Driving in Paris is a notoriously stressful task, especially when you are stepping into your car within sight of the Arc de Triomphe and its famously hectic roundabout. It is here, though, outside the doors of Le Royal Monceau hotel (home to Range Rover House – a car showroom experience like no other) that our journey begins.
We need not have worried. The experts on hand at Range Rover House describe the relaxing qualities of the brand’s two newest cars, and the effect is palpable as soon as we slip behind the wheel of the new Evoque to begin a drive that will take us out of the city towards Épernay, the gem of the Champagne region.
Firstly, there’s no clutter. The abundance of buttons and displays that usually greet you when you step inside a car have here been reduced down to create a minimalist dream. The dashboard is clear, save for the presence of a floating 11.4-inch touchscreen (every function you need can be accessed from this within two presses or one voice command) and the gearstick. Another display behind the wheel can be customised to show as little or as much information as you want – we opt for simply the navigation tool (getting out of Paris without being hooted at being a priority).
What's everyone reading?
Perhaps the first thing we notice as we pull out onto the busy streets is the quiet. Range Rover’s Active Road Noise Cancellation was designed to reduce the audio assault caused by passing traffic and the wind, helping to reduce fatigue over long drives. A bonus is that it also helps to reduce anxiety levels on urban streets. You can hear everything perfectly, but the volume is at a more polite level.
Less instantly noticeable, but equally game-changing is the air quality in the car. The new Purify feature in both the Evoque and Velar reduces the number of harmful PM2.5 particulates within the vehicle, automatically filtering the air you breathe. That means fewer allergens, reduced pollution and also the speedy elimination of unpleasant odours.
With these features on side, we make it out of the centre of Paris without drama. That’s not to say that the new-look Evoque and Velar don’t attract attention, though. Both cars are being introduced to the world in two designs intended to represent the pinnacle of luxury, from exterior finish to interior trim.
The Evoque is presented in ‘Corinthian Bronze’ or ‘Tribeca Blue’ and the Velar in ‘Zadar Grey’ and ‘Varesine Blue’. Of course, all of Range Rover’s vehicles can be customised, with a wealth of colours and numerous materials available (for a price you can even present a hue of your choice and your car will be colour-matched), but these curated ‘Autobiography’ offerings are the result of much consideration by Range Rover’s in-house team. It’s this team that has also championed the introduction of leather-free cabins – these models showcase a beautiful combination of Kvadrat fabrics and animal-free leather alternatives by Ultrafabrics.
Cruising the rest of the route to Champagne and back, the Evoque and Velar both live up to Range Rover’s aim to make them calm sanctuaries. In the Velar, there’s even the option to turn long drives into a spa day, with heated massage seats (we recommend the hot stone massage). Plus, thanks to improved battery software the hybrid versions of both cars can now travel further on electricity alone (up to 39 miles) and charge in as little as 30 minutes.
When speaking about the new Evoque, Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, JLR’s chief creative officer notes that the car’s ‘sophisticated design and timeless sense of modernity continues to strike that all important emotional chord’. And that’s the point: Range Rover wants you to feel something when you sit in one of its models. Can a car be a personal safe space – somewhere to unwind; your own luxurious private bubble? We think so.
