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Tyres deflated, I hop into the passenger seat and we venture into the sand. We start small, traversing small dunes and snaking our way across the expanse. Are there any limiting factors compared to the LR4 in front of us?
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“Only ground clearance,” John says. “But with driving on sand, it’s more about the driver than the sand.” That puts a bit of pressure on. I’ve done some dune-bashing, but I’m hardly an expert. Time to see if the Evoque’s capability can make up for my lack of talent.
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At John’s advice I click a button on the transmission tunnel, putting the Terrain Response system into the Sand setting. This changes the shift points on the transmission so that it’ll hold its gears for longer, rather than shifting up and down. It also adjusts the throttle pedal progression for a more aggressive delivery of power to the wheels. Lastly, it dramatically loosens the reins on the electronic stability control, so that power doesn’t get cut the moment things get a bit loose.
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And off we go. Following the path set by the LR4, we progress from almost flat, packed sand to bigger and bigger dunes, bowls and soft sand. I’d love to say it was a thrill a minute, but it’s actually rather relaxing as the Evoque’s engineering (and John’s occasional advice) makes it astoundingly easy.
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Sure, I have to concentrate – I’m watching for the flow of the sand, trying to work out where the softest areas are and when I need to squeeze the accelerator. Not much, just enough to keep up the momentum and allow me to reach the crest of the next sandy hillock without launching over the subsequent drop. It’s what I imagine surfing is like. But with air conditioning.
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All I’ve had to do – save for click a switch and letting the tyres out – is raise the seat up, so I can see more over the edge of the bonnet. Aside from that, it’s very similar to how I remember the Range Rover Vogue being in the sand. In order to ensure that the Evoque was able to cope with this type of terrain, Land Rover set stringent standards right from the off, and it was up to John and his team to ensure these were met. They also benchmarked the car against rivals such as the Audi Q5 and the BMW X3.
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“We do the same suite of tests on all of our Land Rover products in terms of high dune testing, sand bowl testing, flat sand and low dune driving. It’s only a question of ground clearance. This will go where that will go,” he says, gesticulating towards the LR4. “In some instances, this is actually better than some of the larger stuff because it’s lighter and a lot more responsive. In sand bowls it doesn’t sink so much, so it’s very sure-footed. Having said that, this doesn’t have the break-over angles of some of the larger vehicles at the top of dunes.” I make a mental note not to get beached.
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After 20 minutes, having almost effortlessly travelled several kilometres in the blazing sun, we pause so photographer Phil can get some pictures along the side of a huge dune. He wants sand flying everywhere, so I gun the Evoque towards the golden mound and carve sideways. Disappointingly, there’s no sand at all. It goes higher than I thought it would, and just keeps going. It’s technically very impressive, but not spectacular. Two more attempts produce the same results.
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As it turns out, I’m taking entirely the wrong approach. John hops into the driver’s seat and has a go at a much lower speed, before slamming down the throttle and throwing rooster tails of sand up over the Evoque’s bonnet as he glides back to flat land. Awesome. Speed, it seems, doesn’t always make for the most visually dynamic results.
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With the desert definitively conquered, we get back on the road and head further inland, towards and then past the town of Al Dhaid. The terrain here is more rocky and mountainous, and we’re looking for a new challenge. John directs us through tiny villages and out into the middle of nowhere once again, onto a dried up riverbed.
