Land Rover has announced a round of updates and engine changes for its two best-sellers, the Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Joining the just-arriving plug-in hybrid models are new mild-hybrid diesels and, for the Evoque, a three-cylinder petrol option.
1.5-litre three-cylinder engine
The smallest engine yet fitted to any Land Rover product, the P160 unit is basically the same 1.5-litre, three-cylinder 'Ingenium' engine that's used by the P300e plug-in hybrid vehicles. Shorn of its electrical assistance, and with front-wheel drive only, it develops 160hp and a reasonable 260Nm of torque. CO2 emissions, under the stricter WLTP test, are 180g/km.
The most basic Evoque will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 10.3 seconds, and it should drive quite differently, as the three-cylinder engine is some 37kg lighter than any of the car's four-cylinder options. Fuel consumption is quoted as 8.0 litres per 100km.
The Discovery Sport won't get the same three-cylinder engine option, as Land Rover says it's "a slightly larger vehicle with a different customer base." The Discovery Sport and the Evoque will share a brace of new diesel mild-hybrid engines, though, which replace the existing D150 and D190 units.
New mild-hybrid diesels
Still based around the four-cylinder Ingenium architecture, the new D165 2.0-litre diesel develops 163hp with 380Nm of torque, while the more powerful D200 unit has 204hp and 430Nm of torque. Both get the same 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance that we've already seen in the Evoque and Discovery Sport, and CO2 emissions start from 158/km, with fuel consumption starting from 6.0 litres per 100km (46mpg - both figures for the Evoque D165). The lower-power model will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.8 seconds, and the D200 will do the same run in 8.5 seconds.
While the engines basically use the same structure as in the outgoing models, there have been some major modifications, such as an aluminium block that is some two kilos lighter than before.
Special editions
The Discovery Sport also now comes as a new Black Edition that, aside from featuring the expected blacked-out chrome and wheels on the outside, also comes with a new 'intelligent' driveline that can switch from front-wheel drive to four-wheel drive, and which can also vector the engine's torque across the rear wheels.
The Evoque range also gets two special editions - an Autobiography version that "features distinctive and elegant exterior design accents and a luxurious interior." There's also a new Lafayette model, built around the P300e plug-in hybrid that's inspired by the eponymous street in New York city and comes with a contrast roof in the Nolita Grey colourway and "a carefully curated selection of options."
New infotainment and cabin air filtering
Both cars also now get an updated 'Pivi' and 'Pivi Pro' infotainment system, which we've already seen in the new Defender. A big improvement on the outgoing TouchPro system, Land Rover's engineers claim that almost all of its major functions can be accessed in, at most, two button presses, and that it has much richer, more modern graphics than before. Spotify music streaming is embedded into the system (designed in co-operation with Spotify itself) and there are over-the-air software updates and a faster boot-up time when you switch the car on.
There's also a new 'Activity Key', which has evolved from a simple wristband into an LCD watch, and it now means that you can wear the 'key' and leave the car's conventional key at home (unlike the old system, which required you to lock the physical key into the car).
Finally, there's a new 'Purify' option for the cabin air filtering system which, Land Rover says, can filter out fine particulate matter, allergens, pollen and even strong smells. The system can filter ultrafine particulates (up to and even below PM2.5).
Irish pricing has yet to be confirmed, but Land Rover Ireland has said that the updated Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque will be available to order from October this year.