Features

RANCHI, India — The Indian discipline of yoga, involving spiritual and physical practices, is followed in myriad forms today by millions of people worldwide, with an entry in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

Here is some background for International Yoga Day, marked on Friday for the fifth time.

Transcending suffering

The word “yoga” has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language and means “to attach, join, harness, yoke”.

This is the notion underpinning the discipline, according to French historian Bernard Sergent, which is to join the intellect of the one practising with the “universal soul”.

Yoga first appeared in ancient texts such as the sacred Hindu epic the Bhagavad Gita, written between the fifth and second centuries BC.

It is born of an “awareness of the unsatisfactory character of the human condition”, says India specialist Tara Michael, author of the book “Yoga” published in France in 1980.

The practice emerged as a way of transcending this suffering.

However, in its present-day use yoga is often no more than a form of exercise, Michael says. 

Modern (re)invention

Yoga became known in the West towards the end of the 19th century as it was undergoing a major revival in India under the Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda.

This philosopher-monk stressed yoga’s rational and scientific qualities in a bid to make the discipline compatible with the West.

His book “Raja Yoga” lays the foundations for a modern and international yoga.

In the first half of the 20th century, Western texts began to detail yoga postures, also known as “asanas”.

The emphasis on these postures and their sequences, such as the famous Sun Salutations, is a recent development, says India specialist Sita Reddy in “Yoga, The Art of Transformation”.

Modern Western references such as the Oxford English Dictionary define yoga as a “spiritual and ascetic discipline” which includes “breath control, simple meditation and the adoption of specific bodily postures.”

Global phenomenon

Indian metaphysics captured the imagination of counter-cultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, as epitomised by the relationship between The Beatles and the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh.

Yoga as a spiritual practice was popularised at this time with the more athletic and dynamic methods developed in the 1980s and 1990s, says Mark Singleton from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

It is difficult to say just how many people practise yoga around the world today, although some estimate it could be up to around 200 to 300 million.

Studies have shown its benefits for dealing with anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, with yoga considered more effective than a simple physical activity but less than psychotherapy.

World heritage

Since coming to power in 2014, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used yoga as an emblem of India’s flourishing in the world, pushing for the UN resolution that has — since 2015 — consecrated June 21 as International Yoga Day.

UNESCO added yoga to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2016 in recognition of its influence on Indian society, “from health and medicine to education and the arts”.

“Designed to help individuals build self-realisation, ease any suffering they may be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation, [yoga] is practised by the young and old without discriminating against gender, class or religion,” UNESCO added in a Tweet.

Children and young adults with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, and ADHD may be more likely to develop mental illness than youth who do not have physical health problems, a US study suggests. 

Researchers followed more than 48,000 youth without any diagnosed mental health disorders for two years, starting when they were between 6 and 25 years old. Overall, 14.7 per cent had a chronic physical health problem that either limited their ability to navigate daily life or required on going treatment. 

Overall, 7.8 per cent of the study participants developed a mental health problem over the course of the study. Children and young adults with a chronic physical health problem were 51 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than youth without issues like asthma, diabetes, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. 

“A surprising amount of this difference is explained by limitations in the ability to participate in school, work, and social activities,” said study leader Dr John Adams of the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts. 

Among all the study participants, 1.8 per cent reported activity limitations. Youth with chronic physical health problems were more than three times more likely to have limitations than other participants. 

“This matters because it shows what a powerful impact growing up with physical illness can have on mental health and also highlights a potential mechanism which could help future efforts to prevent mental illness in this population,” Adams said by e-mail. 

In the study, mental health conditions were more common among older youth, suggesting that living with conditions like asthma or diabetes might take a psychological toll that gets worse over time, researchers note in Paediatrics.

The cumulative two-year rates of mental health diagnoses were 5.6 per cent among kids 6 to 11 years old, but climbed to 7.4 per cent among participants 12 to 18 years old and 10.1 per cent among young adults 19 to 25 years old. 

The most common mental health diagnoses in the study were anxiety, mood disorders and behaviour disorders. 

Youth with chronic physical health problems were 51 per cent more likely to develop anxiety, 70 per cent more likely to develop mood disorders, and 54 per cent more likely to develop behaviour disorders, the study found. 

The study was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how chronic physical health problems might directly cause psychological problems in young people. 

One limitation of the study is the relatively brief follow-up period, the authors note. It might take more than two years for mental health disorders to become apparent, particularly with the youngest study participants. 

Another drawback is that the researchers relied on surveys of parents to gather data on young people with both physical and mental health problems, and it is possible this might not always reflect the conditions that children had. 

Even so, the results underscore the importance of parents keeping close watch for symptoms of mental health disorders in kids with chronic physical health problems, said Dr Ethan Benore, head of the Centre for Paediatric Behavioural Health at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Ohio. 

“Children with a chronic medical condition may be at a greater risk of developing a mental health issue,” Benore, who was not involved in the study, said by email. 

“For this reason, parents should monitor their child’s well-being, seeking assessment and early intervention if any concerns arise,” Benore added. “Educating children and supporting them in their psychosocial development should be a part of treating any chronic health condition of childhood.” 

WASHINGTON — Does the amount of cash in a lost wallet impact how likely a person is to return it? 

Classical economic theories suggest that the greater the temptation, the less likely we are to be honest — but a new study turns the idea on its head, finding that altruism and a powerful aversion to viewing oneself as a “thief” outweigh the financial incentives.

A team of researchers studied these questions in a huge experiment spanning 355 cities in 40 countries — one of the most rigorous investigations so far into the intersection of economics and psychology.

The results, published on Thursday in Science, also reveal extreme differences between countries, with Switzerland and Norway topping the honesty list, and Peru, Morocco and lastly China rounding out the bottom three.

But although rates of civic honesty varied greatly from country to country, one thing remained remarkably constant: wallets with money, as opposed to no money, boosted reporting rates.

The global average for reporting a lost wallet was 40 per cent, which grew to 51 per cent when it had money.

“The evidence suggests that people tend to care about the welfare of others and they have an aversion to seeing themselves as a thief,” co-author Alain Cohn from the University of Michigan said.

Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University of Utah were also part of the work.

The researchers then polled a group of 279 top-performing professional economists to see if they would have accurately predicted the outcome, which only 29 per cent did.

“Our results suggest that even experts tend to have cynical intuitions about other people’s motivations, often exaggerating the role of financial incentives and underestimating the role of psychological forces,” added Cohn.

The experiment, which cost $600,000, is unparalleled in its magnitude. More than 17,000 identical wallets were dropped off at banks, cultural establishments like theatres and museums, post offices, hotels and police stations or courts of law.

The wallet would be placed on the counter by the research assistant, who would deliver it to an employee telling them they had found it on the street but were in a hurry and had to go.

Each contained a grocery list, a key, and three business cards in the local language using fictitious but commonplace male names and an e-mail address, signalling the owner was a local resident.

Some had no money, while others contained the equivalent of $13.45, adjusted for purchasing power in the target country. 

In three countries (the US, UK and Poland), they repeated the experiment with even more money: $94.15, which boosted reporting rates by an average of 11 percentage points compared to the smaller amount.

They also found that having a key boosted reporting rates by 9.2 percentage points in the three countries. 

Since the key is valuable to the owner but not the finder, this pointed toward an altruism concern in addition to the cost of negatively updating one’s self image.

Switzerland tops

The proportion of employees who got in touch with the owner surpassed 70 per cent in Switzerland and Norway. 

At the other end of the table was China, with fewer than 10 per cent of employees returning the wallet when it was empty, though the figure more than doubled when it contained yuan.

Countries’ relative wealth or poverty was found to be insufficient in explaining the disparities, said Cohn, adding that education and political systems could play a role.

On the whole, countries which are more democratic and where citizens feel they are a part of the decision-making process tend to score higher on civic honesty.

Local cultural values that emphasise moral norms extending beyond one’s “in-group” also appear to be associated with greater rates of reporting. 

That could explain why countries where family ties have traditionally been very strong, such as Italy, have a lower rate of return than more individualist nations in northern Europe, said co-author Christian Zund.

“Three of the authors have Swiss nationalities, so we were — of course, we were happy to see that Switzerland ranked among the top countries,” concluded Cohn.

PARIS — Some of fashion’s biggest stars and celebrity fans paid a joyous tribute on Thursday to the late great Karl Lagerfeld in the vast Paris venue that witnessed his greatest triumphs.

US singer Pharrell Williams, actresses Helen Mirren and Tilda Swinton, artist Jeff Koons, designers Valentino and Stella McCartney, models Claudia Schiffer and Gigi Hadid as well as Carla Bruni and Monica Bellucci all paid him homage at the Grand Palais where Lagerfeld staged his spectacular Chanel shows.

It was quite a turnout for a man who declared that he’d “rather die” than have a big sendoff.

The show they called “Karl For Ever” had all the hallmarks of the big-budget productions that Lagerfeld loved to stage in the Belle Epoque Grand Palais — stars, breathtaking set pieces and style in spades. 

Vogue maven Anna Wintour began the tributes in front of the most powerful man in fashion, LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, who gave Lagerfeld a job for life at Italian label Fendi.

The reclusive Alain Wertheimer, who co-owns Chanel with his brother Gerard, signed a similar “till death do us part” contract with the German, and it made him one of the richest men in France.

He gave his first interview for the occasion, praising Lagerfeld’s legendary erudition. Filmed sitting in front of the Kaiser’s vast private library, he said, “It is not worth talking about the things that Karl Lagerfeld did not know.”

Chopin, tango and cats

A procession of the designer’s friends, including the lady who looked after his cat Choupette — now apparently the richest feline in the world — were shot against the same backdrop reminiscing about the sometimes waspish wit who died aged 85 in February.

Their testimony on a giant video screen was intercut with live readings, dance and musical performances from artists that Lagerfeld loved.

French first lady Brigitte Macron, who Lagerfeld adored for her culture and acute sense of style, was also among the guests, while the model and actress Cara Delevingne played his favourite creature, a cat.

Swinton recited a passage from Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando” and the Chinese pianist Lang Lang played Chopin on a Steinway Lagerfeld designed.

The creator had a particular weakness for tango, and the acclaimed Argentine troupe German Cornejo flew to Paris from Buenos Aires to perform what Lagerfeld call his “Latin rap”.

The American dancer Lil Buck gave the dying swan a street twist — combining high and street culture, something at which Lagerfeld was also expert — while Williams sang “Gust of Wind” backed by two dancers.

But the show, as Lagerfeld would have wanted, was more about laughs than tears, with Mirren reading some of his acidly funny “Karlisms” to the strains of Paganini played by British violinist Charlie Siem.

The French actress Fanny Ardant recited the Stephane Mallarme poem “The Fan”, a wink at the object Lagerfeld used as his conductor’s baton as well as to bat away smoke when he went to parties.

“I am very much down to earth. Just not this earth,” as the aristocratic dandy with the curious common touch once said.

WASHINGTON — Ever wondered how dogs learned to use their “puppy eyes” to bend us to their will?

It turns out our pet pooches have evolved human-like eyebrow muscles, which let them make the sad faces that melt our hearts, according to a new study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It involved dissecting the cadavers of domestic dogs and comparing them to those of wild wolves, our best friends’ ancestors, whom they branched off from around 33,000 years ago (do not worry, no animals were killed for the research).

A separate part of the study saw scientists videotaping two-minute interactions between dogs and a human stranger, then repeating the experiment with wolves, to closely track how much they used a specific muscle around the eye that produced an inner eyebrow raise.

The researchers found two muscles around the eye were routinely present and well formed in the domestic dogs, but not the wolves, and only dogs produced high-intensity eyebrow movements as they gazed at the human.

“It makes the eye look larger, which is similar to human infants,” Professor Anne Burrows of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, who was one of the co-authors, told AFP. “It triggers a nurturing response in people.”

Since the muscles were robust in the dogs but not wolves, “that tells us that that muscle and its function are selected,” she added.

The current study was led by Juliane Kaminski at the University of Portsmouth and also included researchers from Howard University in Washington and North Carolina State University.

It builds on past work, including a notable 2015 paper by a group of researchers in Japan that demonstrated that gaze exchange between humans and their pet dogs led to a mutual spike in the so-called love hormone oxytocin, similar to an effect seen between human mothers and their babies.

But the latest work could explain how dogs are able to capture our attention in the first place.

The paper also posits two other explanations for what is going on — eyebrow movement may be significant for human-dog bonding “not just because it might elicit a caring response, but also because it might play a role during dog-human communicative interactions”.

Humans tend to pay attention to the upper facial areas of fellow humans during communication, and the dogs could be responding to this dynamic.

A final hypothesis is that exaggerated eyebrow movements expose the white sclera of the dogs’ eyes, which humans also have and find appealing in other animals (other primates have darkened sclera to camouflage their gaze).

Intriguingly, a Siberian Husky that was dissected did not possess one of the two muscles that were present in other dog breeds, which pulls the corner of the eyelid toward the ears.

That may be because Huskies are an ancient dog breed and the best living representative of what the link between dogs and wolves may have looked like.

“We’re also going to drill down into that interesting variation we saw in the Husky,” she said.

Mid-life women with weak upper and lower body fitness may be more prone to depression and anxiety, a study from Singapore suggests. 

In particular, poor handgrip strength and needing a long time to stand from a chair were associated with higher depression or anxiety symptoms, the study authors reported in the journal Menopause. 

“Mid-life women globally are in an incredibly difficult position: sandwiched between children, aging parents, husband and work commitments,” said senior study author Eu-Leong Yong of the National University of Singapore. 

“They sacrifice themselves in face of all these demands, and sometimes neglect their own needs,” he told Reuters Health by e-mail. “Anxiety and depression may go unrecognised.” 

Yong and colleagues studied more than 1,100 women, ages 45-69, who had routine gynaecology appointments at the National University Hospital in Singapore. During the appointments, the researchers measured upper body physical performance as reflected by handgrip strength, which requires the women to squeeze a hand-held dynamometer as hard as they could. The researchers measured lower body physical performance through gait speed, standing balance, and a repeated chair stand test, which records the time it takes to stand up from a seated position five times without using the arms. 

The research team used internationally-accepted questionnaires to assess whether and how often women experienced symptoms associated with anxiety and depression during the past week, including sadness, uncontrollable worrying, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep problems and poor appetite. 

Overall, 180 women, or about 16 per cent, had depressive or anxiety symptoms. Women ages 45 to 54 were more likely to report symptoms. 

Symptoms were not linked with menopause status, sociodemographic characteristics or lifestyle variables such as smoking or alcohol consumption. 

Physical characteristics and physical performance did make a difference, however. Women with depressive and anxiety symptoms were more often classified as having moderate-to-low physical performance. Weak handgrip strength was associated with a 68 per cent increased likelihood of having elevated symptoms. Taking longer on the sit-to-stand test was associated with 33 per cent increased odds of symptoms. 

“Our study shows an interesting correlation between the mind and body, indicating that physical strength is closely associated with mental health,” Yong said. 

Future studies should determine whether strengthening exercises that improve physical performance could help reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, he added. 

“While a causal association between depression and physical strength cannot be determined from this correlational study, there is strong evidence from clinical trials showing the benefits of exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, on mood in women,” said Pauline Maki of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Maki, who was not involved with this study, directs the Women’s Mental Health Research programme and has researched psychological well-being in mid-life women. 

Maki pointed out that rates of depression and anxiety tend to be lower in Singaporean women than in Western women. “Still,” she told Reuters Health by e-mail, “the study is an important reminder that in addition to hot flashes, mood symptoms during the menopausal transition are very common. Clinical guidelines recommend psychotherapies, anti-depressant treatment and physical exercise for mood symptoms.” 

Despite busy lives, mid-life women should prioritize muscle strengthening and resistance exercises, the study authors wrote. 

“Exercise is fun and cost free. It lightens your mood,” Yong said. “Make time for it, and make it part of the family routine.” 

Listening to music at home may reduce cancer patients’ pain and fatigue and ease symptoms like loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating, according to research in Taiwan.

In the study, breast cancer patients assigned to 30 minutes of music listening five times a week had “noticeably” reduced side effects of cancer and its treatment over 24 weeks, researchers report in the European Journal of Cancer Care.

The patients said the music helped their physical and psychological well-being because it distanced them from negative thoughts about cancer.

“Music therapy is convenient, does not involve invasive procedures and can easily be used by people in the comfort of their homes,” said senior study author Kuei-Ru Chou of Taipei Medical University. 

“Home-based music interventions can also be used with no cost,” Chou told Reuters Health by email. “Healthcare services have become expensive in the present time.”

The researchers recruited 60 breast cancer patients and randomly assigned half of them to a group that would listen to music at home on an MP3 player provided by the study team with a selection of classical, parlour, popular, Taiwanese and religious music to choose from. The other patients were also given a player and the same instructions about how often to listen, but their selections were various types of ambient music, mainly consisting of environmental sounds, which research has shown does little to reduce pain or symptoms, the study team notes.

Before the women had surgery, and after six, 12 and 24 weeks of music listening, all patients rated the severity of 25 physical symptoms on a five-point scale, as well as rating five categories of fatigue on a separate five-point scale, and the level of pain they felt on a 100-point scale. 

The average symptom severity scores of the music therapy group had dropped by five points at the six-week assessment, seven points at 12 weeks and nearly nine points after 24 weeks. Pain scores and overall fatigue scores fell at each assessment as well. 

For those listening to music, physical and mental fatigue had also dropped at six weeks but not later. 

In contrast, pain and symptom severity scores in the control group increased and remained higher than at the start of the trial. 

Based on the results, music therapy may not relieve long-term physical and mental fatigue, the study authors caution. And future studies should use objective measures of pain and fatigue, in addition to the subjective measures used in this study, Chou said. 

The researchers are also interested in learning how and why music therapy reduces symptoms and pain. Because listening to music promotes endorphins, dopamine and serotonin in the brain, the chemicals may spark joy and positive emotions that distract patients from the negative emotions, the study authors speculate. 

Music could affect functions of the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, skeletal, nervous and metabolic systems as well, relieving muscle tension and pain, they add. 

“From the neurophysiological point of view,” said Tereza Alcantara-Silva of the Federal University of Goias in Brazil, music-evoked emotions can modulate activity in a variety of brain areas. 

“Music plays a major role in self-regulation of emotional contexts,” said Alcantara-Silva, who was not involved in the study, by e-mail. “Music therapy can bring several benefits to cancer patients, helping them to find ways to deal with stress, fear and loneliness.” 

A smartphone-based relaxation app could help migraine sufferers reduce the number of headaches they get each month, a small study suggests. 

Using the app twice a week was associated with an average of four fewer headache days per month, according to the report in Nature Digital Medicine. 

“Migraine is now the second most disabling condition in terms of disability-adjusted years lost,” said lead author Dr Mia Minen of NYU Langone Health in New York City. 

Migraines affect about 1 in 6 adults in the US, with women most at risk. 

“Previous research has shown that the best treatment for preventing migraine is a combination of migraine medication and behavioral therapy,” Minen told Reuters Health by e-mail. However, “patients have significant difficulty accessing these safe, top evidence-based treatments”. 

Minen and colleagues created RELAXaHEAD, an app based on the technique of progressive muscle relaxation, a proven method of migraine prevention, the authors note. The study team analysed whether patients recruited from a neurology clinic would use the app regularly and whether they’d have fewer headache days. 

During the study, 51 patients in their 30s and 40s who typically had 13 or more headache days per month were asked to complete a daily headache diary and to do progressive muscle relaxation with the app for 20 minutes a day for 90 days. Nearly one-third of the participants were considered to have severe migraine disability when they enrolled, meaning they had missed considerable amounts of work, school and family activities due to the headaches. 

On average, participants used the app on 22 days per month, for about 11 minutes per day. Roughly half used it once per week and a third used it two or more times per week. Overall, those who used the app twice per week had four fewer headache days the following month, and those who used it once per week had two fewer headaches days. Use of the app tended to drop over time. 

Patients with higher depression scores were less likely to use the daily headache diary, and those with higher anxiety scores were more likely to use it. 

“The number of mobile health apps available in the iOS and Google Play stores has ballooned, and recent studies show that most people download an app but then rarely use it,” Minen said. “Importantly, we were able to get a considerable number of study participants to use the app.” 

The researchers have received inquiries about the app from patients with migraines outside the NYU Langone system, she noted. Although it was created as a research tool, Minen’s team is exploring ways to expand access to the app or include it in office visits. They’re also studying whether the app can help healthcare providers who do not know where to refer patients with migraines who want behavioural therapy. 

“I would encourage people who live with migraines to consider a behavioural treatment,” said Alice Pressman of Sutter Health in Walnut Creek, California, who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“The great thing about starting a [behavioural therapy] BT is that you don’t have to stop your other treatments if you feel they are effective,” Pressman said by email. “BTs can be used as add-ons with no added side effects.” 

However, an in-person a mindfulness-based stress reduction programme targeting migraines that was offered at her centre was difficult for some patients to attend due to time and location, Pressman said, so an online programme may help. At the same time, patients should know that apps are still new and not fully studied.

“Research here is important to enable therapeutically effective and safe smartphone apps. Lots of apps are offered that are not based on any scientific evidence,” said Thomas Dresler of the University of Tuebingen in Germany, who wasn’t involved in the study.

 “There are a lot of migraine apps out there, but customers need to know that the availability of an app per se does not guarantee effectiveness, safety or the developers’ adherence to specific quality standards,” Dresler said by e-mail.

Low, wide, highly stylised and built on a transverse front-drive based platform, the original Evoque proved equally controversial with Land Rover traditionalists and popular with a newer, younger and more fashion-conscious clientele when first launched in 2011. 

Influencing the design of almost every Land Rover since, the second generation arrived earlier this year and is instantly recognisable as an Evoque, yet blends seamlessly into the brand’s modern model line-up. The new Evoque also incorporates improved luxury, space, efficiency, and significant tech advances including standard mild hybrid technology for most models.

Keeping up appearances

Echoing the original’s design cues yet with more rounded surfacing replacing stark edges and angular lines, the new Evoque looks bulkier and more upright owing to its higher waistline and bonnet, but is only slightly bigger. Retaining its predecessor’s main design cues including a rakishly descending and floating effect coupe-like roofline, sense of width, and clamshell bonnet, the new model receives even slimmer front and rear lights. Offered only as a 5-door, with the 3-door coupe version ditched, it also gains a standard pop-out door handles and a more prominently ridged side character line.

Offered with three petrol and variations regionally, the Evoque can also be had in several specification levels including additional sporty R-Dynamic and Black Pack styling variations. Driven in four variations during its recent Middle East launch is at first glance seemingly most desirable in top spec First Edition guise with the most aggressive styling, biggest alloy wheels, most luxurious cabin and optional adaptive suspension. It was, however, the P300 S specification, mating the most powerful engine with the least adorned styling and most basic — albeit still very generously luxurious — equipment specification that proved best.

Seamless and smooth

Driven by the most powerful of Jaguar Land Rover’s turbocharged 2-litre 4-cylinder Ingenium engines, the Evoque P300 utilises a 48v mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) system, which is subtle and seemingly seamless in its driving contribution during acceleration and in traffic. Recovering kinetic energy on deceleration and, the MHEV system allows the engine to switch off automatically at under 17km/h when coming to a stop. In combination with a smooth and responsive 9-speed automatic gearbox with a broad range of ratios, MHEV helps the hefty 1,850kg P300’s achieve moderate 8.1l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency. 

Developing 296BHP at 5,500rpm and
295lb/ft torque throughout a broad and flexibly accessible 1,500-4,500rpm rev band the Evoque P300 drives with brisk and responsive versatility. Accelerating through 80-120km/h in 4.5-seconds, the P300 overtakes and climbs inclines with confident easy and an athletic pace. Capable of 242km/h, the P300 is also brisk on acceleration, with its four-wheel-drive sending power to the rear axles for additional traction when needed, while its MHEV driving contribution seems to compensate for turbo lag to make it more responsive as its races through 0-100km/h in 6.6-seconds.

Better basics

Driven in three versions in P300 guise, the Evoque proved refined and reassuringly stable at speed, tidy into and grippy through corners where it was amenable to cornering line corrections. Meanwhile its steering was quick and direct, and its MacPherson strut front and integral link rear suspension well balanced ride comfort and handling. However, it was the less aggressively decorated base S specification that proved the best drive. Slightly slimmer, taller and more forgiving the P300 S’ 235/60R18 tyres were more absorbent than the R-Dynamic’s firm 235/50R20s and the First Edition’s yet firmer 245/45R21 tyres.

Comfortably absorbing bumps, lumps and imperfections in a natural and fluent manner as paired with fixed rate dampers, the P300 S’s character was more consistent than the First Edition’s use of three-mode adaptive dampers to alternately provide both a softer and firmer ride. Settled and with good vertical and lateral control, the S version’s more restrained tyre size also provided better road feel, which made it seem more agile, nimble and connected through narrow winding roads. With minor steering feel improvement, one felt more confident placing, manoeuvring and hustling the S through such switchbacks.

Ability and equipment

Normally driving front wheels to reduce consumption but engaging all four wheels when necessary, the road-biased Evoque is, as Land Rovers are, nevertheless adept off-road, with generous off-road angles, 212mm clearance and 600mm water wading ability. Moreover, it features a sophisticated suite of off-road driving assistance systems including All-Terrain Progress Control and four-mode Terrain Response system that utilises and adapts different electronic driver aids, gearbox and throttle for different off-road situations. Numerous other features include blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, 360° reversing camera, high mounded rear camera projecting a clearer image in the rearview mirror and an optional low front camera for improved off-road visibility.

Classy, well-equipped and with comfortably supportive driving position and uncluttered design inside, the Evoque’s functions are concentrated in its infotainment screens, while materials are mostly high quality. Rear room is fairly sized but rear ingress could be slightly better for larger occupants, while boot capacity is generous. Offered with various trim levels and colours including sportier, darker and contrasting schemes for upscale versions, the base S version’s grey fabric upholstery, tactile and grippy steering material and light use of wood, however, made for a more fresh and airy ambiance.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, transverse 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83 x 92.3mm

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, continuously variable valve timing, direct injection

Electric motor: Synchronous claw pole rotor

Battery: 46.2v lithium-ion 

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 4.713; 2nd 2.842; 3rd 1.909; 4th 1.382; 5th 1.0; 6th 0.808; 7th 0.699; 8th 0.58; 9th 0.48

Reverse/final drive: 3.83/4.544

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 296 (300) [221] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 148.1BHP/litre

Power-to-weight ratio: 153.7BHP/tonne (kerb)

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 295 (400) @1,500-4,500rpm

Specific torque: 200.2Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight ratio: 207.8Nm/tonne (kerb)

0-100km/h: 6.6-seconds

80-120km/h: 4.5-seconds

Top speed: 242km/h

Fuel economy, combined: 8.1-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 186g/km

Fuel capacity: 67-litres

Wheelbase: 2,681mm

Track, F/R: 1,625/1,631mm

Ground clearance: 212mm

Approach/break-over/departure angles: 25/20.7/30.6 degree

Ascent/descent gradient: 45 degree

Side slope gradient: 35 degree

Towing, braked/unbraked: 1,800/750kg

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.33

Boot capacity, min/max: 591-/1,383-litres

Unladen/kerb weight: 1,850/1,925kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones/integral multi-link, anti-roll bars

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.6-metres

Lock-to-lock: 2.31-turns

Brake discs, F/R: 349mm/325mm

Tyres: 235/60R18