HAVING pioneered the luxury compact SUV market, with global sales of over 772,096 – 20% of those in the UK – the new Range Rover Evoque now offers a choice of hybrid-electric engines.
Jaguar Land Rover UK’s Managing Director Rawdon Glover reckons the latest version brings a new level of refinement, luxury and sustainability while preserving all the charm of the first model launched in 2011.
The design is an evolution rather than revolution. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? There are some subtle changes such as the introduction of super-slim Matrix LED headlamps, more sophisticated front and rear lamp graphics, flush door handles and sweeping directional indicators.
The footprint is almost identical, yet built on Land Rover’s new mixed-material Premium Transverse Architecture, there is more interior space than before.
A longer wheelbase yields 20mm extra rear kneeroom and an increase in small item stowage – the larger glove box and centre cubby can now fit tablets, handbags and bottles with ease. The luggage space is 10% larger (591 litres) as well as much wider, increasing to 1,383 litres when the 40:20:40 second-row seats are folded.
The new architecture has been developed for electrification, with a 48-volt mild-hybrid available at launch and a plug-in hybrid model offered around 12 months afterwards.
The mild hybrid powertrain is a first for Land Rover and works by harvesting energy normally lost during deceleration thanks to the engine-mounted belt-integrated starter generator, storing it in the under-floor battery.
Available across the range, when specified with automatic gearbox, of four-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, the mild hybrid delivers CO2 emissions from 149g/km and fuel economy from 50.4mpg.
The 150PS diesel engine with front wheel drive emits 143g/km. An even more efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model and three-cylinder petrol Ingenium engine will also join the range next year.
New Evoque features All-Wheel Drive, as well as a second-generation Active Driveline with Driveline Disconnect to enhance efficiency and Adaptive Dynamics to deliver a balance of comfort and agility.
Terrain Response 2 – technology first found on full-size Range Rover – automatically detects the surface being driven on a adjusts the set-up accordingly, while Evoque can now wade through water up to 600mm (previously 500mm).
The Range Rover command driving position has jumped into the digital age, with a segment-first ‘ClearSight rear-view mirror’ that transforms into an HD video screen. If rear visibility is compromised by passengers or bulky items, the driver simply flicks a switch on the underside of the mirror and a camera feed from the top of the car displays what is behind the vehicle in crisp high definition.
The new model is also the first in the world to feature Ground View technology, which effectively makes the bonnet invisible by projecting camera imagery onto the upper touchscreen to show the driver a 180-degree view under the front of the vehicle.
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