Range Rover Evoque is undoubtedly the best compact crossover in the market today. Tata owned JLR is selling big numbers of the Evoque in India and international markets, owing which, the British brand is looking to go big with the crossover, literally. According to AutoCar, Land Rover is working on a bigger version of the Land Rover Evoque slated for a 2015 launch.
Although growing bigger in size, the upcoming Evoque crossover will be positioned between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport. Similar to the smaller brother, the Land Rover crossover will too feature the LR-MS architecture, and will be platformed alongside the Freelander, regular Evoque and upcoming Jaguar crossover. This will give the beast a sufficiently roomy rear cabin.
Speaking of styling, the crossover will be largely based on the ‘Grand Evoque’, with subtle changes to the design, as an overhauled cosmetic uplift would cannibalize its younger brother.
Growing bigger in dimension, the vehicle will add 150 mm in the passenger and driver cabin, while 150 mm length will be added to the boot. Rightfully, Land Rover could choose to supplement a third row to the crossover, making it stand in a completely different segment in market and altogether more practical.
The upcoming Range Rover Evoque is likely to sport a new engine, and this might be from the family of new four-cylinder units developed at the Wolverhampton facility of JLR. This includes a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol motor good for 170 hp per litre, and a diesel unit delivering 133 hp per litre. Going with time, Land Rover could also offer a hybrid powerplant for the Grand Evoque. This features a twin motor supported by a gasoline engine.
Although Range Rover has the best line up of off-roading rugged SUVs, these are notorious thirty machines. Gladly, JLR has a weight-reduction program under which, the brand is testing different materials for bodywork, and this means the Grand Evoque would feature better fuel-economy.
In India, Tata Motors is investing in a facility to assemble the next-gen Land Rover Defender. The facility is likely to set up in Gujrat and will start full-fledge production from 2015. In the market, the Grand Evoque will lock horns with the BMW X5 and Audi Q3.
