Of course, we don’t mean this in a literal sense; besides the fact that both these cars have four wheels and an engine, they share little else.
Unless you know, if the Evoque turns out to be a Transformer. Because it does look like something Michael Bay would use in a movie, doesn’t it? Especially a movie taking place in the future. But let’s go back to the present for a moment and think about this new-ish compact but trendy premium SUV segment. Many car manufacturers are trying to get their foot through the door with small but fashionable SUVs, that offer premium quality.
Size wise, we really can’t look at anything larger than an Audi Q5 or a Mercedes-Benz GLK. But these two aren’t exactly fashionable. Or at least, not anymore – and we’re pretty sure they never were. No, starring in a Sex and the City movie doesn’t make you cool, sorry GLK!
What we do need to look at is something like a BMW X4 which is as fashionable as they come. And when I say fashionable I don’t mean “in fashion” necessarily, but something more like, extremely impractical. You buy impractical things because you want them, not because you need them. If you were to follow your head, you’d go for something like an X3 instead of an X4.
So is the BMW X4 the best choice in this, lets say, imaginary segment? It’s more of an image thing. But if you paid any attention to the title of this article, you pretty much know the answer to that question. Hell no!
If you’re talking about a trendy compact premium SUV, the conversation starts and ends with the gorgeous Range Rover Evoque. What the Evoque is doing in its segment, is similar to what the MINI has done over the years, never really giving in to any of its rivals. I mean, look at cars such as the Renault Clio RS, the Abarth 500, the Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio, the Audi A1 TFSI, Fiesta ST, SEAT Ibiza Cupra, Opel Corsa OPC or Suzuki Swift Sport. Let it sink in that none of them would be here if it wasn’t for the MINI Cooper S, the car that basically made it cool for you to own a very small hot hatch.
The BMW X4 is a cool car, so is the Porsche Macan, but they’re a little bit late to the party and despite the fact that they both look great, it doesn’t even register compared to the shapes and angles of a RR Evoque.
If we could all draw really well when we were kids and suddenly felt like drawing some type of futuristic SUV, we would have drawn the Range Rover Evoque. The reason is simple. Because we loved our cartoons about robots and spaceships and superheroes. This is what the Evoque brings back. That robotic design. That certain “something”, which it now owns. Just like the MINI in its own segment, the Evoque will never give up its place as a pioneer for those of us who wanted a truly special looking type of compact SUV.
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