Month: September 2019

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  This is the 2020 Land Rover Defender, which goes on sale next spring starting at $49,900. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—The original Land Rover didn't invent the 4x4—that honor surely belongs to the WWII Jeep—but it is almost synonymous with the term. Inspired by the Jeep, the first Land Rovers went on sale in 1948, being (very) slowly updated over the years thorough Series I-III, then as the Land Rover 90 and 110, then as the Defender, which finally went out of production in January 2016. Along the way, despite its agricultural roots and barest nod towards things like driver comfort or ergonomics, the Defender gained a reputation for being able to go just about anywhere, which helps explain why used examples are now so ludicrously expensive here in the US. Land Rover is obviously not unaware of this fact, because it's gone and designed a brand new Defender, which made its public debut at this year's Frankfurt auto show.

If you were expecting a traditional body-on-frame design, think again. This Defender, like its Range Rover cousins, is now an aluminum monocoque chassis, something that Land Rover says is three times stiffer than anything else the brand has built until now. Like the old, antediluvian 4x4 it replaces, the new one comes in two sizes; the 90 and 110, numbers which used to refer to the number of inches in the wheelbase. (In fact the 90 has a 102-inch/2,588mm wheelbase, and the 110 has 119-inch/3,026mm wheelbase.) If you want a 90 you're limited to a single engine—a mild hybrid 395hp (295kW) turbocharged 3.0L inline six—but the bigger Defender can also be optioned with a 296hp (220kW) 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Both engines are gasoline-powered; there's no diesel planned but next year a plug-in hybrid will join the range.

The drivetrain options will also be a little unfamiliar to fans of the venerable and ancient Landy. Forget about a simple manual gearbox; all new Defenders will use ZF's excellent 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission. But it does have permanent four-wheel drive, a twin-speed transfer case, and can be specced with locking center and rear differentials as well as Land Rover's latest Terrain Response electronic off-road driver aid.

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  So unmistakably Range Rover from the front that you don't need the badge. [credit: Marlowe Bangeman ]

There's a certain amount of predictability that comes with a Range Rover. The vehicle is smartly designed, the interior is nicely appointed, there are some very clever bits, it's going to offer a smooth ride—and there's going to be some lack of attention to detail that nags at you every now and again. The 2020 Range Rover Evoque is no exception.

The second generation of Range Rover's subcompact SUV made its US debut in February at this year's Chicago Auto Show. Jaguar Land Rover hasn't made massive changes, instead going for smaller tweaks to what has become its best-selling model worldwide. From the outside, the 2020 Evoque looks very similar to the pint-size SUV that debuted in 2010. Most of the changes are in the interior or under the hood. The 2020 Evoque gets the latest version of JLR's InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, complete with optional CarPlay and Android Auto support. TouchPro is a dual-display setup, with the usual infotainment functions on top and climate and seat controls on the bottom. It's very well-thought-out, but implementation is bumpy—a combination of small targets, noticeable lag between touch and response, and lack of tactile feedback leads to occasional frustration. It also takes too long to boot up after turning on the ignition.

JLR has equipped the 2020 Evoque with its mild hybrid EV powertrain. A 246hp (181kW) turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine is paired with a small electric motor that generates up to 103lb-ft (140Nm) of torque to assist with acceleration and smooth over turbo lag when you hit the gas. Combined, the MHEV powertrain churns out 296hp (218kW) and 269lb-ft (364Nm) of torque. The 48V battery lives under the passenger compartment and regenerates itself when the driver brakes or lets off the gas. While JLR claims the MHEV Evoque is 6 percent more efficient than its ICE-only predecessor, this hybrid system is intended to make for a more responsive and consistent driving experience.

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  For the last few years, if you wanted an insanely powerful but still practical Audi, you could by an RS7 Sportback. But in 2020 you'll also have the option of this, the RS6 Avant station wagon. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—Although the station wagon is not quite extinct, there is no denying that it belongs on an endangered species list. People just don't buy them anymore—especially in the US, where buyers have voted with their wallets for the higher seating position and compromised dynamic ability of the crossover. Which makes Audi's decision to finally bring its spicy RS6 Avant wagon to the US all the more remarkable. Truth be told, the news that one of the fastest wagons was US-bound actually slipped out of Audi HQ a little under a month ago, and since the model was on display at this year's Frankfurt auto show, it seemed wise to go take a closer look.

The RS6 is a product of Audi Sport, the company's racing arm. Audi Sport takes the company's track-honed knowledge and also applies it to variants of the brand's more mundane models. More often than not, this results in some truly sublime automobiles which defy Audi's traditional reputation for building attractive cars that just aren't fun to drive; compare a TT to a TT-RS, for vivid proof of this. And for 25 years, the RS6 has been the tip of Audi Sport's spear when it comes to transporting four people and a lot of their luggage (or two people and even more stuff) as fast as possible across Europe, regardless of the weather.

Here in the US we've had to settle for the RS6's closely related sibling, the RS7—if one can describe my all-time favorite Audi model as something one must "settle for." Now, though, well-heeled Audi customers will have a dilemma on their hands: starting next year, they're going to have the option to buy either one.