Range Rover Evoque SD4 v Infiniti EX30d

MSN readers have cast their votes for the best new car launched in 2011 and declared the Range Rover Evoque the winner.

According to our poll, that makes it more desirable than an Aston Martin Virage. Better even than a Ferrari 458 Spider. In a list of dream machines, a £28k SUV has beaten the supercar elite. An astounding achievement.

• Evoque wins MSN Cars Car of the Year

The plaudits don't stop there. Hyperbole master extraordinaire Jeremy Clarkson also declared the Range Rover Evoque his favourite car of 2011. It seems the motoring world is in a tizzy over the baby Rangie. The trophy cabinet in Land Rover's boardroom must be buckling under the pressure and the executives' heads swollen to twice their normal size.

So what is it about the Range Rover Evoque that strikes a chord with so many of you? To find out, we're pitting it against the lesser-known Infiniti EX30d. For those unfamiliar with Infiniti, it is the premium arm of parent company Nissan.

At first, the Infiniti EX30d might appear to be a strange rival, but it is actually well aligned with the Evoque. Both major on style but not to the detriment of function, both are premium-badged products from mainstream manufacturers and both are the smallest SUVs in their ranges. They are perfectly placed for those who either want to downsize but retain some luxury, or for those who want to upgrade for a touch of class.

But while that Range Rover badge will cause punters to flock to showrooms as they would to a buy-one-get-one-free sale at Foxtons, the Infiniti faces an uphill struggle because of its relative anonymity in the UK.

Don't let that anonymity put you off, though. Soon our roads will be flooded with Evoques and that will somewhat lessen the shine, while the Nissan-built EX30d will remain an unusual and rare sight.

What do they cost?
Cost will play a huge factor in your choice and this is where it gets interesting. The Evoque is distinctly un-Range Rover-like when it comes to price. The range starts at just £27,995, and for that you get a 150hp, two-wheel-drive diesel. That doesn't sound much like a 'proper' Range Rover. Only the truly desperate will settle for this bog-standard car.

Our four-wheel-drive test car was a more attractive proposition, fitted with the most powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine, a manual gearbox, Dynamic trim and the £4,325 'Lux Pack'. This adds a powered tailgate, eight-inch display, TV tuner, park assist, climate control and a few other odds and ends. That's £41,705 all in and a much more realistic barometer of what most people are likely to pay to get into an Evoque.

Now to the Infiniti. The range starts at £37,130 and that gets you into a powerful and, in theory, more sophisticated engine than the Evoque's, a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 with a seven-speed auto gearbox. We're testing the range-topping GT Premium, which adds a lot of kit as standard, but pushes the price up to £45,270.

The Evoque is starting to look like decent value for money now. But the Infiniti is fully loaded at this price. Our car has only two extras fitted - roof rails (£260) and exclusive red paint (£679) - and that leaves virtually nothing on the options list.

As standard you have: sat-nav, a Bose stereo, 10GB hardrive, leather seats, keyless-entry, cornering Xenon lights, an electric sunroof and rear privacy glass. What else could you possibly need from a car? A chauffeur?

What are they like to drive?
With its achingly desirable concept-car looks, it would be easy to fall in love with the Evoque even if the driving experience was as hideous as a night out with a Member of Parliament.

But panic not. The Evoque, with the 190hp SD4 turbodiesel engine and four-wheel drive, is as faultless as a supermodel with a personality.

It is grown-up, sophisticated and refined. While it might lack the Range Rover's V8 diesel engine and air suspension, which endows the bigger Rangies with a fundamental smoothness that is lacking here, it drives with precision thanks to light-but-accurate steering and a supple ride that steamrollers surface abrasions. The only major problem is the 20-inch wheels, which send a lot of road roar into the cabin.

Our car wasn't fitted with the magnetic dampers that allow you to switch between comfort and sports settings for the suspension. Even so, the handling errs more on providing a sporting drive, with well-contained body roll.

Together with the Evoque's dinky(ish) dimensions, it feels as if you're sitting on top of a hot hatch. Notice I didn't say 'in'. The driving position is very upright and lofty. Some will like it, but it might put off some people trading up from regular cars.

It must be said, the engine isn't perfect. The performance is adequate but hardly scintillating, and it sounds thrummy at lower speeds. But it is more alive than the V6 TD engine that powers the Range Rover Sport, getting to 60mph a second quicker and providing better fuel economy and emissions. How does a combined average of 43.5mpg and emissions of 174g/km sound?

Moving to the Infiniti EX30d after the Evoque and the most striking thing is how much lower you sit in the cabin. Despite its bulky outward appearance, the Infiniti is actually small and compact on the inside, more like a crossover than a full-blown 4x4. The tape measure confirms this: the EX is 165mm narrower and 35mm lower than the Evoque but 280mm longer. The results don't bode well when comparing cabins. We'll get to that in a moment.

First to the driving experience. Start it up and the EX30d's 3.0-litre V6 Nissan turbodiesel doesn't fit well in what should be a superior product given its price tag. Vibrations can be felt reverberating throughout the cabin at idle and at take-off it is loud. Thankfully for the preservation of your eardrums, the engine settles down when you're up to speed. Double-glazed windows help isolate the cabin from external disturbances and, in this respect, it betters the Evoque.

In actual fact, after the Range Rover, the Infiniti is surprisingly refreshing, geared more towards comfort rather than a dynamic drive. Subconsciously, height will always be associated with unwieldiness and the EX's more car-like driving position endows it with a more comfortable feeling when pushing on. Add in nimbleness of handling, unexpectedly adept steering and plenty of grip whatever the conditions and this car covers ground alarmingly quickly. It even rides remarkably smoothly.

It's easy to push on in the EX30d, too. With 235hp and 405 lb/ft of torque versus the Evoque's 190hp and 309 lb/ft, the engine is more flexible and faster to respond when you require an extra shove of muscle. It's also half a second quicker to the national speed limit.

It's a shame then that the Infiniti's gearbox lets down what is an otherwise decent drive. The seven-speed automatic holds on to gears for too long and you can feel every shift through the transmission.

If only the good news could continue for the Infiniti. Where the Evoque is an organic carrot-munching tree hugger the EX is a club-wielding seal killer. Its fuel economy is simply woeful: combined economy is 33.2mpg (good luck with that) and carbon emissions are 224g/km. This simply boils down to a car that is vastly more expensive to run.

What are they like inside?
Move to the leather-lined interior of the Infiniti and things start to look up. It is superbly well made and constructed from high-grade materials. There is no sacrifice on luxury in here.

The driving position is easily adaptable thanks to electric chair movement and the visibility is fine despite the thick pillars. The standard surround-camera system will aid those who are intimidated by tight parking spaces.

Now to the 'but'. And it is the proliferation of buttons and controls around the centre console. The screen is controlled by a convoluted dial and touchscreen combination, while elsewhere the cabin is littered with buttons.

After the EX's flight deck-aping interior, the Evoque's is welcomingly simple, with a nice wide display for sat-nav and stereo and only a handful of buttons for heating controls and other systems.

The cabin quality, too, is definitely a step up from a Land Rover Freelander but it isn't quite up to the Selfridges-spec of the larger Range Rovers, nor quite as tactile as that of the Infiniti's.

Space will of course be a determining factor for most buyers of these cars and again it is love-one to the Evoque. Despite the EX's greater length, the rear seats provide inadequate legroom for anyone approaching six-foot.

Don't think for a moment that grants you more boot space either: the Infiniti's a measly 340 litres with the seats up and 1,175 with them down. In comparison, the Evoque's boot musters 575-1,445 litres and provides more space all-round, whether you happen to be sitting in the front or the back. Should you prefer a more cramped experience, Land Rover will sell you a three-door coupe version.

And the winner is...
It seems you could stick a Range Rover badge on a horse and cart and it would sell. But the baby Rangie is no donkey. The Evoque is one of the most talked about cars of the year. And deservedly so. It is frugal, plush, desirable and cracking to drive. Yet the Infiniti should not to be overlooked completely. It might cost more to run but it is comfortable, charming, well made and kitted out to a high spec. However, it can't match the all-round greatness of the Evoque. As well as being our car of the year, it is the winner of this test.

• Read a Land Rover review
• Read an Infiniti review
• How to build a Range Rover Evoque
• Read Ian Dickson's long-term reports on the Infiniti EX30d
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