The Range Rover Evoque will go on sale in the fall of 2011, priced from about $45,000. Those are the facts.
And there’s more. The Evoque compact crossover will be sold in three- and five-door versions. Both sit on the same footprint, without any increase in overall width or length.
The five-door Evoque has the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the coupe. It makes 240 horsepower, delivering 0-100 km/h is just over seven seconds, Land Rover officials say. Basic nuts and bolts: electric power-assisted steering, adaptive dynamics with MagneRide dampers and the company's off-roading Terrain Response system.
The cabin is what you expect. The priciest versions will be decorated in twin-needle-stitched premium leather on the instrument panel, doors and seats and authentic metal finishes. A full-size panoramic glass roof adds to headroom and there’s a touch-screen display, audio streaming and Bluetooth connectivity. The audio system is a 17-speaker Meridian setup that puts out 825 watts of power.
To bump up the “gee-whiz” factor, there’s a light show in the cabin every time you start the engine. Land Rover is also borrowing the Jaguar-style rotary automatic gear selector that rises from the console to meet your hand. In Dynamic mode, the instrument panel lighting changes to red to heighten the mood in the cabin.
The Evoque begs a very basic question: What happens to the LR2? No one is talking, but it’s possible the Volvo-based LR2 will simply go away.
That seems reasonable, actually. Land Rover says that the Range Rover Evoque’s unit-body is an entirely new design, and not a derivative of the Volvo S80 as is the LR2. Still, because the Evoque is a much smaller vehicle than anything the auto maker has sold in this century – about the size of the upcoming BMW X1 and Volkswagen’s Tiguan – there is a chance LR2 will carry on as a larger alternative for at least a year or two. But that’s all speculation.
What is without dispute is the fact the Evoque will be Land Rover’s fuel economy leader. The light-duty four-wheel-drive system helps fuel economy, yet the shocker is Land Rover’s plan to sell the Evoque with a “low-carbon, two-wheel-drive option.” Moreover, in pushing the sustainable aspects here, Land Rover says the metal trim is made of 95 per cent recycled aluminum. The base cloth upholstery is made of 100 per cent recycled polyester. Plus there are 16 or so kilograms of pounds of recycled plastic in every single Evoque.
A green, two-wheel-drive Land Rover? Some would call that blasphemy, others the evolution of the brand. I call it a risk, but one Land Rover must take to survive and grow.
