The Range Rover Evoque was designed to open doors for Jaguar Land Rover, and to attract new customers to the somewhat stodgy brand. For many American buyers, a Range Rover was nothing more than a way of telling the neighbors you made more money than them (and didn’t worry about details like depreciation or reliability). That may work in the suburbs, but it didn’t play well with young, urban hipsters, who Jaguar Land Rover desperately wants as customers.

Enter the smaller, kinder, gentler Range Rover Evoque, which comes only with a turbocharged four cylinder engine. It’s designed to be an all-weather “lifestyle vehicle,” not the kind of sport-utility you’d take far beyond where the buses run. It’s capable enough when fitted with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, but it simply isn’t the kind of SUV you’d tackle the Rubicon Trail in.

Motor Trend has a different take on the Evoque, and they’ve just named it “SUV of the Year.” Granted, the competition has been a bit thin in 2011, as most manufacturers move away from gass-guzzling SUVs to small displacement sedans and hatchbacks, but surely there had to be something to stack up against the Evoque. In fairness, we haven’t driven one, but the Evoque is more of a crossover in our eyes than it is an SUV.

What’s your take? Did Motor Trend pick the best new SUV of 2011, or is it all about the advertising revenue?

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque. Image: Jaguar Land Rover

While still capable off-road to some degree, the Range Rover Evoque is primarily a “lifestyle vehicle,” targeted to urban hipsters who want to be seen driving the trendiest new vehicles. As such, more effort went into designing a cool-but-functional interior than picking the perfect engines, although the turbodiesel and turbocharged gas engines used in the Evoque will be perfectly suitable to most drivers.

The highest output engine today is a 2.0-liter turbo four that produces 237 horsepower. Given that the Evoque can easily tip the scales at two tons with passengers and cargo, that’s not a lot of muscle to motivate the trendy crossover. Autoevolution and Autocar both report that a 300 horsepower Evoque has been built for evaluation, and preliminary testing shows the chassis is up to handling the added output. The engine is said to be a high-pressure turbo variant of the existing 2.0-liter engine, so fuel economy probably won’t suffer too much.

While I hate to talk any automaker out of building a performance vehicle, I’d raise this question about a high-output Evoque: who would buy such an animal? A well-equipped Evoque with the current engine can easily hit the $55k price point, which is the same starting point as a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. That means a hotter Evoque would sell for even more money, making the choice of which fun-to-drive SUV to buy a no-brainier.

Image: Jaguar Land Rover

The Land Rover Defender is known the world over as a non-nonsense SUV that will get you anywhere you need to go. Period, end of sentence. It has no luxury aspirations, but it enjoys a rabid cult following that ranges from British farmers through explorers and adventurers to well-off suburbanites who like to portray the image of adventure. The Defender will get you to the grocery store, even if you have to take game trails or forge your own path to get there; in fact, long after the human race has been wiped off the earth, giant cockroaches will probably be driving the last remaining Defenders, at least until fossil fuel runs out.

If you get the idea that the Defender, which has been built continuously since 1983, is a tough act to follow, you’d be correct. That’s why I’m taken aback by the renderings of the DC100, a vehicle that Land Rover says could be the 2015 replacement for the storied Defender. I know appearances can be deceiving, but the DC100 looks like more of a threat to the Toyota RAV4 than to the Jeep Wrangler. If shopping mall parking lot supremacy is the deciding factor for your next SUV purchase, the DC100 looks like a reasonable choice. If getting you to hell and back is your prime consideration, I’m just not seeing it in the DC100.

Image: Jaguar Land Rover

To be kind, the short front and rear overhangs should make tackling most obstacles no problem, and it looks like it has plenty of ground clearance. Those wheels would hold up for about ten minutes on any serious trail, though, and that’s assuming they don’t get you bogged down in the mud first. I won’t even speculate on the durability of the plastic front facia, but if the DC100 sees production, I anticipate a huge aftermarket front bumper business.

Here’s the good news: the DC 100 is nothing more than a styling exercise, or the most basic of starting points for a new Defender design. Land Rover is showing the concept to elicit customer feedback, and I suspect I’m not alone in my criticism. Look for updated designs as we count down the time until launch of the new Defender, and keep your fingers crossed that it will once again grace our shores.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover

Image: Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, via Inside Line

Your opinion may differ, but I’m calling a battery powered safari vehicle a really, really bad idea. Sure, you can get closer to wildlife without the fumes or exhaust note of a turbo-diesel warning them of your presence, but is that really a good idea in an open vehicle with limited range? Do you really want to surprise a sleeping lion, only to find out that 12 miles of reserve range only equals 2 miles with the accelerator pinned to the floorboard? Getting eaten by a wild animal always struck me as a stupid way to die, and this particular EV conversion might as well come with nozzles that spray a basting sauce on tourists.

That said, it would probably make a great hunting platform, assuming you were heavily armed (although I’d still want steel mesh screening up the sides). This particular Defender was built by Jaguar Land Rover South Africa for a private game park, but the truck serves double duty as a concept vehicle. With help from suppliers Barker Performance Products and battery manufacturer Axeon, the Electric Defender Game Viewer Concept comes with a 58kW electric motor and enough lithium ion batteries to give it a 50 mile range at an average speed of 40 miles per hour. There’s even a reserve system built in for an additional range of 12 miles, but I certainly wouldn’t want to rely on it to avoid being a lion’s dinner.

There’s no word on top speed, but consider this: an African lion can reach a top speed of 36 miles per hour, but a cheetah can top 70 miles per hour for short bursts. Even a leopard can hit 50 miles per hour, but more importantly it can leap distances of some twenty five feet. I’ll pass on using an EV for an African safari, but feel free to let me know if you’re adventurous enough to try it.

Source: Inside Line

The Land Rover Defender is considered by some to be the ultimate vehicle for use in off-road travel. It’s been around since 1948 and even though they’re a rare site here in the United States, these vehicles still draw a crowd wherever they go. Think of the Defender at Britain’s version of the Jeep Wrangler. It’s uncomfortable, brash and rough riding on dry paved roads. However, it’s when the roads disappear that the old brute really comes into it’s own. Right now rumors are swirling that Land Rover is going to develop an entirely new Defender that is said to go into production by 2015. The problem is we have no real idea on what the specifications of the vehicle will be. What we do know is that, according to Autocar.co.uk, that Land Rover is currently working on how the new Defender will be marketed once it is produced. Stay tuned as we’ll be posting more information as soon as we hear anything.

Source: Autocar.co.uk

Looking back at my own life, I can only think of two or three ex-girlfriends who’d want to see me dead. Of those, I can only think of one who’d actually go to extraordinary measures to pull it off, so I won’t be signing up to lease a new Land Rover Discovery 4 Armored SUV any time soon. Jacksonville has a high crime rate, but it isn’t that high and good situational awareness is enough to get you by.

On the other hand, if you’ve got more ex-girlfriends who are proficient with firearms or explosives, live in a really bad neighborhood (like Basra, Iraq) or are worth truly obscene amounts of money, then you probably should give the armored Disco a look. It’s got enough reinforcement to meet European standards BS EN 1522 level FB6 and BS EN 1063 level BR6, and can withstand a direct under-floor attack from two DM51 hand grenades. An IED with 30 pounds of TNT, detonated in “reasonable proximity” to the Disco still won’t kill you, although the truck is likely to need some bodywork afterward. Do I even need to tell you that it will repel all conventional small arms fire? In other words, you’re safe unless your ex is proficient with a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, or has more than 30 pounds of TNT at her disposal.

As you’d expect, an SUV that weighs in at nearly four tons isn’t going to be quick or nimble. The Discovery 4 Armored is powered by Land Rover’s 5.0 liter V8, good for 370 horsepower and a zero to sixty time just north of 10 seconds. Like all Land Rovers, it’s capable off road, although I’d personally avoid deep sand and heavy snow in a four ton SUV. It also comes with their “Terrain Management System”, which allows the driver to fine tune vehicle dynamics (throttle response, steering, traction control, differential lock, ride height, etc.) to the environmental conditions.

Land Rover’s press release didn’t disclose pricing on the Armored Disco, but if you’re a serious client the price of admission isn’t important to you. Buying one is a process that involves dialogue with a security consultant, so the truck can be equipped to deal with your anticipated threats. Once delivered, the owner (or driver) has access to a comprehensive driver training program, aimed at keeping you alive when ex-girlfriends or kidnappers haver other ideas. As if that wasn’t peace of mind enough, the Discovery 4 Armored comes with a three year, 80,000 kilometer factory warranty.

Source: Autoblog

We’ve already told you all there is to know about the Range Rover Evoque (here and here), which won’t be on the streets for another ten months or so. That didn’t stop Range Rover from creating the above video, which appears to show a virtual Evoque being virtually driven through virtual streets, by ghosts. You do get a good sense of what the Evoque looks like on the road, and you also get a decent look at the Evoque’s well appointed interior and panoramic roof.

This may be blasphemy to the Range Rover faithful, but the four door Evoque looks a lot like the new Ford Explorer, especially on the road. That’s a good thing for Ford, but I can’t imagine Evoque owners will be too happy getting asked, “How do you like your new Ford Explorer” all the time. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still a good looking crossover, but it’s just not as distinctive as the concept was, and I can’t help wonder if that will have an impact on sales.

Source: Carscoop

The 2011 Range Rover Evoque may be the best looking SUV (or crossover, depending upon your perspective) in the history of mankind. Will you be able to ford jungle streams and climb straight up the side of a volcano in one, like you could in a Land Rover Defender or a classic Range Rover? No, probably not, unless the stream is only a few inches deep and the volcano has a gravel road to the caldera. That certainly won’t hurt Evoque sales, since the urban-hip SUV is aimed at a buyer more concerned with image than with capabilities.

We’ve already seen the two door Evoque, and it’s damn sexy for a car with no sporting intentions. Here’s the four door version, and I’m happy to say that the bigger Evoque has given up none of its stunning good looks in the transition towards practicality. I’m liking the contrasting white roof option, which actually makes the Evoque look smaller, not a bad thing when you’re trying to disguise your SUV roots.

All the amenities you’ve heard about in the two door will also be offered with the four door. Want a 17 speaker, 825 watt stereo system designed by Meridian? Terrain Response driver selectable traction control? MagneRide suspension? Panoramic glass roof? You can check the option box for all of these and more. Don’t want AWD for your weekend trips to Dean and DeLuca or Zabar’s? No problem, since the Evoque will be the first Range Rover to offer FWD as an alternative to AWD.

Range Rover purists will call the Evoque all style without substance, but I’ll bet that Range Rover sells all they can build of both the two and four door models. Expect pricing to start in the mid $40,000 range when they go on sale in Q3 of 2011.

The only downside about the United States is that we don’t get all the same go fast goodies that the Europeans do. For the most part this is fine until it comes to something that I want, something like this Bowler EXR Nemesis for example. Bowler is a UK based company that tunes and modifies all things Land Rover. Over here in the U.S. modified Land Rovers are all but non-existent aside from the occasional 26-inch wheel bling machines that roll around NY and LA. In the UK though Bowler has carved out quite a little niche for itself by transforming these standard off-roaders into fire breathing powerhouses capable of going just about anywhere.

Bowlers new creation, the EXR Nemesis is a truck that would make even Ford’s new Raptor pick-up look tame. Based on what looks to be a Land Rover Freelander 2, the Nemsis can be had with up to 600 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that will rocket the off-roader to 60 mph in just under 5 seconds. It also sports a space-frame chassis, 6-speed paddle shifted gearbox and full composite body. Even though the truck is still primarily a full-blown race truck, it still comes equipped with power windows and air conditioning for when it gets hot or cold in the desert. Since we know that we’ll never have a chance to experience this sucker here in the United States, the only thing we can do is live vicariously through the Bowler videos we find on Youtube.com.

Source: ZerCustoms.com

Back in the early 1980′s there was no such thing as an SUV. There were merely cars, station wagons and trucks that had four-wheel drive. Up here in the Northeast those who knew well enough to buy a four-wheel drive vehicle would simply laugh as the rest of us lay stuck on the side of the road. It actually wasn’t until the mid-1980′s with the release of the compact Jeep Grand Cherokee that consumers actually got bit by the 4×4 bug. Once bitten however people seldom went back to their old ways and more importantly their old two-wheeled drive vehicles. Below is a listing of some 4×4′s (I mean SUV’s) from the 1980′s that can be credited with starting the whole SUV movement that we have today. Even though these babies weren’t overly complex, they did have the ability to get us through the snow and to work on time and they did it without all the electronic gizmos that we have today.

• 1980 International Scout

The International Scout was actually one of the first SUV’s in existence sold to the consumer public. It was originally created as a competitor to the Jeep Willy’s and had a production run that ran from 1961-1980.

• 1981 Jeep Cherokee Chief

The Cherokee Chief was another pioneer in the SUV market that was produced by the now defunct American Motors Corporation (AMC). With a production run that lasted from 1974-1983, the Cherokee’s were full size trucks that looked good and went anyplace.

• 1984 Jeep Cherokee

The 1984 Jeep Cherokee is generally credited with starting the modern SUV craze. It was small and compact and handled more like a car than a truck. It was also perfect for small suburban families who needed a four-wheel drive vehicle but wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing as well.

• 1985 Chevrolet Suburban

Meet the Great Grandfather of the SUV movement. The Chevrolet Suburban has been around in one form or another since 1935 and GM has no plans to make it go away. It’s big, has always had plenty of power and can carry a family with all their belongings with ease.

• 1985 Range Rover

Aside from the 80′s versions of these trucks having terrible electronics, I have to say that they were pretty darn good. When taken off-road Range Rovers were pretty unstoppable, but due to their higher price tags they didn’t really become popular in the U.S. until the early 1990′s.

• 1986 Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco has been around since the mid-1960′s where it debuted to compete with the International Scout. The 1980′s though was where the Bronco really came into its own as Ford made them not only comfortable, but very user friendly. They were relatively quiet for a big 4×4, had great off-road capabilities and more than enough room for a family of four. There only hindrance was that it was only a two door. The Bronco was also one of the best looking early SUV’s on the market.

• 1986 Toyota 4Runner

Toyota knew that it had something special with its legendary SR5 pick-up truck. The compact truck was dead reliable, went anyplace and in its compact form, was a very attractive ride. So, in 1984 they put a hard top on it with two back seats and presto – instant SUV.

• 1987 K5 Chevrolet Blazer

Like the full size Ford Bronco the Chevrolet Blazer was one of the last big 4×4′s to be sold in the U.S.. From the inside it was big and comfortable, but unfortunately it wasn’t as attractive as the Bronco which hurt its sale towards the end of its life cycle. Today K5 Blazers are coming back with a vengeance on the collector market, so if you see a clean one, you may want to pick it up.

• 1988 Dodge Ram Charger

The Dodge Ram Charger was the black sheep of the full size 4×4 market in the 1980′s. It wasn’t nearly as attractive as the Blazer or Bronco and was also a bit cumbersome from an exterior perspective. Still, if you wanted to go against the grain the Ram Charger was the truck to get.

• 1989 Ford Bronco II

The Ford Bronco II was the beginning of the end for the big 4X4′s from Ford. It was small and compact and quickly became a favorite amongst off-roaders. The Bronco II eventually morphed into the first generation Ford Explorer when the wheelbase was stretched and two more doors were added.