Spoiled for choice

Sustainability is at the centre of design for the Range Rover Evoque. Photo / Supplied

Range Rover will unveil its five-door Evoque at next week's Los Angeles motor show, about a year ahead of its arrival in New Zealand.

The five-door joins the three-door "coupe" that appeared for the first time at the Paris show last month. Both vehicles have been added to the Range Rover line-up to extend the premium brand's appeal.

New four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines using mild hybrid technology will also help Range Rover meet new fleet emission standards set down for Europe in 2012.

So will the choice of front- or four-wheel-drive, a first for the off-road specialist.

Phil Popham, managing director of Range Rover parent Land Rover, says the five-door bodystyle has the same compact footprint and technologies as the three-door.

"Enhanced sustainability has been at the centre of the design and development of the Range Rover Evoque," he said. "We are offering customers the choice."

The five-door is 30mm taller than the coupe and offers more shoulder and headroom in the rear. Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern said he sought to retain in the five-door the coupe's "emotional appeal".

"The key lines remain intact - the dramatic rising beltline, muscular shoulder running the length of the car and the distinctive taper to the floating roofline - but with a slightly higher rear roof," he said.

"The finished vehicle offers impressive levels of space and versatility whilst retaining the overall essence, visual robustness and jewel-like detailing of the coupe."

The Evoque is the first Range Rover to offer a sound system from high-end specialist Meridian.

The choice of engines includes two turbocharged diesels and a petrol unit mated to either six-speed manuals or six-speed automatic gearboxes.

The 2.2-litre oil-burners deliver 112kW or 142kW and up to 400Nm of torque. Land Rover claims a CO2 exhaust emissions rating for the front-drive 112kW unit of 135g/km.

The 2-litre petrol engine combines direct fuel-injection, turbocharging and twin variable valve timing to deliver 180kW.

Land Rover calls it the Si4, but it is nearly identical to the Ecoboost engine that Ford New Zealand will use under the bonnet of the Ford Falcon from next year.

Murray Dietsch, director of Land Rover programmes, said: "We have combined state-of-the-art powertrains with a lightweight bodyshell and a range of low-carbon technologies to deliver fuel efficiency, which is outstanding for a premium SUV."