Millennial Mom’s Review: 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

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It’s fairly common knowledge that Goldilocks and the Three Bears isn’t a story about a mom and her three cubs. In fact, before it was the more well-known version of a young girl entering the house of a mama, papa, and baby bear, the original was about a rude, older woman who invaded the home of three “bachelor” bears. The parts about the porridge, chairs, and beds remained mostly unchanged, though. 

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Well, think of me as the frustrated, old-ish Millennial mom who is constantly helicopter-parenting her three young cubs kids. And think of the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque as the house, with its porridge, chairs, and beds — but in this case, it’s the fuel, seats, and cargo, plus some infotainment and safety features. (Hey, it’s a modern vehicle, not a fable from the 1800s.)

The Evoque is far from perfect, but if you’re Goldilocks and looking for something very specific, it’s got some potential to be just right. Feel free to go get your bowl of porridge before you continue.

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Not too hot, not too cold

Whether you’re in the market for a luxury or non-luxury SUV, the Evoque fits somewhere in between — when it comes to pricing. It isn’t quite as expensive as the bigger Range Rovers, but it’s not as budget-friendly as the non-luxury brands (duh). However, some might call this $56,400 Bronze Collection trim just right, at least until you realize that’s the base price and all the added features run up this tested vehicle to a total cost of $68,280 (including the $1,800 destination fee). It probably sounds a little less than just right after that — oh wait, that’s just the sound of the tiny rumble you feel every now and again when you press the brakes. 

The $10,080 in added packages and features in this vehicle aren’t all necessary, but there are a few that will help if you’re aiming for something that’s not too hot and not too cold but something that is — you guessed it — just right. For example, there’s the $550 Cold Climate package that includes a heated windscreen — great for Canadian winters. There’s also the heated and ventilated front seats, plus heated rear seats for an extra $800. 

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Personally, I could live without the $1,000 Technology package, but if you want the head-up display, then you’ll need this package. I could also do without the $1,650 Dynamic Handling package, but those red brake calipers and satin chrome gear shifters do look nice. Other unnecessary (and pricey) features – the removal of which could bring this tested vehicle closer to its base price – are upgrades to Meridian sound, extended leather, and premium cabin lighting. 

It’s got a combined fuel consumption of 10.5 L/100 km, but it doesn’t require premium fuel like the other Range Rovers — sounds just right to me. 

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Not too big, not too small

Oftentimes, I’m loading up the car with all three kids. In the week with the Evoque, I had a vacation day booked to chauffeur my eldest daughter around for a full day of appointments, just the two of us. Since it was early in the week, I hadn’t transferred all the car seats over. 

She climbed into the SUV — not too high and not too low for her, but actually just right — and sat comfortably in her booster seat. From the driver’s seat, I turned around to make sure she was safely secured and noticed what seemed like an almost empty and oddly spacious SUV, despite it being the smallest Range Rover. 

It’s a great option for small families, or maybe even a good option as a second car for a bigger family. 

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That said, I did eventually have to fit my family of five (and three car seats) into the vehicle, and came across a few issues. For starters, fitting three kids into the back was a tight squeeze. In addition, it’s not big enough for my 5’11″ husband. His head didn’t quite hit the roof if he was sitting still, but if he moved around to get comfortable, which he did, his head hit the roof. It wasn’t much better in the front passenger seat for him; his long legs didn’t look too comfortable, especially since he couldn’t push the seat all the way back since there was a kid behind him. 

I, on the other hand, was very comfy throughout the week and had no issues regarding legroom or headroom. In other words, the Evoque is not too big, not too small, but just right for me. 

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As for cargo space, it’s adequate. It’s not big enough to fit my usual essentials, like a big stroller along with a Costco-sized trip, but being the smaller of the Rangers, it’s likely not meant to do that. At the very least, its 612 litres of cargo space is more practical than the minimal space in many larger three-row SUVs.

Not too hard, not too soft easy

I’ve found JLR’s infotainment setup to be a bit awkward at first, but once you play around with it for a few days, it generally becomes a bit easier to use. At the very least, you get accustomed to using the things you use most often. So, yes, some things might still be a bit difficult to use and learn, but most things become more intuitive with time, making the overall use — dare I say it? — just right.

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The infotainment screen can be set flush into the dash, but it can also be tilted forward a bit for a better view and angle. I’m not sure why it would ever need to be down; it looks silly.

The screen below houses all the climate settings and the Evoque has those weird knobs that will definitely take time to learn — turning it allows for temperature change, while pushing the entire dial in gives you the option of heated or ventilated seating. Or you could just tap the screen to quickly change your climate setting — this is probably the one system in which I like the touch screen options better than the buttons.

The moral of the story

You can find a vehicle that is just right for you. It may not be this one, but the right one is out there, waiting to be broken into found by its Goldilocks.

For me, the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque gave me the slightest of a glimpse into a life where I no longer have to chauffeur my kids around. Though, realistically, I have many, many years before I get to that stage of life. But if you’re looking for a small luxury SUV that has a relatively low-ish price tag, comfortable seats if you’re the right height, and can possibly fit a kid or two, then this might be just right you.