Range Rover stokes the Evoque’s Ember

LAND Rover is hoping to fan the flames of the sales of its Range Rover Evoque compact SUV with the limited edition Ember arriving in showrooms soon.

The Ember edition is set for an October arrival as part of the model-year 2017 Evoque range, but will only be on the order books from June to August, priced from $93,499 plus on-road costs and represents a $15,734 premium over the $77,765 Td4 180 HSE Dynamic on which it is based.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia senior public relations executive James Scrimshaw said the special edition was designed to remind potential customers that the Evoque remains a key part of its local line-up.

“We want to make sure people don’t forget about the Evoque and think the Discovery Sport is the only one we’ve got now,” he said.

“It’s based on the HSE Dynamic, which with the SE are the two most popular in the range, hopefully it attracts some of the people who are looking at that model,” he said.

The carry-over drivetrain is the 132kW/430Nm Ingenium variable-valve 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, which when teamed with the nine-speed automatic transmission in this guise offers combined fuel economy of 5.1 litres per 100km.

It can compete the 0-100km/h dash in 9.0 seconds, hit a top speed of 200km/h, and records low NOx emissions thanks to selective catalytic reduction and exhaust gas recirculation systems.

Also carryover are the standard safety features, including stability, traction and trailer sway control, roll stability control, lane-departure warning, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, hill-start assist, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights.

Standard HSE fare already includes Bluetooth phone and music streaming, the up-spec satellite navigation, power-adjustable front seats, an auto-dimming centre mirror, tricolour ambient interior lighting, a handsfree-operated powered tailgate, Terrain Response four-wheel drive with brake-directed torque vectoring (and the option of the Dynamic mode), an electric park brake, puddle lamp lighting, power-folding electric exterior mirrors and cruise control.

Given it is based on the HSE it already has the new 10.2-inch tablet-style touchscreen controller for its infotainment system, which offers 80 per cent better resolution than the outgoing Evoque’s standard eight-inch touchscreen.

The features list also includes the upgraded 11-speaker (including a sub-woofer) 380-watt Meridien sound system.

The special edition’s roof is covered in a Firenze Red paint colour, with the body bathed in Santorini Black, apart from the band through the front grille and the rear diffuser that both match the roof.

The black Evoque badge on the tailgate highlighted by a silver surround and the Narvik Black Range Rover lettering adorning the clamshell bonnet further distinguishes the Ember edition.

The black trend continues with satin black 20-inch alloy wheels, dynamic black exhaust tips, a Narvik Black grille and darkened front and rear lights add to the brooding and aggressive look of the Ember model.

Adaptive and auto-levelling LED headlights with LED running lights and cornering lamps are also among the extras bought by the price hike above the standard Td4 180 HSE Dynamic.

Cabin upgrades include the black leather seats with a contrasting red stitching, as well as the extended leather pack which adds further Oxford leather to the dashboard fascia, as well as black and red premium carpet mats and gloss black trim finishes.

Land Rover is celebrating the sale of more than 520,000 Range Rover Evoques since its global launch in 2011.

So far this year, 738 Evoques have found homes in Australia, just one unit off its performance in the same period last year, but well off the pace of 1258 Discovery Sports sold.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC leads the segment so far this year with 1635 sales, ahead of the Discovery Sport and then BMW’s X3 on 996 units, followed by the Lexus NX on 831.

Last year Land Rover sold 2321 Evoques, a 10.2 per cent drop on its 2014 tally and the Discovery Sport was already nipping at its heels with 2123 sales, while Audi’s Q5 topped the segment with 4122 sales.