2012 Range Rover Evoque Starting Price: $43,995

Land Rover priced its new small luxury crossover, the 2012 Range Rover Evoque, at $43,995, including an undisclosed destination fee.

That price is, surprisingly, for the four-door Evoque model. The two-door model goes for $44,995, including a destination fee. All models have a permanent all-wheel-drive system.

The Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and Mercedes-Benz GLK, which are larger than the Evoque and have all-wheel drive, all start well under $40,000. However, Land Rover is aiming the Evoque at buyers interested in a sporty driving experience versus added utility.

Recall Alert: 2010-2011 Land Rover LR2

Land Rover is recalling 2,956 2010-2011 LR2s over a manufacturing error that could affect the deployment of the driver’s side airbag, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the affected vehicles the shorting bar in the clock spring may become disconnected when the driver’s side airbag module was installed. As a result, the airbag may not deploy as intended or not at all, which could increase the risk of injury in an accident.

Land Rover dealers will repair and install a spacer into the driver’s airbag clock spring harness connector free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin Dec. 13. Owners may call Land Rover at 800-637-6837 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

2012 Land Rover Evoque Five-Door Video

Land Rover has been prepping its new Evoque compact SUV for the marketplace, this time by unveiling a five-door version of the Evoque, which we had seen earlier as a three-door. The luxury SUV will compete against vehicles like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, and according to Cars.com editor Mike Hanley, the inside is much more luxurious than the utilitarian LR2. Check out the video to see how the Evoque stacks up.

2012 Land Rover Evoque Five-Door: Up Close

I was impressed with the Land Rover LRX concept when it debuted a few years ago. It was an athletic-looking crossover that had quite a bit of presence despite its relatively small footprint. The production version of that concept, the Range Rover Evoque, is finally here, and it maintains the concept's rakish looks without unduly compromising passenger space.

The Range Rover Evoque's design is instantly appealing. The crossover has a wide, low-slung shape that's decidedly not Land Rover, which has been churning out tall, boxy SUVs for years. The automaker sees the Evoque competing with other luxury crossovers like the BMW X3 and Volvo XC60, but I think the Land Rover's styling blows those two away.

2012 Range Rover Evoque Five-Door: First Look

• Competes with: Infiniti FX, BMW X6
• Looks like: A bigger version of the three-door Evoque
• Drivetrain: 240-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2011

We’ve checked out the three-door version of the Evoque in Paris and found the interior wild enough to match the exterior looks. Now, Land Rover is revealing more information and photos of the five-door version of the car. It will go on sale in the U.S. next fall for around $45,000.
 
What do you get for that money? It seems the styling will be the main selling point, along with a turbocharged four-cylinder good for 240 horsepower, but no torque figures were given. The company says it will get to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.
 
The strange thing about this Evoque is that it has the same length and width of the three-door version, but it gains a whopping 1.18 inches in height. That gives rear passengers slightly more shoulder and headroom.

The Evoque five-door will come in three trim levels: Pure, Prestige and Dynamic.

Pure models start things off with LED headlights and taillights as well as interior ambient lighting and a panoramic roof. From what we’ve read, it doesn’t seem like the roof opens. Prestige models get standard 19-inch wheels, two-tone upgraded leather interior with stitching, and wood and metal finishes. Dynamic models add 20-inch wheels and unique bumpers, grilles and exhausts as well as a spoiler. The leather interior is more sports-oriented than the other models and it doesn't appear it has the panoramic roof.

More images are below. We’ll have more from the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.

2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: Up Close

By Shamit Choksey for Cars.com

As Land Rover’s smallest, lightest — dare we say daintiest — model, the Range Rover Evoque is clearly the brand’s most serious effort toward greener mobility.  It’s built on a Land Rover Freelander platform, but this baby Rangie has an even smaller footprint in person.
 
Sleek and sculpted from front to back, the Evoque is a near replica of Land Rover’s LRX concept from two years ago. In fact, the two are nearly indistinguishable from the outside. The Evoque is easy on the eyes, and 19-inch wheels give this small SUV a noticeable upshot in height.  Overall, the Evoque’s exterior presence exudes more style and uniqueness than competing small luxury utes from BMW and Audi.
 
Within the Evoque, the biggest surprise was the amount of available space.

2012 Land Rover Evoque Details and Photos

• Competes with: Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35, Mini Countryman S
• Looks like: Rear visibility might be an issue
• Drivetrain: 240-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2011

Our original thinking that the Land Rover Evoque would battle the Mini Countryman for the greatest small crossover was dashed when we found out that the Evoque will start around $45,000 when it goes on sale in fall 2011.

Land Rover is marketing the Evoque as a luxurious performance machine, which is different from Mini’s approach. The Evoque packs a 240-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder and will ride on the latest Land Rover permanent all-wheel-drive system by the time production starts. The company promises serious off-road capability. The Evoque is also 10 inches longer than the Countryman. Add that size to the cost, and the Evoque will square up against more traditional luxury crossovers like the Audi Q5. It also reminds us of the tact Infiniti took with the EX35, which was not a sales success.

The Evoque will come in three trims. Not much was revealed about the base Pure trim level. However, the next step up, Prestige, will have an entirely leather-wrapped interior and run on standard 19-inch wheels with 20-inch wheels optional. The Dynamic trim features unique bumpers, sills, grille and tailpipes for a more aggressive look and rides on either 19- or 20-inch wheels. The interior has sportier seats with contrasting colors. You can also get contrasting roof and spoiler colors.

Check out the photos below and let us know what you think. Will the Evoque win over luxury crossover shoppers with its wild style, or will it be a niche seller?

Jaguar and Land Rover Riding High Under Tata

It’s been more than two years since Ford sold off its Land Rover and Jaguar unit to Indian conglomerate Tata Motors. So far, the new parent couldn’t be happier. 

In fact, you could say Tata – which just posted a net profit in the latest quarter compared to a net loss a year earlier – owes a lot of its current success to these two relatively small luxury carmakers. 

Jaguar and Land Rover sales are soaring high – up 18% in the U.S. – with production up 59% globally in the latest quarter. 

Much of Jaguar’s and Land Rover’s current success has to do with new models either completely or partially developed by Ford Motor Co. Ford’s leadership laid the groundwork for the designs of the popular Jaguar XK, XF and XJ. The same person that designed many popular Lincoln concepts at Ford, including the Lincoln Continental and Navicross, was also responsible for Land Rover’s LRX Concept, which is now going on sale nearly unaltered as the Range Rover Evoque. 

Jaguar, Land Rover May Expand Lineup

Jaguar and, to a lesser extent, Land Rover have been on a roll lately. Sales for Jaguar/Land Rover are up 46% for the year, and a lot of that growth has been at Jaguar, whose reengineered and redesigned 2010-11 XJ saw sales climb 608% in July and was the brand's best-selling model, usurping the XF. 

Now, Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata (owner of Jaguar and Land Rover since 2008) says, in a press release, he's considering widening Jaguar’s lineup by adding an all-new entry-level sedan, a new roadster and a station wagon. 

Jaguar's current roadster — the XK, which starts at $82,150 — is obviously pricey. Jaguar could design something smaller and more nimble. The wagon could either be a body-style extension of the XJ or XF, or it could end up being its own model entirely, akin to the Volvo XC70 or recent hatchback-like touring cars from BMW and Porsche — the 550 Gran Turismo and Panamera, respectively. 

The entry-level sedan is an interesting proposal. With the demise of the X-Type, Jaguar hasn’t offered a model for less than around $50,000. A model in the $35,000-$45,000 range could allow the company to compete better with best-sellers from Audi, BMW and Lexus. However, the X-Type is widely regarded as one of the biggest flops in recent luxury car history. Execution of the new model would be very important to a new model's success. 

Over at Land Rover, Tata says there will be a revamp and refresh of the entire lineup, starting with the all-new two-door Evoque (pictured above). No more information about specific model upgrades or timetables was given.

First Look: Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Today, Land Rover unveiled what the brand calls its “new baby Range Rover” – the Range Rover Evoque, a name sure to evoque plenty of disdain from owners of the real-deal $78,425 Range Rover. (Then again, they’ve been stewing ever since Land Rover bestowed the name on the $18,780 cheaper Range Rover Sport.) The Evoque goes on sale in summer 2011.

Land Rover won’t share any pricing details, but it plans to market the Evoque to buyers “who may have not considered a Range Rover product before.” That suggests a lower price than the current Range Rover stable, perhaps in the neighborhood of the brand’s LR4 and LR2 SUVs. The Evoque’s two-door layout and pint-sized exterior suggest as much: No specifications are available yet, but given its roofline ended around neck height for 5-foot-4 Victoria Beckham, it looks to be considerably shorter than the 6-foot-2 Range Rover. (Fashionista Beckham, present for the Evoque’s webcasted introduction, has apparently landed a gig as a Land Rover design consultant.)

The Evoque looks quite similar to Land Rover’s LRX concept shown at the 2008 Detroit auto show. Black window pillars give the appearance of a floating roof, and the windows taper aggressively toward the tail – a styling cue that’s bedeviled the sightlines on everything from the Buick LaCrosse to the BMW X6. Given the LRX concept’s user-friendly technology, including onboard iPhone docks, expect to see a host of interesting tech features announced once Land Rover reveals the Evoque’s interior. With Land Rover’s heritage, expect a few assistive features for off-roading to make their way in, too.

The LR2, Land Rover’s current baby Rover, ranks as a bit player among small luxury SUVs. Can the Evoque jump-start Land Rover’s appeal to a wider range of shoppers? Weigh in below. We’ll let you know when Land Rover reveals more details, including the interior and some drivetrain information.

Written by Kelsey Mays, Cars.com