Land Rover has officially revealed the all-new Range Rover Evoque at a special event held in London.
With global sales of over 772,096 – 20% of which have come from the UK – the model has been a huge hit for the British brand since it launched some seven years ago. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the latest instalment of the compact luxury SUV has been bolstered with a £1bn investment to support its production.
Measuring 4371 mm long, 2100 mm wide and 1649 mm tall, the second-generation version is almost identical to the original in terms of size.
However, being built on Land Rover’s new mixed-material “Premium Transverse Architecture”, there is more interior space than before. A longer wheelbase of 2681 mm yields 20 mm extra rear kneeroom and an increase in small item stowage – the larger glove box and centre cubby are now claimed to fit tablets, handbags and bottles “with ease”. At the rear, the luggage space is 10 per cent larger (591 litres) as well as wider, with space increasing to 1,383 litres when the 40:20:40 second-row seats are folded.
And, perhaps more importantly, the new architecture has been developed for electrification, which means the new Evoque is the first Land Rover to feature a mild hybrid powertrain. While the latter will be available at launch, a a three cylinder plug-in hybrid model is also expected to roll out around 12 months afterwards.
In the meantime there will be a mix of of four-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, with the top of the range 2.0-litre ‘P300’ belting out 296 bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque to deliver a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds as well as a top speed of 150 mph.
All Evoques will also feature four-wheel drive, with the one exception being the 148 bhp, entry-level D150 diesel model.
“Underneath the skin is an engineering and technical revolution. The architecture is all-new to accommodate both plug-in and mild hybrid systems, with only the door hinges remaining unchanged on the body,” says Jaguar Land Rover’s executive director of product engineering, Nick Rogers.
“When Range Rover Evoque made its debut back in 2010, it transformed the world of compact SUVs and the new model is set to continue that remarkable journey. This characterful vehicle combines refinement and fun to create that all important emotional reaction that will turn heads and make people smile,” adds company design boss, Gerry McGovern.
First deliveries of the new Evoque are expected to begin in the first months of 2019.
