The Most Stylish SUV of All

Sharp Staff September 11, 2024

Range Rover & SHARP

As Land Rover celebrated its 60^th birthday back in 2008, the iconic British brand launched a jaw-dropping concept car — dubbed the LRX, which later became the Range Rover Evoque — a vehicle that would not only reshape the company, but arguably also the luxury SUV space as well.

In fact, we’d argue the Evoque is the most stylish SUV of all time. It was, and is, an “it” car, a vehicle beloved both by celebrities (Victoria Beckham special edition anyone?) and fashionable urbanites alike.

What’s more, time hasn’t dulled the Evoque’s ground-breaking design. Quite the opposite. Through several iterations, the smallest member of the Range Rover family has consistently stayed ahead of the curve, evolving with changing customer tastes and demands.

The new 2024 Range Rover Evoque, freshly updated with a cutting-edge interior and a new design, is still – if you ask our editors – the most stylish SUV in its class.

As prof. Gerry McGovern OBE, chief creative officer of JLR, explains, its “unique personality has put its indelible mark on the automotive landscape. Its sophisticated design and timeless sense of modernity continues to strike that all important emotional chord.” Indeed, it’s a luxury object with a magnetic pull, a vehicle people simply want to own.

Going Back to the Beginning

To understand its impact, however, we have to go back to the beginning, to 2008 when the LRX concept was unveiled. It was McGovern’s first big project, his first all-new design since becoming the company’s design director. Not only that, but with the LRX concept, he was taking the company into uncharted territory. Range Rover had never offered such a compact, luxurious SUV before. The LRX/Evoque was a massive gamble for both him and the brand, but it was a gamble that paid off.

Two versions of the concept — one black, one silver, with radically different interiors — debuted at the 78^th Salon International de l’Automobile in Paris, alongside the original white LRX revealed earlier that year to widespread acclaim at the North American International Auto Show. Few concept cars have been so universally praised.

It was the right design at the right time, hitting the market just as the popularity of compact luxury SUVs was taking off. McGovern nailed it on the first try. The fact the Evoque’s design has stayed true to that original concept is proof of just how ahead of the curve it really was, and still is. The wedge-shaped design of the Evoque has been often imitated, but never bettered. This is the original, all others are pretenders.

In Paris, in 2008, McGovern explained the LRX is, “a Land Rover that would be comfortable on Bond Street or Fifth Avenue, but wouldn’t flinch at getting its wheels dirty.” That descriptions of the Evoque is just as apt today as it was 16 years ago.

Updating the Evoque for 2024

There’s nothing else that manages to combine sleek, modern, minimal and almost futuristic design with all the conveniences, luxury and go-anywhere-capability you want in an SUV.

For 2024, Range Rover has given the Evoque a few crucial upgrades to keep it at the top of the pack. Walking up to the exterior, you’ll notice a sharper new front grille and ultra-slim headlights. New exterior accent options and as well as new colours pair well with Range Rover’s signature two-tone “floating roof” design. Flush door handles add to the sleek, reductive aesthetic that has always defined the littlest Range Rover.

Inside the cabin is where drivers will find the most important upgrade for 2024: a new 11.4-inch curved glass touchscreen. The thin display looks as if it’s floating above the dashboard, freeing up extra space for a wireless charging pad and additional storage. The screen runs Range Rover’s beautiful Pivi Pro infotainment system, which has Amazon Alexa built-in. Over-the-air software updates will keep the system fresh.

Geraldine Ingham, managing director of Range Rover summed up the new model by saying, “the original compact luxury Range Rover for the city is even smarter and more sophisticated than its predecessor.” Indeed, the impossibly stylish Range Rover Evoque is now looking better and more desirable than ever.

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