Range Rover Evoque SI4 Dynamic first drive

A revised Range Rover Evoque for the 2014 model-year.

‘Tweaked’ might be a better word for it, given that the most significant exterior changes are new alloy wheel designs and slightly different ‘Land Rover’ badges. There are new colour options for the interior, too. But bigger and more meaningful updates have been carried out under the skin, to the driveline specifically.

Out has gone ZF’s old six-speed automatic gearbox, in comes its brand new nine-speeder, as tested in an SD4 prototype earlier this year. Performance, refinement, ride comfort and fuel efficiency are all supposed to be notably improved – the last of those items having been in quite serious need of improvement in real-world terms, both for the SD4 turbodiesel and the SI4 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol.

As an option on that 237bhp petrol comes the second important update to the Evoque’s transmission: an intelligent four-wheel drive system called Active Driveline.

This is an ‘on-demand’ system that automatically decouples drive to the rear axle when cruising above 22mph, but can reconnect it in three tenths of a second as necessary. The drive system also includes an electronically controlled ‘e-Diff’ on the rear axle.

There are new driver-assistance systems for 2014 model year cars, too: more sophisticated park-assist functions, active safety systems and 'wade sensing' for proper off-roading.

The new gearbox alters the Evoque’s driving experience quite markedly. Nine speeds are about four too many for this tester to keep count of without the aid of a gear indicator. But left in ‘D’ and driven at run-of-the-mill pace, the new ZF ‘box swaps between ratios so seamlessly that it doesn’t seem to matter how fast you’re going or which gear it’s in when you suddenly want to pick up speed.

It feels as much like a stepped CVT as a normal auto; there are that many available ratios it can select from at any one time.

At a 50mph trunkroad cruise, for example, the engine might be spinning well under 2000rpm, but it’s very quick to react when you flex your right foot. And it reacts in precise proportion. Want to drop just one ratio and ease up to speed? Half throttle will do you. Go to two thirds and the transmission will drop two cogs at once, for a typical overtake. Go to full power without kickdown and it’ll drop three; four in kickdown.

The car feels slightly faster through the gears as a result of the shorter intermediate ratios. And there’s so little delay with the automatic downshifts when they come; the ‘box really does seem decisive, except at very low speeds when subjected to very sudden extremes of pedal.

If the flappy paddle manual mode has a flaw, it’s simply because it takes a while to get used to having nine ratios to flip between – and having that many inevitably means you have to do more ‘paddling’. Seldom is one downshift enough to create a meaningful difference in available engine power, for example: it usually only buys you 500rpm or so. And when you’re downshifting, say, three times for an imminent bend or lane change, there’s often just enough time between completing a sequence of short flips on the left-hand paddle and getting your desired gear to allow you to wonder if you forgot a flip.