Paris Preview – Land Rover discloses the Evoque

Here’s the manufacture 2012 Range Rover Evoque in all its magnificence, and the LRX-inspired CUV is lighter, meaner and greener than anything to come from the Range Rover arsenal.

Buyers can choose from three external design themes: Pure, a modest take with 19-inch wheels and natural colors balanced by brushed metal trim making the insides elegant; Prestige, a “bespoke exterior” treatment with exclusive 19-inch wheels paired “a generous interior;” or Dynamic, with 19- or 20-inch wheels a modified body kit, and a sportier cabin furnished with perforated leather seats and a little more bling.

Inside, the interior is influenced not just by the Range Rover Sport, but also by Jaguar. Seriously boosted seats overlap a center tunnel where a revolving gear transmission selector rises to hand. The four-setting Terrain Response System control panel has been replaced with buttons attending an illuminated menu and controls are primarily managed through an eight-inch touchscreen. Aural satisfaction is provided by the 825-watt, 17-speaker Meridian sound system with added inputs for other peripherals.

Underneath the Evoque’s hood is a 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that, obviously, is not called EcoBoost. Referred to as the Si4, it’s been developed for North American audiences and generates 240 horsepower that runs through a six-speed automatic transmission. Electric power steering is average, a regenerative electrical system captures energy when things get towed down and the whole thing is kept on an even keel thanks to a MagneRide effective dynamics suspension.