This is the new Range Rover Evoque, the premium, compact and popular SUV by Jaguar Land Rover. On sale from spring of next year, the car evolves the original model to be more polished and in keeping with its siblings within the Range Rover family. The new Evoque is a progressive car too, offering a mild-hybrid drive and a host of innovative technologies.
This is a momentous occasion, for the Evoque is a critical car for JLR. The story began in 2007 with the creation of the LRX. Penned by the creative director Gerry McGovern, the concept car was bold, brave and carved a new vehicle sector – the small urban SUV. The Range Rover Evoque production car that followed stayed true to the LRX. It was a risky choice. Company management at the time apparently predicted modest sales with what they saw as a niche model. The Evoque, though, tapped into a new market and spoke to a whole new demographic group. Urbanites loved it, as did women and younger drivers and the car sold far more than expected (over 700,000), elevating the brand to new levels.
“It transformed the world of compact SUVs” smiles McGovern confidently. “The new model is set to continue that remarkable journey. This characterful vehicle combines refinement and fun to create that all-important emotional reaction which will turn heads and make people smile.” We are at the National Automotive Innovation Center, a new campus at Warwick University in the UK. Funded by JLR, it houses the advanced design and engineering departments as well as connect education and industry. This is an impressive space to reflect the company’s progressive attitude and long-term ambitions.
I am here to see the new Evoque ahead of today’s global reveal. The car before me retains the volume of the outgoing model, but offers a more generous interior space thanks to the new architecture it is built on. The high waistline, sloping roof and raised rear, design features which gave the original Evoque its edgy and unique stance, have been retained but modified and more refined. The new car has pronounced shoulders, powerful wheel-arches and it sits confidently on 21-inch wheels. The exterior surfacing is calm with hardly any visual distractions. There are Velar-style flush doors and slim Matrix LED lights with the odd surprising element, such as copper blade accents, adding a touch of intrigue.
I ask McGovern if he was nervous approaching the second-generation Evoque. After all, the company is a very different place now. Since 2007, JLR has progressed beyond recognition. The collection of cars from both Jaguar and Land Rover confidently compete with some of the finest of luxury motor cars. McGovern himself is a respected figure in the creative industry and one of the most commercially successful car designers of our time.
“No I never get nervous; I’m too arrogant,” he offers half joking. “It is unmistakably an Evoque – this was something we knew we had to do. It was also about moving the game on. Is it an evolution? The Evoque was a game-changer so it was about making it more refined.” McGovern admits that the new car purposely has a quiet presence. “We dialed down some of the reductionist themes which has its best manifestation with the Velar. It is about tapping into the passion of opulence. It is an accumulation of details.”
This is also a technologically accomplished product. The new mixed-material “Premium Transverse Architecture” has been developed for electrification, with a 48-volt mild-hybrid available at launch and a plug-in hybrid model promised within a year. The mild-hybrid is a first for JLR and functions by harvesting energy normally lost during deceleration using an engine-mounted belt-integrated starter generator and storing it in the under-floor battery. At speeds below 11-mph, the engine will shut off while the driver applies the brakes. When pulling away, the stored energy is redeployed to assist the engine under acceleration and reduce fuel consumption. The idea is for a more refined, quiet and efficient drive in city traffic.
Land Rovers need to perform off-road, even if cars like the Range Rover, Velar and Evoque may never leave the city tarmac. The Evoque too offers all-terrain capabilities in all weathers thanks to a host of technology – all-wheel drive, active driveline with driveline disconnect and adaptive dynamics to deliver the optimum balance of comfort and agility. Adopted from the Range Rover, “Terrain Response 2” automatically detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up accordingly, so the Evoque can now wade through waters 600mm deep.
The new architecture has created more interior space too. The longer wheelbase adds 20mm extra rear knee-room, an increase in small item stowage and offers a larger 591-liter luggage space. Inside the Evoque has a calm cabin – technology here is hidden until summoned when the engine ignites. There is a twin touchscreen “Touch Pro Duo system”, 16-way seat controls and cabin air ionization. There are some novel digital ideas being explored here too. “ClearSight” is a digital rear-view mirror which projects a flawless all-surround 360-degree view image thanks to a camera positioned on the roof. “Ground View” 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, useful when negotiating difficult parking spaces. And “Smart Settings” uses artificial intelligence algorithms to learn the driver’s preference for an on-board butler of sorts.
The JLR team are constantly discovering new material themes from outside the auto world. Evoque customers will be able to specify technical textures and more responsible fabrics, including a specialist wool blend being invented alongside the Danish firm Kvadrat as well as textiles that use recycled plastics as an alternative to leather. The team have introduced interior modular color schemes to complement exterior colors. McGovern feels it is about “finding a relevance within markets that are more urbanized”.
The original Evoque introduced new customers to JLR and raised its profile globally. This edgy little SUV boosted confidence. Its critical and commercial success has meant the design team, led by McGovern for Land Rover and Ian Callum for Jaguar, are able to offer often radical new products, cars like the electric I-Pace and niche Velar, with their voices heard clearly by the management at company owners, Tata Motors.
“The LRX changed the direction of our brand,” admits McGovern. “It helped send out a message that design is integral to our origin and therefore our success.” The new Evoque, though, comes at a different time in automotive history. “The world has changed since 2011 and we face new challenges – mass urbanization, tough legislation, the environment. We need to continue to do vehicles that are unique and distinctive,” he says, “It is about creating a balance and not becoming too generic. If we do this properly, Range Rover, Land Rover, Defender, they will all become brands in their own right.”
Read my previous interview with Gerry McGovern here and discover more about Jaguar’s plans with an interview with Ian Callum here.
