THE smallest, lightest, most fuel-efficient Range Rover is also one of this year’s most highly-anticipated new cars and we at GoAuto have certainly been itching to drive it since Land Rover confirmed it would be putting its LRX concept from the 2008 Detroit motor show into production.

It would seem that we are not the only ones, for 32,000 people around the world put money down on an Evoque before the car even launched and 10,000 Australians registered their interest – of which 280 put in orders before the local launch.

But is this car fashion over function or has Land Rover applied its engineering nous under the skin to make the Evoque a real Range Rover and a car that has the substance to back up its style?