Friday, January 7^th 2011 heralded a rather exciting day for both Graham and myself. We were due to attend the launch of the Range Rover Evoque at the London Boat Show.

We arrived at London’s ExCel’s centre mid-afternoon in the hope of catching a sneaky pre-glimpse of the car. The stand was guarded by two rather determined looking sales staff, which suggested there was no getting near until the official unveiling of the car. Instead, Graham and I busied ourselves milling around the spectacular Sun Sunseeker yachts on display, and allowed our dreams to take over.

At around 6pm, we were ushered upstairs to a champagne reception. We continued watching very carefully when we could gain access to the stand. Shortly before 7pm, we managed to talk one of the Land Rover staff into letting us in slightly early so I could gain a good vantage point (being only 5ft 2”!)

A most fantastic display awaited us, a huge circular bar and trapeze artists hung spectacularly above our heads. In between all this I got the opportunity to discuss the Evoque with the Land Rover Managing Director and shared my intention of writing this blog. I wanted to capture my experience of seeing, customising and ultimately driving and living with the Evoque, from a ‘girlie’ point of view. 

The proceedings began with Ben Shepherd, the former GMTV presenter and now Sky’s Sports reporter, introducing the Evoque and presenting Land Rover’s and Range Rover’s chief designer Gerry Mcgovern.

I got the opportunity to speak to Gerry and asked about his inspiration behind the design of the Evoque?. He replied, rather eloquently, “Beautiful women such as yourself". Well, he had certainly got my attention!

The moment had arrived and after another short speech by Ben, the Evoque was unveiled.  As the silk sheet was removed, the mood was electric, you could almost feel the anticipation in the air. 

Flashbulbs pulsated the stand. Graham was already escorting me onto the stand and, as a result, I was the first to sit in the Evoque. It had all the trappings of the Range Rover, but a slight edge, elegance, uniqueness. Its futuristic design and its dramatic lines were stunning. It was everything and more from a design point of view. I am yet to drive it, but my first impression was good.

With a couple of hundred or more people waiting to sit in the Evoque, my time was short. As I got out, Ben Shepherd was on hand to ask my first impressions, and we shared views about how I had always felt the original Range Rover was too big and the Evoque was a far more suitable candidate for my lifestyle. Ben was very friendly, without the airs and graces that befall many a presenter. 

We milled around with other guests. I spent time talking to the very knowledgeable girls in the marketing team. There were more canapés and champagne but, all too soon, the night came to an end.

It had been a truly memorable launch, and left us wanting more and I have a feeling that the best is yet to come.