2016 Range Rover Evoque eD4 2WD first drive

The Range Rover Evoque remains a glorious success for Land Rover, which has shifted almost 450,000 examples of its baby crossover since it was launched back in 2011. One in three Land Rovers sold in 2014 was an Evoque, in fact, and the UK remains the largest single market for the car.

Now it’s time for a facelift - although in truth, the policy with the Evoque appears to be a string of minor improvements instead of isolated giant leaps. We’ve already seen the nine-speed automatic gearbox, for example, and such is the strength of the Evoque’s image that, it will not surprise you to learn, the looks of the 2016 model year car have been tweaked, not overhauled. There’s a slightly more chunky front bumper, new LED headlights and a few fresh alloy wheel designs - and not much else.

Still, there are significant changes under the skin at this juncture, thanks to the replacement of the old 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with Jaguar Land Rover’s all-aluminium 2.0-litre Ingenium unit - and the reworking of the front and rear suspension to adapt to the resulting improvement in weight distribution.

The engine itself comes in a couple of states of tune - with 148bhp and 178bhp - along with front or four-wheel drive, a six-speed manual and that nine-speed auto. Choose the cleanest of three Evoques to qualify for a blue name badge (the sign of efficiency, apparently) and you’ll get a manual two-wheel-drive 148bhp three-door that’ll emit just 109g/km of CO2.

The same spec with two extra doors (as driven here) emits 113g/km, while all of the four-wheel-drive editions, 148bhp or 177bhp, pump out 125g/km as a manual, regardless of body style, and either 129g/km (coupe) or 134g/km (five-door) as an automatic.

The Ford-derived 237bhp turbocharged petrol (badged Si4) will continue to be offered in selected markets, incidentally. But while it gets the same cosmetic changes, there’s little else to report under the bonnet. And with CO2 emissions of 181g/km, it’s going to look ever more of a niche choice.

The Evoque’s trim choices move into line with those of the other Range Rovers, so entry-level Pure is joined by SE, HSE, HSE Dynamic and full-house Autobiography. An extensive range of personalisation options is available - although you may have to look to the middle of the range before the full gamut of configurability is at your disposal.

There’s no doubt that the Ingenium engine marks a considerable step in refinement for the Evoque. At a motorway cruise it pulls barely 2000rpm and fades nicely into the background, although the calm beyond 60mph is disturbed by wind rush from around the sizeable side mirrors. Should you feel the need to work it hard, it’ll give you an unmistakeable diesel grumble - but it’s a world away from the rasp of the old 2.2. It avoids the pedal vibration that came with that engine, too; you feel it through the gear lever more than anywhere else.

The more modest Ingenium in the eD4 has 280lb ft at 1500pm, and while it can get bogged down occasionally, it has just about enough gumption to maintain a decent lick on twistier roads - helped by a slick gearbox whose ratios and throw feel unusually short and tightly spaced for an SUV.

The Evoque isn’t about to challenge hot hatchbacks for driver involvement on a B-road but it does manage solid body control and accurate turn-in from consistently weighted steering, so those expecting a more dynamic take on a crossover won’t feel especially hard done by. The brake pedal felt more progressive on the eD4 than a four-wheel-drive automatic that we tried, too.