Range Rovers, eh? They all look the same these days, don’t they? The thing is, though, that this ‘Russian Doll’ approach to styling, first championed by Audi, works. People buy Range Rovers in large part because they like the way they look – so it came as no great surprise, when this new Range Rover Evoque emerged from Gerry McGovern’s design studio and plonked onto the tarmac in front of us, that it looked for all the world like its predecessor. If it ain’t broke, and so on.

Despite appearances to the contrary, however, what we have here is an entirely box-fresh car. The platform it sits on is new, and has been designed with a view to the plug-in hybrid model that’s expected to arrive next year. Happily, given the usual trend of spread with each new model, the overall length of the car remains the same, but the wheelbase has expanded to improve interior packaging.

Until that hybrid version arrives, you can take your pick of six engines, all 2.0-litres; three diesels, of 148bhp, 178bhp and 237bhp, and three petrols, of 197bhp, 246bhp and 296bhp. All get four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox as standard, except the least powerful diesel, which comes with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual, though a four-wheel drive auto is also available.