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What you need to know: I hope you don’t know me personally because you’re bound to have heard the following rant on repeat… I miss boxy, practical SUV’s. There weren’t many to start with, mostly the Nissan X-Trail and Land-Rover Freelander or Discovery, but all of them were instantly recognisable and incredibly practical.
Hoe méér ons Namibiers verstedelik, hoe groter word die behoefte om plekke te besoek waar daar stilte en rus is. Dit is dan ook so dat sulke rusplekke vir die gees juis die afgeleë plekke is wat nie met gewone motors bereik kan word nie; ‘n volwaardige 4×4 is hiervoor noodsaaklik.
What you need to know: The Range Rover Evoque actually started life as the LRX concept car from 2008. Completely overwhelmed by the public’s approval, Land Rover simply had to build it; the first Evoques appeared in 2011 and are a huge success for the brand.
So huge, in fact, that now every Landy looks like an Evoque. The car that gave everything else its face was built on the Freelander Mk2 platform so it isn’t really a Range Rover.
What you need to know: The Freelander is no more. Remember that square, compact, slightly drab-looking Land Rover? Well, quite a few of my acquaintances bought its practical boxy shape and – save for owners of early examples – are happy chappies and don’t look like they’ll upgrade their Landies any time soon.
Some people like to drive something a little ‘different’, a little more avant-garde if you wish. Some people prefer to drive a car that makes them stand out from the crowd on the highway – that makes people wonder about their tastes and choice. Some people like to proclaim their individuality beyond the clothes they choose to wear and what or where they eat. Some people want more from their car design than most. Those people would drive a Range Rover Evoque.
I’ve always thought that the Landrover Freelander looked a bit like the odd horse out in the Landy stable – it was just a little bit strange-looking and didn’t fit either the mould of the rough and ready Defender or the more luxurious Discovery. It seemed to hang in there like an uncomfortable third wheel. But no more.
International motor shows usually feature a few concept cars to show the press and public what designers would have built if cost and practicality weren’t an issue. Most of these outrageous concepts disappear back into obscurity but a select few make an almost unscathed jump to production.
Last Friday the phone rang and someone announced that they were bringing around a cougar. As I wasn’t sure which sort of man-eater to expect, I locked all doors, put on aftershave and armed myself with a bottle of gin. Imagine my surprise when the unwanted guest turned out to be Ford’s new-ish SUV, the Kuga.
Wederhelf vertel toe onlangs aan ‘n vriendin dat ons (ook) ‘n Land Rover het. Toe ons op ‘n dag by hulle aankom, was hulle opmerklik onthuts omdat hulle ‘n Defender besit en ons nie ‘n “regtige” Land Rover besit nie!
I’m assuming that some of you have just returned from a long, hot and tiresome holiday trip ready to trade in the spouse’s ageing wheels. In your absence, most dealerships have steam-cleaned the driveway, topped up the coffee machine and are waiting (some, anxiously) for your visit.