Wearing what would barely pass as anti-photo camouflage, our auto paparazzi snapped spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Land Rover Range Rover on the road.

Fuel economy is expected to improve on the upcoming model thanks to an all-aluminum structure shedding weight and a new eight-speed transmission. Along with the more conservative trans, roughly the same engine line is expected to make it into the newest version. A big 5.0-liter V8, along with a supercharged version for increased performance are expected to be available. Despite saving fuel, the new transmission should also help acceleration too.

Don’t be surprised if a hybrid model debuts as well. The automaker already showcased a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, though the fuel and engine are more likely to burn gas for production.

Our latest pictures show the SUV in minimally busy camo, allowing the camera to pick more details out than ever before. What you see above is almost certainly just a dressed up version of the production model rather than a test mule.

GALLERY: 2013 Range Rover spy photos

Just as appeal for the Ranger Rover Evoque seems to be reaching a fever pitch, Land Rover threw more fuel on the fire with the Victoria Beckham Special Edition late last month. Now, rumors of an Evoque Sport are surfacing as well.

Recently at the Beijing Auto Show, design director Gerry McGovern revealed that Land Rover is considering an Evoque Sport model that would boost the production stats of the standard Evoque. With 80 percent of its buyers being completely new to the Land Rover brand, the crossover has been a big hit. Rumblings of an Evoque convertible model are also shaking the rumor mill, though official decisions about production are unreached.

Range Rover will have its work cut out however, especially with Audi unveiling its RS Q3 Concept packing 360 hp. A possible powerplant choice could be a Ford-sourced 2.0-liter turbo four with 240 hp that could easily be tuned to pump out more power.

Along with a more powerful engine, Land Rover’s designers will be adding larger wheels and a sportier body kit to enhance the aesthetics of the Evoque. No doubt the Evoque Sport will also see new suspension components, giving the crossover a lowered and more aggressive stance while bigger brakes would definitely complete the package.

[Source: Autoexpress]

Ward’s Auto has released its top 10 picks for best interior in 2012 today, though in no particular order. Here they are with brief notes on each car’s engine specs and starting price.

The 2012 Mazda CX-5 crossover is powered by 2.0-liter Skyactiv inline four cylinder that makes 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque with a starting MSRP of $20,695 with front-wheel drive.

Announced at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque has been named the 2012 World Car Design of the Year. 

The award is bestowed upon the car with the most unique styling design of the year, and there were 46 original competitors in this years contest. Those 46 were boiled down to three finalists, the Range Rover Evoque, the Volkswagen Up! and the Citroen DS5.

Design experts were brought in to give their recommendations to the jury of journalists who would choose the winners. One of the design experts, Sam Livingstone, said the Evoque is, ”a totally fresh take on SUV–crossover that also delivers unquestionably on being from the long lineage of Range Rover.”

The Evoque is styled like nothing else before it, and gets a nice mix of classic land rover as well as new age crossover styling.

The luxury SUV market is slowly but surely growing, and customer demand for these premium vehicles is causing companies like Lamborghini and Maserati to listen up and take notice. With the Range Rover, Land Rover has always had a premium offering in the upscale SUV market, but now with added competition the English marque is planning on pushing into a higher snack bracket.

Land Rover tested the market in 2011 with the Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, an SUV that was produced for a limited run of 500 and sold for over $100,000. The 500 that were produced were all sold within months, confirming to the company that there is a need for an expensive ultra luxury SUV.

Land Rover brand director John Edwards said, “The top model before that was £90k, so it could have been interesting. But they all went straight out of the door. The rush in China, Russia and Middle East was huge, and the UK exceeded forecasts, too.”

The next generation Land Rover is under production, and should be revealed to us by the end of 2013 with a considerable amount added to the price.

[Source: AutoCar]

Since 1948, those who have wanted to travel by roads that didn’t actually exist, chose to do so with a Land Rover.

It might not have been the only proper off-road vehicle on the market, but its ability to cross terrain made it an ideal choice for the adventurer crowd.

Americans have been able to buy Land Rover, and the more luxurious Range Rover products for 25 years now. To celebrate this milestone, Land Rover has released a little film, showing their past, their present, and a glimpse of their future.

So if you are a fan of these British SUV’s, you would enjoy the film after the break.

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If you own a 1995 to 1999 Land Rover Discovery, a 1999 to 2004 Discovery II or a 1995 Range Rover Classic, and had recently replaced its rear drive-shaft coupling, you need to read on.

The problem: certain rear drive-shaft couplings manufactured as replacement parts between April 2011 through November 2011, carrying parts number TVF100010, could fail because they weren’t built to exact design specification the manufacturer had required.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reported that, “some of the rear driveshaft couplings may not have been manufactured to the required engineering design specifications and may exhibit the onset of joint separation, precluded by driveline vibration.”

This means, ignoring the vibration warning sign may lead to a “catastrophic failure” of the drive coupling, which may lead to a loss of the driveshaft while moving. The vehicle could lose drive along with its transmission park settings, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash or injury.

Land Rover expects around 180 vehicles to be affected. So if you recently had this item changed on your old Discovery or Classic, we advise you to contact Land Rover at: 1-201-818-8500. The campaign number for this recall is P024.

Weighing one model against another can be a hassle for people mulling over a new car purchase. As if it wasn’t difficult enough, those shopping for luxury cars also have to weigh the incentives being offered.

“What we see with the beginning of the fourth quarter is that the pressure on the pricing front has increased. When it will end is, at the moment, not clear,” BMW CFO Friedrich Eichiner said in reference to the array of incentives luxury car makers are offering customers. The list of enticements, sweet as they may be, can be a little overwhelming.

Audi for example, is offering current owners a $3,000 loyalty incentive or will extend a $2,500 discount to anyone trading in a luxury car towards a 2012 A8. Mercedes-Benz is offering an extra $2,000 discount on buying a 2012 E-Class if you’re already financing or leasing another Mercedes through its financing division. Fina;;y, BMW is offering a $1,000 rebate on a 2012 BMW M3 coupe or convertible, or a $2,500 manufacturer-to-dealer incentive on a 2011 335i or 328i. It’s worth mentioning that the $2,500 manufacturer-to-dealer incentive might not even come up if you don’t ask the dealer.

It isn’t just the German automakers jumping into the discount battle, Infiniti and Lexus are both offering incentives. Current Jaguar or Land Rover owners can also save up to $5,500 in total rebates on a 2011 Range Rover. Both Cadillac and Lincoln are offering rebates and discounts, with Cadillac offering a ridiculous $7,000 in manufacturer-to-dealer rebates on any left over 2011 DTS models.

[Source: Left Lane News]

The new Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible isn’t set to be officially unveiled until the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, but it appears that photos of the convertible crossover have hit the Internet early.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible will be the world’s first premium convertible SUV and is based on the Evoque three-door model. Due to the lack of a solid roof, the convertible variant weighs in 165 lbs heavier than its non-convertible counterpart.

It’s believed that the Evoque Convertible will feature the same powerplants as the standard models, with more details to be released at Geneva. We have to admit, the convertible variant of the Evoque looks surprisingly good. Perhaps this is the start of a new era of convertible SUVs?

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Range Rover Evoque Review Here

GALLERY: Range Rover Evoque Convertible

The new Range Rover Evoque has been much applauded by the press and is pushing Range Rover sales figures to heights the company has never seen before.

German auto giant Volkswagen wants a piece of the action and is now planning to bring its Evoque-fighter to the market by 2014. This new model will sit on a modified Golf platform.

VW’s R&D boss Ulrich Hackenberg says he thinks the crossover segment will continue grow and that customers want the high seating position with muscular style and sporty driving dynamics.

VW recently showed a concept of this new vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show, called the Cross Coupe. While the concept was a plug-in hybrid, the production model will have many different petrol and diesel engines on option, with either a normal hybrid or a plug-in hybrid at some point in its life.

Even a longer, seven-seater version is planned, primarily for the American market. The target date for this new stylish SUV is 2014, which gives Range Rover plenty of time to sell as many Evoques as it can, before the competition arrives to take pieces out of its pie.

GALLERY: VW Cross Coupe

[Source: Autocar]

Autocar UK is reporting that Land Rover is currently planning for a bigger Range Rover Evoque model, slotting a vehicle in between the Evoque and its Range Rover Sport sibling. Success of BMW‘s X-models and Audi‘s Q-models has encouraged Land Rover to expand its Range Rover brand.

Possibly called “Grand Evoque”, it should be based on the same LR-MS architecture currently found on the existing Evoque, but Land Rover should be giving it a distinctive aesthetic design of its own to set it apart from the standard Evoque. Stretching the underbody by about 12-inches would give the Grand Evoque plenty of extra room, possibly for a third row of seating.

Speculation also continues with possible powerplants, with the larger Evoque powered by new four-cylinder engines that Jaguar Land Rover is developing. Rumor has it that a 1.8L turbo is in the works capable of producing as much as 170-hp per liter while a diesel variant would be capable of 133-hp per liter. There is also a possibility of a hybrid model for the larger Evoque.

[Source: Autocar UK]

Startech, a sub-division of famous Mercedes tuning house Brabus, is showing off a custom Range Rover Evoque at this year’s Essen Motor Show. The project originally debuted at the Dubai International Motor Show earlier this month, and has now made its way over to Europe to Essen for its home crowd.

The tuning package from Startech is available for all three- and five-door models of the Evoque and was developed to make the crossover more capable on the road, rather than focusing on the Evoque’s somewhat non-existent off-road capabilities.

For aesthetics, Startech outfits the Evoque with a new front apron, roof wing and rear apron that sports a new rear diffuser and wickedly cool quad exhaust tips. Ride height is lowered by 1.2-inch thanks to a suspension kit while Startech offers a variety of 20- to 22-inch wheels with custom color combos for the client.

On the inside, Startech offers a plethora of custom interior modifications including a sport steering wheel, aluminum pedals, foot rest and shifter, leather upholstery and Alcantara headliner. Startech also announced that they’re working on more horsepower for the 2.0L SI4 powerplant first, and will develop a power kit for the diesel engine shortly thereafter.

For more information and to discuss the Range Rover Evoque, please visit our Range Rover Evoque Forum.

GALLERY: Startech Range Rover Evoque