Range Rover Evoque gets price drop for 2013

Land Rover has sold more than 6,000 Range Rover Evoque SUVs so far this year, making it the company's second-best seller behind the Range Rover Sport. To keep the momentum going, Land Rover has lowered the base price for the small SUV by about $2,000 for 2013, to $41,995.

That's the price for the five-door Pure model, which eliminates the laminated-glass roof in favor of aluminum. The next model up is the Pure Plus, at $43,995, and prices go all the way up to $52,595 for the Prestige. Coupe prices are slightly more than the five-door.

New features for 2013 include park assist, an off-road navigation feature, a revised front grille and a new wheel finish on the Prestige model.

The Evoque's 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged engine continues for the new year. The motor is all aluminum, with direct injection and twin variable-valve timing. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, helping the small hauler get to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. EPA numbers are at 28 mpg on the highway and 20 in the city.

The park-assist function works much like most of the others on the market. When driving past parking spaces, the driver selects park assist and then the side of the road using the turn signal. The Evoque will display “space found” on the eight-inch touch-screen display. The system will tell the driver to stop, select reverse and park assist takes over. The driver controls the throttle and gear changes while the car parks.

Keeping with Land Rover's off-road pedigree, the Evoque now has off-road navigation to help explore unmapped areas. The system provides topographic contour lines, latitude, longitude, altitude, trace, waypoint and compass functions.

The Evoque continues to be bullish on technology for 2013. Some of the more notable features include the surround camera system, which gives a bird's-eye view of the car; a heated windshield for cold days; adaptive headlights; power tailgate; and rear-seat entertainment.

The 2013 Range Rover Evoque will go on sale in this month.

By Jake Lingeman