What's all this about?
The phenomenal sales success that is the Range Rover Evoque is being rejigged for the 2016 model year.
Where will you start?
With the exterior, which has received mild styling changes; due to that incredible showroom success, more than 400,000 baby Rangies have been shifted since 2011, so totally redrawing its compact body was a no-no for the Land Rover styling team. Therefore, pay attention to the slim LED foglights, the larger air intakes, fresh grille designs (either two horizontal bars on lesser trims or a hexagonal mesh affair on the Dynamic models) and, er, a wider towing-eye cover. Seriously. At the back, the roof spoiler has been reshaped and houses a wider, slimmer LED high-level brake light, while there are three new alloy wheel designs from which to choose.
And how about the interior?
Some extra soft-touch materials, new seats and door casings are first up, along with a redesigned instrument binnacle and extra interior colour choices. All models get touchscreen infotainment control, called InControl Touch (a straightforward name), which utilises an eight-inch screen. SE models don't have satnav as standard but opt for the higher two trims of HSE Dynamic or Autobiography and nav is thrown in with InControl Touch Plus. As is an 11- or 17-speaker Meridian sound system and rear-seat entertainment too. The 2016MY Evoque gets a hands-free tailgate feature as well, allowing you to open the boot by waving your foot underneath the rear bumper.
Are the engines changed at all?
Yes, the excellent Ingenium aluminium diesels - as seen in the Jaguar XE - are ported over to the baby Range Rover. So you can have either 150- or 180hp variants, driving through either the front or all four wheels. The 150hp lump can return up to 68mpg and 109g/km CO2, while the 180's best figures are 59mpg and 125g/km. Opt for the lower-powered diesel with front-wheel drive and new Land Rover eco-branding comes into play, called E-Capability. This sees the Evoque badge coloured blue and the TD4 nomenclature changed to eD4.
I want a petrol Evoque, though - can I buy one?
Indeed you can, the Si4 model has 240hp, which means 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 135mph, with economy of 26mpg and emissions rated at 181g/km CO2.
Has anything else changed on the drivetrain?
No, but there are additional electronic driver aids, for use both on- and off-road. All-Terrain Progress Control can hold the car at a constant 1.1- to 19mph for steady mud-plugging, while Lane-Keeping Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Attention Assist Estimation are all added to the Evoque's safety armoury.
When will we see this new Evoque?
Its debut is at the Geneva Motor Show and it will go on sale in 170 global markets from August this year. Pricing is expected to be the same as the current model.
Matt Robinson - 23 Feb 2015