Evoque to boost Land Rover in Scotland 23 | 09 | 2010
LAND ROVER bosses believe the arrival of the new Evoque next summer will "create a new segment of the market" in Scotland. Phil Popham is in no doubt the 'baby Landie' will cause the same stir the original Range Rover caused and he confident it will kick-start a new 'baby premium' area of the market.
"Historically Land Rover has a record on creating new market segments or at least guiding them in another direction," Popham told Scotcars. "Think back to the original Range Rover, the Freelander or the Range Rover Sport. We're optimistic that Evoque can achieve the same.
"Range Rover is luxury, Land Rover is versatility and practicality. The Evoque has helped to define our brand positioning and iIt says a lot about where Range Rover can go in the future."
Revealing details of the Evoque before it is launched officially at next week's Paris Motor Show, Popham explained there will be two specs of 2.2-litre turbodiesel powerplants, with 148bhp and 187bhp. These, understandably will form the bulk of sales of the Evoque in Scotland. Both models will have stop-start as standard when accompanied by a manual gearbox. A 237bhp petrol version will also be available using a variant of Ford's turbocharged 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine.
The front-drive 148bhp diesel will return 58mpg and less than 130g/km of CO2 when paired with a manual gearbox (adding two driven wheels will cost you 8mpg and more than 15g/km).
Both the diesel and petrol engines will also be offered with four-wheel drive and an updated six-speed auto transmission.
As you would expect, there is a comprehensive range of options available, including a full-length panoramic roof. However, if you don't want glass, you can opt for the roof in contrasting paint colours as a no-cost option.
If you fancy it, there's also a dual-view TFT screen for simultaneous sat-nav and television display, and upgrade the stereo to a 1200W, 17-speaker Meridian system. Slightly more practical options include park assist, dual-zone climate control with a timer facility, a powered tailgate, adaptive headlights and a heated windscreen.
Jim McGill