Traditional luxury vs. new luxury, off-road vs. high street, UK vs. Korea – there’s a lot riding on this latest drag race. We’re talking about a shootout between the second-generation 2022 Range Rover Evoque and the all-new 2022 Genesis GV70.
The luxury car market has changed a lot since the arrival of Tesla, but some people simply don’t want a car they have to charge. With SUVs being as popular as they are, some customers might also appreciate rugged looks from a prestigious premium brand.
In the 4×4 segment, it doesn’t get a lot more prestigious than a Range Rover. But while a supercharged V8 model might be sufficiently fast, the same isn’t necessarily true for the smallest of all the RRs, which is the Evoque.
This all-new generation comes with a much better interior and some styling elements from the bigger Velar. However, the Range Rover Evoque didn’t innovate in the engine department, as all models still feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger. That was fine ten years ago, before the arrival of the Model Y, but it’s probably not when similar power and turbocharging is available in a Mazda.
Genesis knew this and began the development of a large 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which is the base engine for this GV70, its smallest crossover SUV. The GV70 and Evoque are direct rivals, but this drag race from Canadian YouTuber Sam CarLegion proves they’re not matched in terms of acceleration.
In the white corner, we have Genesis making 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. And wearing the black shorts, the Range Rover produces just 246 hp and 270 lb-ft. That might not sound fair, but both model operate in the same segment and cost similar money, so don’t blame the GV70 for trying too hard. Also, while the Evoque is indeed available with 300 hp, the Genesis has an even more powerful turbo V6.
In both the drag race and the rolling race, the GV70 destroys the Range Rover. It’s a shame because this little Evoque is beautifully designed and has more heritage. And you can imagine how badly it would lose against electric crossovers since the top-end GV70 V6 is slower than a Model Y.
It’s worth pointing out that while the Evoque is lighter, these similarly sized SUVs are built differently. The Evoque is the only Range Rover with its engine mounted sideways, while the GV70 uses a RWD platform. Basically, one is like a Camry and the other like a 3 Series, but with AWD added into the mix.
