If you want an SUV to haul around your family, but you enjoy the instant torque and outstanding fuel economy that comes from an oil-burning engine, Mercedes->ke187, Volkswagen->ke94, Audi->ke14 and Porsche->ke1 all have great options. Now though, it seems the Germans going to have some competition soon in the market of diesel-powered crossovers thanks to a new entry from Land Rover->ke46.

While nothing is official yet, JLR North America’s vice president of marketing, Kim McCullough, told Autoguide that a diesel variant of the Range Rover Evoque->ke3666 is “definitely something that’s being considered.” That means that the peppy, 2.0-liter EcoBoost that was borrowed from Ford->ke31 will be replaced with a new 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. Considering the amount of power and torque that other manufactures are snagging from their 2-liter mills, it would be safe to expect no less than 160 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of twist.

The Evoque is the third-best selling model in the Land Rover family, and bringing a new more fuel efficient model to the market will only help increase sales. If this all comes to fruition, expect to see the new diesel Evoque in around 18-months time.

Click past the jump to read more about the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.

Why It Matters

Diesel cars are rapidly increasing their market share here in the United States, and it represents a fresh market for Land Rover to capitalize on. Only the Germans are currently offering diesel engines in the SUV category, and none of them are particulaury visually appealing. If Land Rover can manage to price it competitively, the incredibly pretty Evoque with a 30+ mpg rating and 260+ pound-feet of torque could easily sweep the market.

This could be the best chance that JLR has had in years to dominate a segment of the market.

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The Range Rover Evoque is the smaller member of the Range Rover family. Despite its compact size, this little machine boasts one of the most stunning designs in the automakers catalog. It comes powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that manages to pump out 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. Every Evoque comes standard with a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4WD.

Not only does the Evoque possess off-road credentials like a 19.7-inch water wading depth and 8.4-inches of ground clearance, it comes with real on-road performance as well thanks to a 7.1-second sprint from zero to 60 mph.