RANGE ROVER UPDATES EVOQUE, INSTALLS NEW GEARBOX

There’s no doubt the Evoque is Land Rover’s most successful vehicle at the moment, with sales of over 170 000 units since it went on sale 18 months ago. Yet even that hasn’t stopped LR from trying to enhance its appeal even more. One of these enhancements is a new 9-speed gearbox.

That’s right. Renowned gearbox manufacturer ZF has developed new 9-speed automatic gearbox which the Evoque is one of the first cars in the world to adopt. It will be sold in both petrol and diesel models and promises up to 11.4% improvement in fuel consumption for the 2.2-litre diesel that produces 110kW. In this application Land Rover claims 4.9 litres per 100km.

Some exterior (new alloy wheels, paint colour choices) and interior changes were also made, including on the front facia, sides, and the rear. The inclusion of safety-enhancing technologies like Park Exit (to automatically exit parallel parking bays) and Perpendicular Park (to position the car centrally in parking bays) should be a great source of comfort for those of us whose driving licences were bought on the cheap.

We’ll see the updated Evoque in Mzansi dealerships during the first half of 2014.