Another face-lifted model set for a Geneva debut is the Range Rover Evoque. Along with exterior tweaks come new engines and some tech filtered down from the Range Rover.
Exterior & Interior
The Evoque will get a new front bumper with two new grille designs, enlarged air intakes, all-LED adaptive headlamps and new alloy wheels. At the rear there’s a new tailgate spoiler and LED stoplight, while updates to the interior includes new seats, door casings, new soft-touch materials and colours.
The Evoque’s trim levels will also fall in-line with it’s bigger Range Rover sibling – you can now choose between SE, HSE Dynamic and Autobiography spec. Standard on SE-spec cars is Land Rover’s new eight-inch touchscreen-based infotainment system and InControl Touch. The face-lifted Evoque also gets a new TFT information display in the instrument panel.
Engine
The Evoque gets Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) new four-cylinder, 2.0-litre Ingenium turbodiesel engine that it will share with the upcoming new Jaguar XE sedan. In the two-wheel drive eD4, JLR claim this 110 kW engine to be 18% more fuel efficient than the Evoque’s previous diesel engines. There will also be a 132 kW six-speed manual turbodiesel with four-wheel drive.
The most efficient Evoques – the front-wheel-drive eD4 three-door and five-door variants – will be called “e-Capability” models and wear blue Evoque badges.
Petrol engines include the 177 kW Si4 petrol engine available in four-wheel drive with a nine-speed automatic transmission as standard.
Drivetrains offered will be two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and Active Driveline – the latter features torque vectoring for improve traction and will automatically switch between two- and four-wheel drive as and when required. It comes standard with the Si4 petrol and is optional across the rest of the range.
Chassis
All-Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) – first seen on the Range Rover – helps on difficult off-road terrain by maintaining a pre-determined speed. New safety features included as standard include lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking and a drowsy driver warning.
The Evoque’s suspension has also been tweaked to compensate for the lower weight of the Ingenium diesel engines. There’s a new front suspension subframe and revised rear bushings, as well as larger brake discs.
Plus the Cabrio
As we have already reported on, the 2016 Evoque line-up will include a new cabriolet model. JLR haven’t officially confirmed it yet but enough camouflaged test cars have been spotted around to safely assume its on the cards. It’s likely that we will see it, along with the facelifted Evoque range at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The facelift will hit SA shores 3rd quarter of 2015, but keep the existing range as the new Ingenium engines will only be EU6 compliant at launch.
