Page 96 - aprilmay pick west - web version

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The new Range Rover Evoque
‘Why the new Evoque is more exciting than Formula 1’
“Formula 1 is boring!” “No it’s not!” I retorted, “ Yes it
is!” contended my racing driver friend. As my friend
happened to be a veteran professional racing driver,
I thought I’d better listen carefully to his argument
against F1 before I beat him up.
I can’t tell you his name but let’s call him ‘Has Bean’;
and his argument went something like this: At
Formula 1 level the top ten drivers on the grid are all
of about equal ability and will achieve, within a tenth
of a second, the same lap time around a race track
in identical cars. The first five laps then is just a dog
fight to see who’s got the best car. After that it’s all
over, nothing changes and the race is done. That’s
why, after watching his five laps my racing driver
friend switches off the telly and goes to bed with
his teddy bear, Ayrton. He says – “It’s all about the
manufacturers not the car.
As an avid supporter of F1 I went to bed early that
night to get up at six on Sunday! morning to watch the
Australian grand prix. I was up and in front of the telly
by 6 am sharp, but I fell asleep after about five laps
and woke up long after the race finished. Rosberg
was leading at the end of five laps and won. Clearly, I
was bored.
Evoque….d
It’s at times like this when I thank God for the Range
Rover Evoque. It is just so ‘not boring’. If anything it’s a
design wake up call to humdrum competition, whilst
remaining a truly practical vehicle with style, panache
and presence; the proof in the pudding it being a
massive success for the Jaguar Land Rover Group.
The Evoque, has clearly struck a much needed chord
with car buyers fed up with having to live ‘a life of
every day transport. Showcased at Geneva in 2011,
many of us were pleasantly surprised to see the
likeness in the final product. Introduced in three and
five door versions, and with two and four wheel drive
it immediately appealed to buyers wanting something
relatively affordable, practical and cost efficient