[Jason]

The 2012 Detroit NAIAS show is coming soon (second week of January) and it's the venue where the annual North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACOTY) awards will be decided and presented.

The NACOTY finalists have just been named and the 2012 X3 has been named one of three finalists in the Truck Category

The Truck Category Finalists:

BMW X3
Honda CR-V
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque


The Car Cateogry Finalists:

Ford Focus
Hyundai Elantra
Volkswagen Passat

[colson79]

I really don't understand why the press is so infatuated with the Range Rover Evoque. I find it to be very ugly.

[greg2step]

Originally Posted by colson79

I really don't understand why the press is so infatuated with the Range Rover Evoque. I find it to be very ugly.

+1

[E92LNGCGY]

Good to hear. My decision on the X3 is the right choice.

The Evoque is nice up front but the back is meh. The big problem is the price. A loaded Evoque is about $66k in Canada and the motor isn't very inspiring. I am going as far to say that It's weak.

[DCat]

Originally Posted by greg2step

+1

agreed...to me it looks like they put the new Explorer in a vise...

[Irish-Texan]

Changed from 2008 X5 3.0 to 2011 X3 35i and from 2007 Mini Cooper S to 2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5dr. Very happy with both having test driven a bunch of competitive vehicles before final selection. Happy to see both made their respective top three lists.

[lbjgh]

It's likely that the RR will be picked.

Most notable scribes have selected the RR but I donno why after driving both the X3 and the Evoque.

[Fryguy29]

I agree they will pick the evoque. The media seems infatuated with it, from what I can tell,based solely on looks no one really sings the praises of the interior or drive. I would venture to say that not one single person who purchases that vehicle will ever take it off road. Motor Trend also gave the Evoque its award. Maybe it's because Posh Spice designed it.

[nonagon]

Evoque will likely win, but X3 is the better ride.

[Powerrunner]

At least the X3 made it to the top three! Sure love mine?

[powertech83]

Evoque is overpriced IMO. Here they cost the same as BMW X5 30d, which is ridiculous.

[nfs060]

You really look like a poser driving a Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, imo.
It really does look like ford explorer's little wanna be brother. I get what they were trying to accomplish, money from the middle class who wants the Range Rover branding. Just for the sake of the name, you look like a poser. If it was Land Rover branding, no one would buy it.

[Barekat]

Couldn't you say the same thing about BMW owners?

The Evoque and X3 are the same price after all.

And even if you were a poser and had to lease to "get into" a premium vehicle (RR or BMW) wouldn't the RR name carry more panache?

Originally Posted by nfs060

You really look like a poser driving a Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, imo.
It really does look like ford explorer's little wanna be brother. I get what they were trying to accomplish, money from the middle class who wants the Range Rover branding. Just for the sake of the name, you look like a poser. If it was Land Rover branding, no one would buy it.

[Beyu]

Originally Posted by Barekat

Couldn't you say the same thing about BMW owners?

The Evoque and X3 are the same price after all.

And even if you were a poser and had to lease to "get into" a premium vehicle (RR or BMW) wouldn't the RR name carry more panache?

While I agree that the Evoque and X3 could both be considered "posers" for more expensive vehicles in their brand's lineup the fact that there's cheaper cars such as the 1-series, X1, and 3-series (335i & X3 35i are same price with the 335 xDrive being a little more) they help buffer the perception a little better. However, the Evoque is the cheapest RR (LR2's cheaper but that's a Land Rover) so I can understand why some people could have negative feelings towards buying one.

PS: This isn't to say that I'd look down on someone for buying a Evoque just because it's the cheapest RR, the Evoque is a very nice car and I wouldn't mind owning one. There's nothing wrong if LR desires to make more money and expand their lineup to include more affordable cars, in the end buyers win since they get more choices plus all of us on here probably think the X3 is the best SUV in it's market segment but we wouldn't exactly want everyone to be driving the same car would we?

[Fryguy29]

I agree with above. If you Simply want to get into a BMW you can do it for cheaper than the X3. I don't feel like a poser. I'm getting what I feel is the best in class crossover SUV. It actually is one of the more expensive in class. The Evoque is the cheapest range rover available. I would never buy one ( I drove it), but I wouldn't call someone a poser for buying a 50k vehicle.