Compact luxury crossovers are all the rage these days, and Land Rover is taking advantage with a second generation for the Range Rover Evoque. The updated premium high-rider just dropped onto U.S. shores at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, and it’s looking to mate green tech and top-shelf amenities with rough-stuff capability.

A Familiar Face, Now Prepped For The U.S.

The Evoque was originally revealed in November of 2018 at a special event in London. Now the updated compact crossover is at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show to strut its stuff and tempt buyers with a combination of elegance and capability.

It all starts outside, where we find the very latest Land Rover design language. That means it once again draws from the Range Rover Velar while maintaining its compact dimensions, offering up a coupe-like profile, thin headlight housings, and a striking window and belt line. The front end is neatly rounded, and there are plenty of clean lines throughout.

This time around, the Evoque offers up a longer wheelbase, which improves the overall interior space. The interior design was updated as well, and now looks much more luxurious thanks to a relocated touchscreen and reshaped center console. You’ll also find a few extra storage bits here and there.

On the infotainment front, buyers can opt into the InControl Touch Pro Duo system, which offers twin 10-inch touchscreens on the center console. There’s also a 12.3-inch screen in the gauge cluster, and as many as six USB ports. A 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection keeps you online all the time.

However, one of the biggest headlines here can be found under the hood, where Land Rover added a new mild hybrid-electric powertrain option. Starting with the standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the hybrid Evoque gains a 48-volt powertrain system that scavenges electricity when braking, sending the extra electrons to a battery pack mounted under the floor. The system can even switch to an all-electric drive mode when traveling under 11 mph to help save gas.

Yep, that’s right - you get a whopping 50 extra ponies by going green. Not too shabby.

The rest of the drivetrain includes a nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF and all-wheel drive system, both of which are standard equipment. It’s also worth noting that the all-wheel drive system includes a Driveline Disconnect feature that can switch between all-wheel grip when you need it, and two-wheel efficiency when you don’t, all on the fly and without user inputs. Smart stuff.

Of course, being a Land Rover, the Evoque also makes some pretty big claims with regards to its off-road worthiness. Part of this includes the Adaptive Dynamics program that will adjust the damper settings by reading the road surface ahead. There’s also something called the ClearSight Ground View feature, which allows the driver to see “through” the hood and observe what’s directly in front of the car with a 180-degree real-time feed relayed directly to the upper touchscreen.

Interested buyers will have five trims to choose from, listed below in ascending order based on price:

-* S

-* SE

-* R-Dynamic S

-* R-Dynamic SE

-* R-Dynamic HSE

There’s also a First Edition model on offer.

Go for the hybrid, and you’re looking at a price tag between $46,600 to $55,800, which means the more-powerful hybrid is $4,000 more than the non-hybrid. It’s also worth mentioning that the new model is $850 more than the outgoing model.

Sales kick off this spring. When it’s released, the Evoque will compete with crossovers like the Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3.

Elegance In The Dirt

While the Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3 are both nice places to sit, the Evoque is definitely the one I’d go for when traversing the great outdoors.

It appears as though the Evoque was designed for both city dwelling and rural exploration, and a lot of the appeal is the idea it will be comfortable and at home anywhere you go.

That much is evident from the model’s debut in Chicago, which included a concert by Solo and Jamie Woods, a brother and sister R&B band. The debut also featured a Chicago-based luxury fashion brand and a sneak peek at an upcoming Chicago-inspired film and U.S. marketing campaign for the Evoque.

Range Rover is even offering exclusive wireless headphones from Master & Dynamic to those who place an early reservation, which are designed to look similar to the new crossover.

On top of all this, the Evoque rides high in Chicago thanks to an indoor off-road course experience inside the convention center itself.

As the least-expensive Range Rover in the lineup, the compact Evoque has a lot riding on it. The brand needs to sell a bunch of these, especially with Jaguar Land Rover recently posting big losses as demand in China starts to fall off.

The addition of hybrid tech is particularly interesting, and sure to be seen elsewhere in the segment going forward. After all, a crossover is supposed to do it all, so why not add fuel efficiency to the list? Merc is already doing it with the GLC, while BMW is prepping a hybrid X3 as well.

Extra mpg is great and all, but we wanna see how the electric power helps off-road. Stay tuned.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.

2019 Chicago Auto Show - Everything You Need To Know