Porsche Macan vs Range Rover Evoque: world's best small SUVs head-to-head

25 February 2014
Feature

Porsche purists might not like it, but the Porsche Macan has already proved to be a smash hit. More than 50,000 have been sold already, which means there's a year-long waiting list. In the hysteria around the new model, it's easy to feel sorry for the Range Rover Evoque.

But when it comes to performance, ride and handling, even in the 46mpg S Diesel, the Macan is all over the Evoque. Steve Sutcliffe puts them both to the test.

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Comments
29

Norma Smellons

25 February 2014
"A similar kind of weight to lug about..." Really? The Macan weighs about 200kg more. A straight four is less powerful, noisier, slower etc than a V6? Now, there's a shock. These cars are not comparable - the Macan's price will mushroom further beyond the Evoque once it crosses the Channel.

pauld101

25 February 2014
Really, Norma, of course any 4-year old four-cylinder 2.2L should easily compare with an all-new generation 3.0L six cylinder car, both for performance and refinement. Zat ist completely obvious.

Cobnapint

25 February 2014
...Sutcliffe prefers a Porsche to a Rangie. And quite rightly so, too. What a superb piece of kit, surely they are going to have to increase production. And I know you didn't go up any muddy slopes for the reasons stated, but it would have been interesting, just for conversation in the pub value.

Nobby Hightinkle

25 February 2014
Never thought that I could call a Porsche good value but that day has come. the RR has always been "made to a price" and now it has been found out.

TBC

25 February 2014
One can't help but wonder how long LR will adhere to it's traditional values of creating go-anywhere vehicles, and succumb to the 'performance first' doctrine of it's German rivals?

A34

25 February 2014
Not sure why all the "its not fair the Porsche is bigger etc" comments - both are lifestyle SUVs and they sure overlap in price (more so once the 4-cyl TDi Macan arrives). Time for a price drop, JLR?

Ektor

25 February 2014
There's no doubt that the Macan is dynamically superior to the Evoque as-tested here, but I don't really see them as direct rivals, at least not in this configuration. Firstly because I'm pretty sure that with similar equipment levels that Macan will be much more expensive. Porsche manages such handsome net margins on their vehicles by equipping them pretty basic and then charging an arm and a leg for even the most basic option.
The second part is that the Macan will eventually offer a four cylinder diesel, which in turn will be the real equivalent to this 4-pot Evoque. The Diesel S is the high-performance diesel version, positioned above where any Evoque sits right now (the Macan is in fact a larger vehicle, hence the interior room advantage).
Lastly, if dynamic competence is what was being evaluated, let's not forget that RR has just launched the Dynamic version of the Evoque with significant performance, handling and braking enhancements.

Put simply, there needs to be a more serious like-for-like evaluation between the two before making such a strong statement. First impression? Sure. Final verdict? Not yet

Outoftowner1969

25 February 2014
Nah, I think RR will stick to the go anywhere ethos thing. Out and out performance is where the Jag is going to come in. The Porsche has got in there and opened up that niche with 50,000 first year sales, ready for the Jag to join it. I suspect the Macan may steal more sales from the bigger Cayenne, or BMW's X5 than the RR.

scotty5

25 February 2014
For once, a good old-fashion real world comparison to see which car comes out top rather than the usual garbage of speeding around a circuit or driving thru the lake district at ludicrous speed. Enjoyed that, nice one Mr Sutcliffe. Going back to the new Ford Focus review and everyone complaining about the plethora of buttons (me included) on the current model... I wonder how many people complain about the Porsche? Who designed that centre console, Airbus?

BertoniBertone

25 February 2014
I'm pro-British and see JLR as a beacon of positive british engineering floating around in a sea of under-funding in capital investment by our native banks for a generation.....

But.......it's high time that JLR got a very rude awakening in their pricing policy for the Evoque. Whilst I still baulk at paying £ 40k + for even a state-of-the-art BMW 4-cylinder diesel in a 5-series (with the usual necessary options) if JLR think they can rinse me for £ 45K for an Evoque with a lo-tech oil burner from Ford then they can whistle for it.

I suspect that there are a lot of user-choosers out there buying Evoques for various reasons that need not detain us here. Full marks to Gerry McGovern's styling but frankly the Macan now shines a very clear light on what is a fantastically 'styled' piece of vin-ordinaire engineering.

Without the FIRE engine in the Evoque and some rebalancing of the price-sheet Evoque will become yet another example of a great British engineering idea traduced by average quality and complacent belief in ho-hum engineering.

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