Range Rover To Sporty Up The Evoque

Written by: Blake Z. Rong on May 3 2012 2:30 PM

OK, hands up—those of you who thought that the Range Rover Evoque, the veritable Ferrari of the Land Rover lineup, just wasn’t sporty enough. The rakish Evoque has a 240 horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes the luxury crossover plenty quick. It does 0-60 in around 7 seconds, which is pretty good for a company that’s more used to building hulking hill-bashers and rap mogul shuttles. And still, it doesn’t look sporty enough! Why can’t we humans be satisfied?

If you’re one of the few that thinks the Evoque could share more with Anglo sibling Jaguar, then you’re in luck because Land Rover has seen fit to fulfill your needs. An Evoque Sport is in the works, says design director Gerry McGovern, confirming something that has been hinted at for a while now.

“You can go too far with the Evoque, but what’s so right about the car is it has what I call killer proportions,” McGovern said. “We could do a more overtly sporty one, for example.”

This proclamation was made at the Beijing Motor Show, where—conveniently—Audi was just showing off their Q3 RS concept, another fast little gumball that’s more like a sports car wearing a backpack. Similarly, Range Rover has been attracting new customers to the brand: younger, sexier customers, drawn in by the name association of Victoria Beckham but also have less financial solvency than Rick Ross. That’s why they’re open to new ideas like an Evoque convertible, or anything designed by a Spice Girl, and possibly even a gussied-up Evoque with more power.

How much more power? Well, the 2.0-liter engine can be tuned up to 300 horsepower in obscure cottage-industry applications. Or, Land Rover could fit a powerful diesel in it, especially to stave off competition from the diesel experts at Audi. Either way, it will look fast. Already Land Rover is throwing on 22-inch wheels and aggressive body kits with aplomb, in an attempt to make the small Evoque garner even more road presence than its deceptively-sized shape belies. Minor suspension and brake tweaks ensure that all that ferocious power will be reigned in.

Luxury carmakers have toyed with fast SUVs in the past before—witness legions of Range Rover Sports, Porsche Cayenne Turbos, and obscene Audis that produce more torque than Superman. It’s fun to see this trickling down to smaller trucklets, because hip, trendy Gen-Yers have places to go and music festivals to crash.

Source: Auto Express