Marque’s first plug-in hybrid will be wicked fast.
British luxury SUV specialists Range Rover are reportedly putting the last details onto its new plug-in hybrid Range Rover, which reports suggest are no more than a few days away. This comes after comments were made by brand boss Ralf Speth at the tail-end of the Frankfurt motor show, where the CEO spoke to Autocar about the brand’s future plans.
Speth said that the hybrid powertrain will combine a 2.0-litre turbocharged Ingenium petrol engine with an electric drive unit, that has been developed in-house by Jaguar-Land Rover and fits perfectly into Land Rover architecture. The engine is expected to push out some 219kW and 400Nm, while the electric motor adds a further 150kW and 450Nm to the party, ensuring that the greenest Range Rover yet isn’t the slowest. It might just be the quietest though, with an all-electric range of just under 50km expected too.
We’ve seen the plug-in hybrid Range Rovers on test before, and they’ve revealed very little differentiation visually between the traditional internal-combustion variants versus the one that can be plugged into the wall. This will be the first plug-in hybrid for Range Rover, and will go a long way in reducing the emissions-based taxes that burden the rest of the marque’s range. That said, this isn’t their first hybrid, though the current hybrid Range Rover will likely be eclipsed by the new plug-in car, given that the hybrid is pretty much a disappointment.
When it arrives, the Range Rover PHEV will have to do battle with the excellent Volvo XC90 and the BMW X5, which have had plug-in hybrid variants for some time. We hope their efforts have been worthwhile, as the established competition may just see the electrified Range Rover fall flat on its face. As for the rest of the range, you can read our review of the Range Rover here, and the review of the Range Rover Sport here.
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