t expect to get much better than 8 km/l.

The 8-speed automatic gearbox is mostly smooth, but it does get caught out sometimes when it is asked to deliver power quickly while being in the wrong gear. That said, short of driving it long distance to Malaysia, the Evoque’s 1.5-litre turbo feels very adequate.

This modest output is key to why the FWD layout also works for the Evoque. There’s hardly a situation where the Evoque would be struggling for grip. For those who are expecting this Evoque to perform like a beast off-road, it likely will not impress, but for the vast majority of Evoque buyers who will drive to work, or the kids to Kumon class, they’d not even notice it’s FWD. In fact, they’d relish the plush ride delivered by the front MacPherson struts and rear multi-link suspension, which pairs really well with the great sound insulation and relaxed steering to make the Evoque glide along the road. Land Rover has a knack for making awesome riding vehicles.

The Evoque impresses even further on the inside. It’s almost identical to the Velar we tested, which means lots of soft-touch materials and a lovely ambience. There’s nothing to suggest here that the Evoque is the more affordable car, except that it’s smaller.

Of course, more affordable doesn’t mean cheap. Like the rest of Land Rover products, there is a premium applied to the pricing of the Evoque, which is asking just under $300k including COE. But it is offset by the very tastefully optioned standard equipment of the Premium Pack, which comprises a spellbinding Meridian sound system, a digital rear-view mirror, panoramic sunroof and head-up display. For just an additional $10k, the Premium Pack is a must-have to make the Evoque feel its price bracket.

Despite the fact that the Evoque is getting on age a little now, it still feels like a strong premium offering with its ‘big car’ driving experience. There’s much to like here even though this Evoque can’t rough it out in the sticks like its siblings.

Photos by Shannon Yee and James Wong

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