If you're opting to buy a BMW X3 or a Range Rover Evoque, chances are you're going to choose for one of these two.
Maybe in a different color. That's because these are the new plug-in hybrid-versions of aforementioned cars.
They're only a tad more expensive than the regular petrol-versions, but they do have a lot more power and the possibility of a very...
good fuel economy, because they can be plugged in. On paper, that sounds like a very good deal, so today we're going to find out if...
it's the case in the real world as well.
If you're talking about the entry level Evoque, you're talking about the P160. That's a new version powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder...
producing 160 horsepower. That's connected to an automatic gearbox which sends all of the power to the front wheels.
Compared with the P160, this P300e is around €1.700 more expensive if you choose the same trim level. For that money, you get the same...
1.5-litre 3-cylinder, but in here it produces 200 horsepower instead of 160. Also, you get an additional electric motor on the rear axle,
which means you've got four-wheel drive. The electric motor produces 109 horsepower, so the total power output is 309 horsepower.
And I have to say, it all works together very nicely. The drivetrain doesn't feel shaky or shocky or anything.
It's just incredibly smooth. And you might think that's logical, because it costs a lot of money. And you should be right for this amount...
of money, but it's not always as certain. Other plug-in hybrids won't do as good of a job as this Range Rover.
It never feels out of breath, and that's quite remarkable for a small engine like this. They've really done a good job with that.
It can feel a little underpowered when you're only driving on electricity, 109 horsepower isn't a lot for such a heavy car.
So if you're joining the motorway, you need to anticipate very well. However, when you get up to speed, you should be able to...
do 55 km on a single charge according to Land Rover. That's because of a 15 kWh-battery pack, which means it's...
slightly above average for a plug-in hybrid. That's neatly tucked away underneath the rear seat.
In the real world, with winter-temperatures like this, you'll get around 40 km from a single charge. Not groundbreaking, but very decent.
It's quite remarkable that you're still able to travel such distances on a single charge, because this Evoque is incredibly heavy.
A regular Evoque isn't particularly light, but this electric version is around 350 kg heavier, which brings the total up to 2.150 kg.
And that's a lot. You do get a 50%-reduction on the road taxes, but that won't last forever either. More weight always means more costs.
And I'm not going to say you barely notice the extra weight, because you really do feel every kg. However, I'm not going to say that's a...
bad thing either. The Evoque already is a comfortable car, this electric version won't change that, and all of that extra weight make this...
Evoque feel bigger and mightier than you'd expect. I mean, it's the smallest Range Rover on sale after all.
It doesn't feel like the smallest though. It feels very immovable, tough. And maybe that's what you're looking for if you want a Range Rover.
Also, Range Rover has perfectly tuned the chassis to handle the additional weight. I already mentioned that the regular Evoque is very comfortable.
and this one is too. The springs are smooth, it processes imperfections with ease, but you don't want to have any sporty ambitions.
enough feedback. So if you drive this Evoque like a very comfortable travel companion and guzzle up the miles, it's a very, very good car.
What helps the immovable feeling you get from this car, is the big steering wheel, which comes from the big Range Rover.
However, if you order an Evoque now, you'll notice upon arrival that the steering wheel will be different. Just like the infotainment system.
Range Rover has installed a new infotainment system for model year 2021, called PV, and this particular car doesn't have that system yet.
So I'm not really able to tell you anything about the system, because it will all be different. What I can tell you is that the screens look very nice.
Those will remain the same. It's the Touch Pro Duo-system, with duo meaning that you get two screens. That's an optional extra,
and I really recommend it. You get this additional tilting screen up here. And just look at this as a whole. It looks great.
There's a possibility you'll leave fingerprints everywhere, but it looks so much more modern than with just one screen.
Other than that, the dashboard looks incredibly modern. And it should, because this Evoque hasn't been around for too long.
It looks nice and tidy, and the finishing is of really good quality.
An Evoque is quite a strange inbetween-model if you'd compare it with a BMW. It's bigger than an X2 but it's smaller than an X3.
Usually, that shows in the boot. This Evoque has 472 litres of luggage space whilst a regular X3 has 550 litres of luggage space.
However, in this case, it's the other way around. Because the BMW has hidden the battery pack underneath the boot floor, it loses 100 litres...
in the boot. That means the Evoque wins it with 472 litres against the 450 litres of the X3.
Also, in the Evoque, you can hide your charging cables underneath the floor. That won't be possible in the X3.
In the back of the Evoque, I'm still alright with my 1.84 m., but I wouldn't advise getting back here if you're taller than that.
Especially when it comes to headroom. The seating is much better in the X3, because there's more space. Also, you can adjust the back rest...
of the rear seat, so you can slump a little.
In the case of the BMW X3, the claim I made in my opening statement doesn't really make sense. There's still the iX3, the fully-electric version,
which will prove to be an even better deal for a lot of Dutch people. But if we compare the plug-in hybrid version with the X3's...
with a combustion engine, this 30e will emerge victorious. It's only €537 more expensive than the entry level xDrive20i,
and it also has the same engine as the base-level petrol-version. In this case, that's a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder producing 184 horsepower.
It's supported by an electric motor, which produces 109 horsepower. That brings the total to 292 horsepower.
The way it's set up however, is totally different. The Evoque is a front-wheel drive car to begin with, which becomes four-wheel drive because of the...
electric motor, but this is a BMW. It has a longitudinally mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. However, most of the BMW's with xDrive have...
four-wheel drive, and this X3 is no exception. You've got regular four-wheel drive, but the electric motor is incorporated in the gearbox.
That means it has four-wheel drive when you're just driving on electricity or if you're using both of the power sources.
I'm not sure if it's better, but it's quite an unconventional setup.
In the real world, it's much more important that all of the components work together smoothly.
It feels just as quick as the Evoque, and it is if we look at the numbers. I do have to say that it feels easier to go fast...
in the Evoque. And I find it hard to really pinpoint a reason, because the X3 isn't holding back or anything, but the Evoque...
seems to be more eager to react to the throttle. It speeds up a tad easier, or so it feels.
A more important difference is that the BMW won't get as far as the Evoque on a single charge. According to the WLTP-cycle,
it can do 46 km on a single charge. With temperatures like this, it'll only reach around 30 kilometres. That's below par for a plug-in hybrid nowadays.
Driving is something the X3 does very well though. It feels nimbler than the Evoque, and it's actually lighter as well. We're talking about around...
200 kg. It's more agile as well, so you're able to throw it around a bit more. Despite that, it's not as sporty as you'd think from a BMW.
This is an M-Sport-version, so it has a tightened sports chassis. Despite that however, it's not too hard. It's very forgiving.
The steering is quite senseless really, and we're not used to that from a BMW. You don't really know what's going on with the front wheels.
You can put it in Sport-mode, which helps a little, but it's clear that BMW is aiming at comfort with this car.
The interior in an X3 looks good, but I would understand if you'd say that the interior in the Evoque is tidier.
That's partly because of the piano-lacque they've applied in here, but it's also because of the amount of buttons BMW has used.
That does come with an advantage however. When it comes to ergonomics, this is the best interior available today.
You can always find what you're looking for within a few seconds. That goes for the buttons on the centre console, the steering wheel,
the instrument cluster. It doesn't overflow the screen with information, but it nicely divides it all. It even goes for the head-up display or...
the i-Drive-system, which can be operated through the touchscreen and the turning knob on the centre tunnel.
That way, your hand can rest on the armrest. That means you've got a car that's never annoying to use, which is very rare these days.
It all works very well. Also, I do have to say that this car feels more luxuriously equipped than the Evoque, but that's because of the price.
The base prices are around the same, with the BMW being around €2.000 more expensive. Prices start at around €60.000,
but if you start dressing it up the X3 will skyrocket in price. This particular X3 costs €90.000, whilst the Evoque 'only' costs €75.000.
So that the X3 looks more luxurious, that's not very strange. However, if we dress them up the same way, the X3 will still be around €10.000 more...
expensive. Does that mean the Evoque automatically wins? Absolutely not. We still have to tally up the points, but I can say that the Evoque...
is the better plug-in hybrid of the two.