The 2018MY Range Rover Sport is the latest car in Jaguar Land Rover’s range to embrace electrification, and the brand’s first plug-in hybrid. As OEMs globally pledge varying degrees of commitment to electrification in anticipation of future regulations, the Range Rover Sport P400e is the latest luxury SUV to gain hybrid status.
“The current Range Rover Sport has performed exceptionally well in the UK market since it was introduced in 2013 selling just shy of 50,000 vehicles to date,” explained Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director, Jeremy. “The 2018 updates make the Range Rover Sport an even more attractive proposition with CO2 emissions down to 64g/km and a 101mpg on the combined cycle. Our efficient diesel and petrol engines are our cleanest ever and remain utterly relevant today on our journey to electrification.”
The latest Range Rover Sport is Jaguar Land Rover’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Badged P400e, the new model combines a 300hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine with an 85kW electric motor. The combined 404hp (297kW) total available power and 640Nm combined torque figures are transferred via a permanent four-wheel drive system, and deliver a 0-60mph time of just 6.3 seconds) and a maximum speed of 137mph.
Thanks to its electrified powertrain, the P400e emits 64g/km on the NEDC cycle, in addition to an all-electric range of 31 miles (51km). The system is built around two drive modes; Parallel hybrid, and full EV mode. Parallel Hybrid mode, the P400e’s default driving mode, combines petrol and electric drive, which can optimise battery charge or fuel economy. Other functionalities within the system include a ‘Predictive Energy Optimisation’ (PEO) function. This allows users to enter a destination in the navigation system, and by utilizing GPS altitude data, the P400e optimizes the switch between electric motor and petrol engine maximising fuel economy over gradients along the route.
Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 technology has a unique calibration that distributes torque from the electric motor, which has no creep speed and maximum torque from zero rpm, to all four wheels, giving increased control during low-speed off-road manoeuvres.
“The new Range Rover Sport strikes a compelling balance between dynamic capability, passenger comfort and efficiency,” added Nick Collins, vehicle line director, Jaguar Land Rover. “The introduction of our advanced plug-in hybrid powertrain is a watershed moment in the history of our performance SUV.”
The motor is powered by a 13.1kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery. The 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine is longitudinally mounted, with the 85kW electric motor housed on the transmission at the centre of the vehicle along with the 7kW on-board charger. The access point for the cable is at the front of the vehicle, while the 13k.1Wh prism-shaped lithium-ion battery is mounted at the rear beneath the boot floor.
When rapid charging, a full charge can be achieved in as little as 2 hours 45 minutes at home using a dedicated or 32amp wall box. The battery can be fully charged in 7 hours 30 minutes using the 10-amp home charging cable supplied as standard.
Visual changes are limited to new design Matrix Pixel LED headlights, which sit alongside a redesigned grille. This is complemented by a new bumper with a more aggressive profile. The new PHEV derivative also includes access to the 7Kw on-board charger hidden behind the Land Rover badge on the right of the grille.
