Traded my manual 07 TD4 in for a manual TD4 11 plate back in September. The mapping (its not a TD4E but has an eco button) just makes hilly, country roads hard work. So where do I go, I want 190 ps but its only available with an auto box ? It would be my first auto in over 50 years of driving. I don`t want a remap just yet as the warranty would be compromised. So I have test driven a manual Evoque and liked it apart from the letter box rear view, probably get used to it and the TV screen in time. I dont want to buy a proper Range Rover being a mix of a Scot and a Yorkshireman. The load capacity of the Freelander2 is much better than the Evoque would I miss it ?
Also I have still to navigate through Evoque variants, Prestige, Dynamic, Pure and Tech Pack uhh!

Personally, I love my 2011 FL2 SD4 Auto. I find that the gear box is very smooth and and my partner says she doesn't even notice the gear changes. The Evoque is a nice car but I think that they are a little too small, they are more of a fashion icon than a utility vehicle like the FL2. Some people had mentioned changing from an FL2 or larger Land Rover/Range Rover to an Evoque and they said that they missed the extra room in the boot etc.

Good luck with your decision and I hope this helped.

Haven't had a manual LR since 2 door Range Rover Classic in 1992. Current FL1 is TD4 auto and fine. I was lent auto SD4 as courtesy car when RR was in for service and that was even better.

As the late, great motoring journalist LJK Setright said "if god had wanted us to have manual cars he would have given us three legs and feet". I'm not suggesting you start left foot braking though, I do it without thinking but have a manual MX5 to keep me in the manual habit as it's a bit of a fright when you push the clutch expecting the brake! FL2 HSE Lux 2013
I-Pace HSE 2019
MX5 1998

I'm trading my Evoque in for a Fl2, having had 2 Freelanders before the Evoque, I found the Fl2 as a whole to be a better package.

The price of my Fl2 XS barely gets you into a base Evoque before options.

Either way they are both good cars. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Can thoroughly recomend the upgrade to an FL2 auto SD4, just traded my manual MY07 SE for a MY12 HSE SD4, my first auto, and love it.
Like you I considered an Evoque but it's just to small and not practical for lugging muddy dogs about & general 4x4 use.
Initially tried a new MY13 XS SD4 FL2 which swung me toward the auto upgrade but really wanted the "old" MY12 HSE spec so that's what I got.

Sounds good! Got any pictures of the new Freely?

No pics yet but same spec as yours by the look of it but in Orkney grey

Sounds great!

So I had a manual TD4 for 4 years and have just changed to the SD4 and only driven 400 miles since I got it.

First impressions are:-
- Gear change is smooth
- more power from the engine
- no more annoying gear changes around the 50mph mark on A-roads
- smoother in stop start traffic.
- using more fuel, but perhaps this is also due to it being a new car.

Overall IMO a good move ---
clivea
Got - MY13 SD4 HSE Lux Firenze Red
Gone - MY09 TD4.e XS Santorini Black