What kind of car is that? How do you pronounce that? Those were some of the questions people asked me about the intriguing Range Rover Evoque.

And to answer both of those questions: it’s the smallest vehicle Range Rover has offered, and thus is a crossover, although it won North American Truck of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show. And it’s pronounced EVOKE, as in to bring or recall to the conscious mind.

But what the Range Rover Evoque brings to mind is modern rethinking of a luxury crossover.

With a rear-sloping exterior and sleek lines, the fit and finish of the Evoque is nothing like anything else in the Range Rover or Land Rover line. In fact, from the all-glass roof to the lack of right angles and straight lines, the Evoque shows why it’s the hip, look-at-me-ain’t-I-cool member of the Range Rover family.

The Evoque is quite a bit shorter than the Range Rover Sport, 17 inches shorter to be exact, and 8 inches lower to the ground. So it’s not only hip, but gives off a stout and athletic feel, because it is, afterall, still a Range Rover and is ready for all terrains.

Paired with a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injected 4-cylinder engine, the Evoque puts out 240 horsepower. It is not afraid to show its spryness under any conditions thanks to its permanent intelligent all-wheel drive system.

The transmission is also versatile with a 6-speed automatic transmission being standard, but offering paddleshifters and also normal, sport and manual shift modes.

The engine will evoke memories of a sports car in any driver.

Range Rover’s Terrain Response System exists in the Evoque, too. This turns your sports car into an offroading machine, adjusting to whatever specific driving conditions exists including grass/gravel/snow, mud or sand — Range Rover at its best.

Inside, memories of luxury are evoked. Custom details like soft leather, wood accents and a panoramic sunroof give a contemporary design to the interior. Almost everything enthusiasts of the Range Rover brand appreciate can be found in the Evoque, only with a little more modern flare.

My tester was the Range Rover five-door, but a second model is a three-door version with a coupe-like appearance. Range Rover is counting the rear entry hatch as a door, which I don’t necessarily like.

The two models have two very distinctive looks, which give buyers options, based on preference.

Base price for the five-door is $43,995 and with several packages added like the Prestige Premium Package, and blind spot monitoring system (much needed in a vehicle with poor sight lines), my tester came out to a price of $57,545.

Range Rover has never been a brand known for fuel economy. But, thanks to its smaller size, the Evoque has an EPA rating of 18 city and 28 highway. In a week’s worth of driving, I averaged nearly 23 MPG.

The Evoque is unlike other vehicles on the road. With hip looks, and nouveau features, it represents the new breed of crossovers.

Jimmy Dinsmore is the Wheels editor at the Dayton Daily News and may be reached at (937) 225-2115. Follow him on Twitter @wheelseditor