The ever-popular Range Rover Evoque has received a few updates designed to make it a bit more efficient, and the infotainment a bit easier to use. It’s basically the same bunch of changes that the closely related Land Rover Discovery Sport got, which you can read about here.
Mainly, the Evoque is now available with a pair of diesels that incorporate 48v mild hybrid technology to improve fuel economy over the versions they replace. Called D165 and D200, in both cases power is from a four-cylinder diesel engine, the former with 161bhp and the latter 201bhp; the D165 becomes the entry-level Evoque now, replacing the D150 model.
48v mild hybrid technology is a system that uses brake energy recapture to power a larger-than-usual starter motor, drawing power from an enlarged battery pack. It can be used to provide a short power burst on occasion, but is mainly used to assist the engine – diesel in this case – when cruising, meaning the car uses less fuel. It also allows the car’s stop-start function to work more aggressively, switching off the engine when the car is coming to a halt.
The diesel mild hybrid version joins a range that already includes a mild hybrid four-cylinder petrol, which comes in 197bhp, 246bhp and 296bhp outputs, each of them linked to a nine-speed manual gearbox. A new trim is available for the Evoque now too, called Autobiography.
All versions now come with Land Rover’s ‘Pivi’ or ‘Pivi Pro’ infotainment setup, which has software designed to make all the major functions available to the user in two taps at most.
Air quality in the cabin is improved too, with a filtration system now standard fit that can catch particulates of just 2.5 microns in width, around 1/30th a strand of human hair.
No prices on the new mild hybrid diesel Evoques yet, nor official fuel economy, but figure on a slight increase on today’s £32,000 range starting price.
Keyword: Better economy and infotainment for Range Rover Evoque