[JamesBailey]

Wanted an Evoque ordered a Q3.Please reassure me I have done the right thing!

Audi Q3 S Line 140 TDI manual 2WD Daytona Grey

Hello All and greetings from sunny Bournemouth. Don't let the word Evoque put you off reading this post - I just seek reassurance!

Choosing and buying a new car should be a pleasurable experience but on this occasion It's been a bit of a nightmare and as ridiculous as it sounds Its caused me a few sleepless nights. I shall explain.

Throughout my car owning life I have always chosen cars with style and excitement first and practicality second because I could. From my first car a Peugeot 205 GTI, to Mini Cabriolet to my current model a BMW 1 Series convertible. However in the past 18 months my life has changed irreversibly. Yes in the space of just over a year I have accumulated two Labrador puppies, one daughter and now another baby on the way. Suddenly my car choice has to change. However no fear there was a stylish but practical car out there for me in the name of the Range Rover Evoque!

My work has history with LR and RR not at the footballers wife RR Sport end of the range but with conservative Vogues and do it all Discovery's so I have always had an infinity to the brand as I ridiculously believe it reflects my old fashioned view of what it is to be British! So just over a year ago when I saw the first Evoque OTR I knew I had to have one some day when circumstances dictated. Therefore on the day my wife told me she was pregnant again of course my first call was to the local LR dealer and I was soon borrowing an Evoque for a day and loving it. Yes I was slightly concerned that its reputation might go the way of the RR Sport but I felt if I chose a conservative colour and no flashy options I could keep my decorum.

So you may ask why am I on an Audi forum banging on about RR's. Well my problems started when I went in to the dealer to order the car and discuss finance. I had done my ball park calculations on the usual PCP rate for executive brands of around 8% and based on what BMW had offered to part exchange my car for. However it turns out that RR don't need to sell Evoques to the likes of me who can only just afford the cheapest model. As such three hideous factors derailed my dream; a finance rate of 13%, a part exchange rate of my BMW 15% lower than what BMW offered me and absolutely no discount so don't ask. Suddenly my dream was slipping

I went home confused and started furiously researching the Internet to try and find a way to make the thing affordable. Clearly I had to sell my car privately to get that part of it sorted but also needed to find cheaper finance. In doing so I discovered two things. Two puppies, one 9 month old baby and a pregnant wife (not to mention a very stressful job that requires travelling a lot) do not lend themselves to selling a car privately. Secondly independent car brokers are in the main not transparent as they advertise an amazing rate on their website but when you actually speak to them that rate strangely is not available and the rate they were offering me was only 0.5% better than RR once all their fees had been added on. I even considered leasing but I discovered that lease companies operate in the same way as the aforementioned finance brokers (eg website rate £330pm actual rate available (£420 per month).

Disheartened I felt the time had come to consider other options. Over the years I have had two short but sweet experiences with the Audi brand. One about 10 years ago when I flittered with buying a TT (in the days before they were a hairdressers car) but got cold feet at the price and then recently when I hired a car for work and was upgraded to an A5. What struck me about both experiences was the feeling of quality, refinement and comfort that came with both. When researching the Evoque of corse many reviewers also mention the Q3 as being a more than able alternative with less appealing styling but equal in every other way but one a cheaper price tag. My own experiences and the reviewers comments led me to visit Poole Audi for a test drive. On first site I loved the interior, the drive, the refinement, the quality of build and the general class of the thing. However I felt a bit underwhelmed at the exterior design compared to the head turning Evoque. However my wife reminded me that don't drive the car on the outside so I started taking finance. Suddenly my finance expectations were met; 7% PCP, a fair trade in value for my car and an 8% discount if I took a stock model (which was the spec and model I was interested in). I should have ordered there and then but something stopped me - its not an Evoque! Telling the dealer I would think about his offer I went back to RR and told them about the alternative option hoping they would move a bit towards my expectations. They said they could not but argued that because they set their GFV low then there would be a big residual left for me a the end as the difference between what it would be worth and then GFV would give me a decent level of equity. Of course this was not guaranteed.

Bottom line the difference between the two deals was Audi £8k cash back now but probably only worth about £1k more than the GFV at trade in presuming a 55% residual. RRE £2k cash back now but that it might be worth upto £5k above the GFV at the end at trade in based on a 60% residual. I checked these residual projection figures with What Car and Auto Car and both seemed to be reasonably realistic if perhaps at the top end of projections. Clearly on finances alone the Audi was a cheaper and safer choice. I also started noticing complaints from Evoque owners on their equivalent forum to this one that the boot space was too small as RR quote a measurement to the top of the boot space whereas all other car manufactures quote to the parcel shelf (q3 460L) so many Evoque owners have actually realised the boot is 400L and therefore no bigger than a regular compact hatchback. As boot space was the second priority to me after cost this worried me. More worrying though was that some owners were complaining that when they had gone to trade in their car due to their frustrations with space the so called class leading residuals were not on offer and they were about par for any other car in this sector. Reading this I went straight to Audi yesterday and paid my deposit safe in the knowledge that Im getting far better VFM a boot that is the size it's says and guaranteed equity at the level I' can afford.

That should be it and I should be content but Im not. The Evoque came to me in my dreams last night tempting me like that glamorous girl in the office who looks amazing but you know is out of bounds! Am I choosing to spurn a super model for the girl next door? You may be asking yourself why I'm still having this dilemma if affordability is such an issue and its because I could stretch to the extra cash for the Evoque but it would be tight, the Q3 will have no affect on my disposable income.

So it's the age old dilemma of desire v reality. The decision has been made worse by the fact that whilst I type this there is a bloody Evoque parked outside winking at me with its sexy body.

I have not signed any paper work with Audi yet but feel I should do so. Therefore can Q3 owners reassure me that I'm doing the right thing going for the Audi and spurning the Evoque. Will I enjoy it as much as you all do? Am I getting a good deal compared to what others have paid?

Sorry for the long ramblings, I needed to get it off my chest. Would appreciate all constructive replies.

 

[PC 41]

Hi James,
You need a good rest after that message!!
Just a quick message, we picked our q3 sline cobalt blue up yesterday morning.it has lots of toys. And drives like a dream, it looks the business on the drive, and also turns heads. I too have a young family, we would not be able to fit a pram in the rear of the range!
I too. Weighed up both vehicles , the Audi in my eyes is a quality car better than the range.
Good luck James ps try and get pan roof the kids love it.

 

[JamesBailey]

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. Your reassurance from someone in a similar situation is very welcome.

 

[PPS]

I believe the s-line in daytona looks pretty smart.

Haven't driven the evoque so can't compare, but I do think they are "eye catching".

However the Q3 feels high quality behind the wheel.

Personally, I'm very happy with the choice I've made.

So I'd say, go for it and hopefully you won't be disappointed!

 

[JamesBailey]

Thanks PPS I think the more I look at the Daytona colour way the more it appeals to me.

 

[Jules]

Sounds like you are going through a similar debate with yourself that more than one Q3 driver has already done!
Yes, arguably the Evoque is "better looking" but I, for one (and you can read my comments elsewhere on this site!) Think it is more form over function! And as you say, you sit on the inside...
The Evoque is more expensive, less economical, has less room in it for the kids in the back (rear and rear-side windows are very small) - my daughter experienced her first bout of car sickness in the back of it...
I plumped for the 2wd SE Q3, and so fair, it's not done anything wrong, it cruises quietly, it has an aversion to drinking diesel (easy 50+mpg, have seen over 60 on a run), it's comfortable, it's quiet.
OK, it may not turn heads (apart from other Q3 owners) but I've done 9000 miles in 4-odd months, and it's still the only one in the car park
And bestest of all, it's not a Yummy-Mummy mobile!!

 

[SteveW]

Hi James,
We have an A4 S Line from new and just love it, build quality is superb andoozesluxury. So when we, like you, had a baby we thought a 'SUV' was in order also considering we live in aparticularlyrural spot.
My wife was desperate for an Evoque but we only do circa 5,000 miles p/a so the only petrol model available is £40k, a tad out of our price range! Diesel filters do not like low mileage.
The Q3 was at the right price range for us, so we are looking forward to taking delivery of ours very soon (it was built week beginning 24th Sept so assume it's on the boat!). We deliberated over the colour and wheels, even visiting 3 Audi centres in 1 day just to find 1 to see what it looked like! We ended up with daytona grey, mainly because our A4 is black and it's a bugger to keep clean. I like that only the s-line can come in daytona.
On another note, the father in law took delivery of his Evoque (the top end petrol model) last month and he had an A4 (there's a pun here) page of snagging. Trim is not fitted right / broken, paint fault on bumper, number plate fitted a full centimetre off centre to name a few. Far from the Audi build quality. No way near the extra £8,000 he has paid over ours.
You have made the right choice my son
The only glitch I've found is about the automatic folding door mirrors but that's another thread!!
Enjoy!

 

[pekX2to]

I too considered the Evoque before purchasing my Q3. I thought is a good car but after reading a lot bad publicity about quality and mileage I decided to get the Audi Q3. Me and my wife love it, build quality is very good, you won't be disappointed.

 

[PPS]

Just to add to previous post. My wife's got a black A1, looks great when it's clean (OK when I do it every so often) but a day or so later it soon looks dirty, whilst I think daytona is far more practical, still looks "clean" after a few days run in the elements.

Also, as per a recent post, because it's s-line only, it's got that bit of "exclusivity".

 

[sherbs]

I've had 2 people in the last week stop me to ask about the car (one was a couple on holiday from Australia), it may not turn as many heads as the Evoque but people do notice it.

 

[Jules]

Sorry SteveW - but "My wife was desperate for an Evoque" sums it up nicely... it'll sell to some folk, just because it's an Evoque - despite it being too expensive and costing more to own

 

[Daniel TD5]

hi james

i have had many landrover products and this is our first audi and i am very impressed

i have a 3.0 hilux as a company car so we did not need a 4x4

i have two kids two labs to cart about we do very low miles but still went for the TDI
we got a dealer car so had a wait of one week we have now done 600miles at around 46mpg

we went for a base model you get loads for your money

enjoy when you get it we didEdited by: Daniel TD5

 

[SteveW]

I wouldn't say it's 'just because it's an Evoque' Jules, the demand is so high simply because it is a Range Rover that is priced at a level more people can afford. I am an Audi man so will always stick with them but you can't argue with Range Rover's styling and appeal, you just need to look at their waiting lists. x

 

[JamesBailey]

Morning all and thanks for all the replies but mostly for dedicating the time to read my epic post!

Regarding colour I think that's the easy part of the choice. I have had black and white cars over the past 5 years and they both look amazing - for the 24 hours after you wash it and then not so good. Just don't have the time or inclination to be washing the car twice a week so I'm settled on Daytona Grey.

Regarding the Evoque v Q3 debate it's very reassuring to hear that many of you went through the same thought process and having plumped for the Q3 are now happy with the decison. . It apears that in summary the Evoque has a more eye catching design and therefore is more desirable but for sheer practicality, value for money, reliability, quality, comfort, lower running costs and understated refinement and quality the Q3 wins.

Referring to an early analogy you would have a one night stand with an Evoque but you marry the Q3!

So after reading your comments and discussing it with my A6 owning father in law who told me "an Evoque is for people who want to be seen as they feel the need to try and show others they are rich and classy whereas an Audi is for people who are comfortable with their place in the world and don't need to shout look at me and my class as an Audi does it for them and them only in a reserved but classy way". I also realise that with an Evoque like any fashion item you are paying over the odds because its the must have item of the moment whereas three to four years down the line when you come to trade it in something else will be the fashion item and the Evoque will be judged in the same way as any other car. So your paying over the odds for the on trend item which I'm not prepared to do at this level.

So at 5pm yesterday I called Poole Audi and told them to arrange the paper work for signing as I made my decision. I now have to wait till Monday to "confirm that the great deal we offered you last week is still available" (why do all car dealers go through this bravado?) but I can't imagine they will lose a sale now when they have a buyer and are holding a deposit!

I will let you know if and when the papers are signed.

 

[reilsab]

You may get a somewhat biased view in here but for what it's worth it's understandable to have a wobble when buying any car. My q3 is sitting at the dealer waiting on the plate transfer and i was thinking the same thing, however seen one drive past yesterday and thought "wow i want mine now"

It's just a car at the end of the day so if you feel you need the Rover then you can get one next time, although i don't think you should

 

[Jules]

Steve - the point about "just because it's an Evoque" is what you have said, people see the looks, see it's a Range Rover, and say "I want that", without considering the whole ownership package.

No-one is saying you haven't done that, by the way

And anyway, you have reached the correct conclusion...

 

[JayN]

Sorry, I didn't read the initial arguments in favour of the Evoque, just wanted to air my own opinion... which is that the Evoque is ugly as ****. I simply cannot understand the fascination with this model. (Nor the other box-looking RRs for that matter.) First, I thought it was a very British, patriotic, thing, but it seems to be popular in other places too, so now I don't know. To me it looks like a van, maybe something a plummer or electrician would use, with those almost non-existent windows in the back. And to say nothing of the horrible quality control and design/construction track record of Range Rover over all... Ok, maybe I'm biased (don't know how or why that came to be though) and I do apologize if I insulted anyone. For me the Evoque was never an option. Would have gone with a Ford Focus, Citroen DS4, Mitsubishi crossover, the new Citroen crossover or even the very small Audi A1 before the Evoque... If somebody *gave* me one, I would sell it and do something else with the money!

 

[JamesBailey]

Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder Jay but you make some very valid points and Jules I think your right that I too first considered the Evoque on name and style over the bigger picture before having a financially enforced wake up call.

But Reilsab sums it up perfectly when you say at the end of the day "it's just a car" and I need to remind myself of that. I didn't stress and dither this much over buying my house which was 10 times the price!

Thank you to all as its your feedback and that of disgruntled Evoque owners that have helped me make the decision that's right for me. The car press can rave about the RRE over the Q3 as much as they like because its not their money buying it, running it and ldwaling with the consequences when issues occuri. That's why this forum and others like it has helped.

I'm off to spend the difference on my wife and daughter!

 

[KEW]

Sorry SteveW - but "My wife was desperate for an Evoque" sums it up nicely... it'll sell to some folk, just because it's an Evoque - despite it being too expensive and costing more to own

That's precisely why I didn't buy one! My husband was keen on the Evoque but I preferred the Q3 as it doesn't shout "look at me" and I knew that I had made the right decision when RR decided to enlist the services of Victoria Beckham to design the interior of one of their models

.

 

[JamesBailey]

Your right KEW although whilst I'm sure Beckhams influence was marketing related only I'm also pretty sure she is not the best product association for me.