Tech completes the new Range Rover Evoque
It’s hard, from this side of the pond, to make any real sense of the Brexit conflict that’s dominating the news in Britain and Europe these days.
There was a referendum, the majority in Britain voted to leave the EU, and there has been a never-ending debate ever since about how best to do it.
Dr. Ralf Dieter Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, is one of those worried that one false move on either side could result in calamity.
“Is car manufacturing in the U.K. under threat because of Brexit,” he asked rhetorically during a meeting with Canadian journalists in Oakville recently? “Yes! Everybody can do the math. Thousands of jobs are at risk. If we don’t have a Brexit deal, we go back to (a trade arrangement) under the WTO (World Trade Organization). If we don’t get it right, I’m afraid the fridges of some people will be empty.”
It happened that on the day that British Prime Minister, Theresa May, stood in the House of Commons to announce that she had, indeed, reached agreement with the EU on Brexit, JLR unveiled, in London, England, the latest edition of its best-selling compact luxury SUV, the 2020-model Range Rover Evoque. Undoubtedly, Speth — like others in the British auto industry — has his fingers crossed that opposition to the deal dies down and automobile exports from Britain continue on pace. Otherwise, as he told the Canadian journalists, “I just cannot imagine . . .”
Whatever happens — and don’t for a moment think there will be another referendum because there would then have to be a third best two-out-ofthree, eh?) the Evoque is a stunning advance in automobile design and technology. It promises – among other things - a smoother ride, more leg-andfoot room for people in the car, and an increase in interior space to put cargo and smallitem stuff like purses and boxes of tissue.
In addition, new off-road technologies guarantee that the car is as comfortable making its way over cottage roads full of mud and water as it is on threeor four-lane expressways.
An example of that technology, for instance, is a camera system called the “ClearSight Ground View,” which lets a driver see what`s underneath the front of the car. This helps when you`re trying not to drive over a big rock. I know this from experience, having manoeuvred an Evoque through an east-end London obstacle course prior to its global unveiling as well as last summer during a Land Rover Off-Road Driving Experience I enjoyed, compliments of JLR, at the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello Resort in Quebec.
Another tech breakthrough I should mention is the “ClearSight Rear View Mirror.” You know how it is. Three people are sitting in the back of the car, and you can`t properly see who or what is behind you. A touch of a toggle switch will turn the mirror into a rear-view camera and you can suddenly see everything. Trust me – that is not an exaggeration.
Now, with all this good comes a little bad. While a 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain coupled with a four-cylinder gasoline engine will be available for purchase in the 2020 model year, a plug-in hybrid will not. And there will be no dieselpowered engine available.
But a four-cylinder gas-powered 246-hp P250 will be in Canadian showrooms next year as will the 296-hp MHEV P300. But that's all that's expected in the short term.
That mild-hybrid powertrain, by the way, is a first for Land Rover. Energy normally lost during braking/deceleration is stored in a battery under the floor. When the driver accelerates, the energy will then be retrieved to help boost engine performance until the car gets back to cruising speed.
JLR says this will reduce fuel consumption by six per cent.
The SUV boasts a Standard Driveline Disconnect system, which is designed to seamlessly switch between two- and allwheel-drive (which is a great feature). This means the frontaxle disconnects to allow pure two-wheel running but can reengage all-wheel-drive in 300 milliseconds (and you read that correctly).
In the end, though, the new Evoque is really all about design, both inside as well as outside the car. Said chief design officer Gerry McGovern: “When the 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 vehicle combines refinement and fun, to create that all-important emotional reaction that will turn heads and make people smile.”
In an interview, I asked McGovern if he could pick just one thing about this new car, what would it be? His answer was not surprising.
“It’s the whole thing,” he said. “I look at the bigger picture and for me it’s the overall message of what the car is and what it’s about. Take its character. The character comes from an accumulation of all the detail. What I would say about this over the predecessor, and I love the predecessor, is it’s got more of an on-road orientation; it looks less off-road. It’s very refined in its level of sophistication.
“The other manufacturers, they’re very ‘busy.’ We’re not. It’s as much about what this car hasn’t got on it as what it has got on it.”
In that vein, then, the exterior of the Evoque is smooth but very masculine. Think of a close shave. The wheelarches, the 21inch wheels and the flowing roofline emphasize the vehicle’s dynamism and strength. Slim LED headlights and flush door handles add to the uncluttered exterior that looks as if it’s built for speed.
Inside, you will find a number of improvements and refinements as compared with the previous Evoque. Because the wheelbase is 21 mm longer, legs and knees have more room and because there are new seatmounting points, there is more space for feet under the seats.
There are two 10-inch touchscreens for everything from interior-temperature controls to FM radio-station lineups to navigation tools and the centre console is larger with sliding armrests and a storage area for smartphones and other small things. Space in the doors can accommodate large bottles of water or purses.
The seats are ergonomically sensitive and covered by a selection of what the company calls responsibly-sourced materials including Eucalyptusderived textiles and Kvadrat wool blends. (The Land Rover brand’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its range of innovative new textiles, of which those are but two, which offer alternatives to leather).
And up to 33 kilograms of natural and recycled materials are used in every Range Rover Evoque.
Said Amy Frascella, chief designer, colour and materials, Land Rover:
“We placed a great deal of focus on the creation of refined, sumptuous interior and exterior colour and material details. New materials designed and developed to offer different technical attributes alongside a more modern look and feel combine to offer more contemporary options for one of our most progressive vehicles yet.”
One other thing. The new Range Rover Evoque – and some other manufacturers, like Subaru, make a big deal out of features like these — is the first Land Rover vehicle to employ Smart Settings, a system that learns the driver’s preferences (seat position, climate settings) in order to automate comfort and media settings.
Translation: the car “remem- bers” how you like the seat position, mirror settings, temperature and Fifties on Five or Sixties on Six. It saves you a lot of time when you get into the car after someone else has been driving it.
Okay, it`s time to look at some of the nuts and bolts.
á Evoque boasts a 10 per cent increase in luggage volume. It now has 591litres (which allows you to get two full sets of golf clubs into the back of the car instead of just one;
á The centre console storage bin has 4.5 litres of space;
á It has six onboard USB ports and the Touch Pro Duo Infotainment system has a 4G WiFi hotspot supporting up to eight devices;
á Want to drive into a river? Land Rover wade sensing serves up a live display of water depth on one of the touchscreens;
á The engine auto-stop kicks in when the car is travelling under 17 km/h and restarts in 600 milliseconds. There is, of course, cruise control and steering assistance (which helps to keep you in your lane);
á Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect you to your smartphone and the 4G WiFi hotspot connects you to the Internet;
á New Land Rover Premium Transverse Architecture is strong and stiff, assisting with on-road refinement and all-terrain capability;
á Additional details and pricing will be announced at the Canadian debut of the new Evoque at the 2019 Montreal Auto Show in February;
á Speth told the Canadian reporters that he doesn't expect to see fully autonomous vehicles (Level 3 autonomy) on public roads and highways anytime soon but that assisted driving technology (Level 2) will get better. “We will see the steering wheel for a very long time,” he said, citing cyber security (“we can't allow anyone to remotely control the car”) and ethical questions “computers will have to make decisions and we have to be comfortable with that”) as barriers to full autonomy. He added: “I hope when I'm old and retired that a vehicle will drive me to the park - and hopefully back again . . . but not now.”
á The Montebello Land Rover Experience is the only one in Canada and only one of four in North America. It takes place over trails through some of 65,000 acres of wilderness parkland not far from the Fairmont hotel property. Called the Kenauk Nature Reserve, there were more insects than birds or animals the weekend my wife and I were there but the scenery was breathtaking and the off-road course challenging. But the Land Rover Discovery I was driving was more than up to the task and no steep hill or other obstacle was too tough. In short, it was tons of fun and the accommodations and meals superb. Go to the Fairmont website for information and pricing for both the Experience and to stay at the hotel.
A roomier ride: legs and knees have more room and because there are new seat-mounting points, there is more space for feet under the seats