The new Evoque is much in demand, and there’s already a waiting list but that doesn’t stop the tuning boys getting their hands on one. AmD tuning and Milltek have developed a performance package designed to give the Evoque driver a claimed increase of 40bhp on the 190bhp Evoque. More important than just pure power, they also alter the torque curve to give far more grunt in the lower rev range where it matters most, particularly if the vehicle will be used for towing.

The conversion also benefits from a Milltek exhaust system which is a larger bore than standard and also profiled better to hug the underside of the Evoque – it actually gives the vehicle slightly more ground clearance compared to the standard straight system.
Our sister magazine, Land Rover World, was lucky enough to get hold of the AmD Evoque for a few days and editor Simon Ward-Hastelow told us: “The increase in low down grunt and sheer responsiveness while driving is very welcome, even on a vehicle that was no slouch to begin with.”

When you farm some 3000 acres, you need a sensible off-road machine that’s for sure. Meurig Raymond is such a farmer, as well as being the deputy president of the NFU and he has just taken delivery of a Polaris Ranger 400 on trial. “The Ranger is in constant use,” says Meurig, “it’s highly reliable and much appreciated by the staff.”

The farm previously used a quad or fork lift to move feed around, but now find that the Polaris Ranger is much more versatile for transportation and with the added advantage in moving across the fields as it is so much lighter, and therefore causes minimum pressure and  a lot less damage.

So, the campaign continues. And this time the stage was the Los Angeles Auto Show in the US. We can expect to be seeing the ‘new Defender’ DC100 and DC100 Sport at numerous high profile motor shows and publicity events over the coming year, as Jaguar Land Rover gauge public opinion, or merely convince public opinion (depending on your point of view) as to what should be the production version specification, and final design, of the replacement Defender. During this period, information will be drip-fed to the public, and every word spoken by Jaguar Land Rover executives will be scrutinised for any clues.

In Los Angeles, there was talk of selling the DC100 to the Third World (following in the footsteps of the original Land Rover) but this was matched by photo-shoots on the beach at Malibu… Third World? More another world. John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover’s Global Brand Director, was reported speaking about ‘fine tuning’ the DC100, which would mean (as we believed from the off) that the company is pretty sure of the design, the specification and the plans for production and sale. Edwards also spoke of the DC100 being available in the US from around 2015. The present Defender hasn’t been sold in the US for around 15 years, as the aging design doesn’t meet the stringent US safety regulations, and the cost of modifications has always been prohibitive. He was also asked as to what vehicle he saw as the direct competitor, to which he replied the Jeep Wrangler – for its off-road abilities, if not its design sophistication – which means we will be able to continue with our Icons battle in future 4×4 Of The Year tests!

Jaguar Land Rover’s Range_e has won the 2011 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Award for Automotive Innovation. This important award goes to a vehicle that is Land Rover’s first diesel-electric hybrid – and it wasn’t many years ago that those words would have been met with incredulous and bewildered looks by most 4×4 enthusiasts.

The Range_e is actually capable of 89g/km CO2 emissions and a staggering 85mpg of fuel economy, thanks to the combination of the TDV6 diesel engine, 69kW electric motor and 14.2kWh lithium-ion battery. And the bonus is that the battery can be recharged simply by plugging into a 240V power source.