THE NEW 2019 RANGE ROVER EVOQUE WILL GET SOME VELAR STYLE!
These exclusive images of the Mk2 Range Rover Evoque show an evolutionary look with a likely increase in wheelbase!
The Range Rover Evoque defined the generation of small SUVs and is a key part of the golden era in the history of Land Rover. Now, the British firm is preparing to give us the second generation of the car – due at the start of 2019.
Engineers and designers are currently working on an evolution of the model that has sold over 600,000 examples since the launch in 2011. Their goal is to deliver better connectivity and more scope personalisation, as well as greater efficiency and more practicality.
They aren't, however, doing a radical alter in style – which has kept the existing car looking fresh and appealing through the six years since its launch.
However, as you can see in these exclusive images, the distinctive front-end design will be getting new headlamps with the option of all-LED lighting – pushing the Evoque's facial features towards those of the recently launched Range Rover Velar.
The car's distinctive side profile will be retained with the narrow window line and wheels that look pressed up into the arches. In addition, similar to the Velar, Land Rover may choose to clean up the flanks further by incorporating the flush door handles.
The tail-lights might also incorporate cues from its bigger brother, the Velar, with more of a strip across the hatchback – giving the car a wider look from behind. Land Rover is also likely to move the roofline up (only by a few millimetres) to maximize packaging gains in the cabin and improve rear headroom.
In the meantime, the Evoque will continue to be a family in itself with the three-door coupe sitting alongside the five-door in the line-up. In addition, the convertible will continue.
This subtle evolution shows that the Evoque will stay on the well established and cost-efficient D8 platform – but this doesn't mean there won't be any changes under the skin.
The biggest among these changes will be a minor extension to the wheelbase. This adds around 20mm to give the Evoque the same distance between its axles as on Jaguar's new E-Pace and is designed to improve the legroom for rear passengers as well as to expand the boot.
It could also help the Evoque deliver something similar to the usability that would have been offered in the Evoque XL – a project that was under consideration when the original model was launched but was eventually chucked away.
Staying on the D8 platform means that the Mk2 Evoque is likely to be the last new Land Rover product not to offer any form of electrification. It is understood that the architecture is not suitable for the mildest of hybrids.
However, it can accommodate the JLR's Ingenium engines and, as a result, we can expect the next Evoque to get 2.0-litre diesel motors with 148bhp, 178bhp and 237bhp – plus petrol versions with 247bhp and 296bhp.
It is likely that engineers will offer an improved version of Land Rover's Terrain Response off-roading set-up, and the Evoque could also get the active torque vectoring seen on the E-Pace.
Land Rover feels as though they can take their time bringing the next Evoque to the market. The Halewood production line of Merseyside is still running its three shifts to capacity, so demand for the current model is as strong as ever.
In May this year, however, the firm announced a 'Landmark' edition of the car – and that high-end trim level is usually reserved for models entering the runout phase of the production cycle.
This, we think, means that the existing Evoque has another 18 months to run and that its successor will make its public debut in autumn 2018 – with first deliveries before spring 2019.
The entry point of the range will most likely stay the same (around 32,000 pounds) but the extra tech and further personalisation are likely to push the selling price up to about 60,000 pounds – or around the same price as a mid-spec Velar.
Check out the exclusive images and tell us what you think!