THEGAYUK

Tag: SUV Car Review

The latest SUV Car Review from THEGAYUK.

  • CAR REVIEW | Range Rover Evoque Convertible

    Range Rover Evoque Convertible

    You don’t really associate Land Rover with wind-in-the-hair motoring unless you’re a farmer with a Defender 110. Sadly for the farming industry, the Defender was pulled from the production lines in 2016 and as of yet there is no serious replacement.

    For those needing an open aired Land Rover, there is always the Range Rover Evoque convertible. Admittedly it isn’t as rugged as the old defender and with prices from £53,000, you’re also not likely to throw a poorly sheep into its leather covered upholstered cabin either. In actual fact, you’ll be glad this isn’t as rugged as an old Defender. I’ve been wanting to test one of these since I saw it so come on Barbie, let’s go party!

    OK, let us be honest, no one is seriously going to buy one of these for the day to day running of a farm. If you yourself are however looking for a 4 seater SUV styled car with a missing roof then this could be the car for you. In fact, it’s not exactly got much competition. Come to think of it there isn’t much out there at all in the drop-top segment except roof chopped hatchbacks from the Germans. So the Range Rover Evoque wins. Put the roof down, let’s go home.

    Not so fast. This still has to please the buyer. Ask a group of road testers and this single car will divide a group. Call it Marmite if you will, you’ll either love it or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be any in-betweens. I am happy to say that this tester, in particular, was pleased as punch with it. I rather liked it. Actually, I liked it a lot.

    For a start, it is a full convertible. Press the button and everything overhead disappears into the boot area leaving just the windscreen in front of you. Everything else is gone. Annoyingly all the windows disappear too. I’ve never worked out why manufacturers think we all want the windows down when the roof comes off? Range Rover has thoughtfully given us a switch to override all the window buttons and make the main switch lift or raise all the windows in one go.

    On the open road with the roof down not only does it open the cabin to the elements but also your senses. I’d forgotten how you suddenly hear everything around you. It’s like driving with your hearing turned to 11. Your senses will also pick up on on the dynamic change of the vehicle when compared to its hardtop sibling. Its over two tons of weight are evident though, not without good reason. There is thankfully very little scuttle shake.

    Suddenly I noticed that the buffering over the shoulder you get from most convertibles was missing. Any car that has a roof missing often results in a cold draft coming over you from behind. On a hot day, it is quite cooling. On a day like our test day, it wouldn’t have been. It was cold and wet. In actual fact, it was VERY wet. The small wind deflector did a good job.

    Cabin controls are nicely laid out and it didn’t take long to work out where the heated seat and heated steering wheel buttons were.

    Along with the more than adequate heating and all its vents, it was easy to drive with the top down in the coldness. This was a great comfort for what happened next.

    NEXT: What happens when you drive in the rain?

  • CAR REVIEW | Dacia Duster Lauréate

    ★★★★ | Dacia Duster Lauréate

    Sometimes the annoying happens. For some time now I’d wanted to try a Duster and when l managed to get hold of one I was told that it was due for replacement in 2018 but would l still like one anyway?

    This got me thinking and with the Duster already being good value for money if you just take its list price as a guide only, I wondered if it would make even better sense to buy one as a run out model or just buy one now?

    If you are looking for an SUV type vehicle but feel you need to steer clear of Dacia’s offerings because it seems ridiculously cheap and looks a bit gawky then more fool you. In the days where cheap cars from the Eastern Bloc really were dreadful except for the price and a warranty, then I’d understand your viewpoint. What you need to do is not only take my word for it but also judge for yourself by the number of awards, praise and accolades the Duster has achieved since its UK launch in 2012.

    The advertising campaign used for the Duster is a good one too. All multitude of people from all walks of life singing “another one buys a Duster” ending with “hay, why don’t we get one too” and you should.

    What you can disregard from the previous models are the engines. The £14,990 Duster Lauréate sitting on my drive came with the 1.2 TCe 125hp engine and not once did l complain. The 205Nm of torque available from 2000rpm was enough if you didn’t mind the occasional cog swap when you wanted to overtake. The little engine was incredibly sweet. Smooth and quiet. It wasn’t what l was expecting if l am honest.

    The range starts from £9500 for the basic 2wd Access model that comes with no radio, through a 5 model range topping at a heady £18,400. We were given the midrange Lauréate model in 2wd. You can’t help but notice where the savings have come from and why these are such good value.

    It’s pretty much a 2010 Renault Clio inside. No such bad thing to be honest. It’s tried and tested and works. You also notice a massive dial to the right on the dashboard for altering the headlight angles. Something very French and I’ve not seen in a car since the 1980s. Crude, sort of, but immensely effective. And that is the key to the Duster’s success. It’s an immensely effective vehicle.

    Renault switchgear aside, the ergonomics are not. The inbuilt satnav and infotainment screen was awkwardly placed and visual information from the screen during a navigated journey would have resulted in eyes coming off the road, adjusting and then back to the road again. The talking part of the satnav works far better in practice and the commands were clear and concise. The 6-speed gearbox was a welcome standard feature if only because in 5th gear, the stick fouled against my lanky resting leg.

    That is annoying for one reason, the Duster gets into its stride quite easily and on the fast roads, it is easy to relax and let the satisfactory engine performance do the rest. Fifth is a gear that isn’t needed often except for the most arduous inclines. This then makes the cruise control easier to use.

    Load space is plentiful. In a car this cheap you wouldn’t be too picky about throwing everything at it. And good job too. I like to see the odd token of body colour here and there except in the boot where the load edge is uncovered and the inner of the tailgate painted. It wouldn’t take long for this to get scratched. It would infuriate me because l like the car and I’d want to look after it. Speaking of looking after it, it is ok in the put together department too. At this price, it isn’t outstanding but there was nothing I’d be too miffed about. It’s another thing the Duster does to you, you start to appreciate its no-nonsense approach to human transport.

    Ride and handling are an odd balance. It’s quite French in its ways. In actuality, it’s quite old-school French. It rides with such a lovely subtle ride that pretty much caresses the irregularities of the road. This also endows it with is a lot of bump steer and corner lurching when you get busy in the S bends. Being slightly jacked up in its SUV format, this exaggerates the motion. For this alone, I would remove the ‘sports’ tag from the SUV. It will carry you great distances in comfort. Used as a load lugger or commuter car is where it is best. A sports car it is not.

    It is a pretty sizeable car inside. I put it to good use in collecting some bits for a project. The rear section swallowed a whole camper van door and there was still space for other items. Folding the rear seat was simple and there are some neat locators in the trim to get the seat belts out of the way. With the seats folded they do not give a flat floor area.

    Look through the options for the Duster and you’ll be surprised at how well you can spec it up. As it is, the model tested would have done me proud. For little over £2000, you can have all the individual extras available. Some of them are available in packages too. Probably the best package is the extended warranty. For £850 you get 7 years or 100,000 miles of peace of mind motoring as long as you adhere to the terms.

    I’d take the Duster as it is, right now, even before the new model arrives. I don’t know about ‘another one buys a Duster’ but I’ve got brass in my pocket and I’m going to use it.

    Love
    Price
    Comfort
    Ease of access to service items including lights

    Loathe
    Exposed paint in the boot area
    Infotainment screen position
    Ergonomics

    The Lowdown
    Car – Dacia Duster Lauréate TCe 125 4×2
    Price – £14,990 (as tested)
    MPG – 46.3 mpg (combined)
    Power – 0-62mph – 10.4 seconds
    Top Speed – 109 mph
    Co2 – 138 (g/km)