Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SD4 Prestige 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The four cylinder engine delivers a healthy power output of 190 bhp at 3500 rpm with torque figures of 309 lb-ft at 1750 rpm. This helps to give the car a decent top speed of 122 mph whilst acceleration speeds are also impressive with the car taking 10.0 seconds to travel from 0-62 mph.

In terms of engine noise, both the diesel and petrol engines can be a little disruptive when worked hard. However, motorway cruising should be a fairly pleasant experience with the engine noise dulling into a low background hum. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for wind and road noise which can be far more disruptive due to the shape and size of the car.

A stylish car, the exterior design on the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque range is practically faultless. This model also comes with a good range of in-car kit and this means the interior is just as stylish as the exterior.

Standard equipment for this model includes: power steering, central locking, stability control, alloy wheels, climate control, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, cruise control, leather-seated interior, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, a built-in sat nav and an advanced stereo system with both CD and MP3 compatibility as well as a metallic paint finish on the exterior.

A highly practical car, this small 4x4 offers plenty of boot space for owners regardless of whether the rear seats are in place or not. With them upright, the total loading capacity is an impressive 575 litres, expanding to 1,445 litres when the seats are folded down.

On top of this, the elevated driving position provides good front visibility for drivers. Unfortunately, this is not matched in the rear visibility which is obscured by the shallow windscreen.

A touch-screen control panel is used to operate a number of the internal controls within the car and whilst the buttons are large the layout of the menu can be a little confusing.

In terms of space for passengers and drivers, there is a fair amount of room in the cabin although gaining access to the rear seats can be a little bit difficult.

In terms of safety, the car performed well in the NCAP crash test where it scored the top five star rating for overall safety. This is partly thanks to an advanced safety kit which is fitted as standard and includes driver, passenger and front side airbags.

Alongside this, an alarm and immobiliser is also fitted as a standard feature to protect the car from theft. The car also comes with a three year warranty on unlimited miles to help customers keep their car in the best possible condition.

Priced at £37,380 this car is still fairly reasonable for its class and this means that it is an attractive option to buyers – especially with its high performance credentials. Running costs are higher than in other models however, with relatively fuel efficiency of 49.6 mpg making refuelling more frequent whilst carbon emissions of 149 g/km push the car into a higher road tax band (F).

Priced at £1,750 more than the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque eD4 Prestige, the SD4 offers less efficiency but better performance and this means buyers will need to decide which quality they consider more important when making their choice.