What's this, a Range Rover with a plug?
Yup, following on from last week's announcement that the Range Rover Sport was getting a plugin hybrid version, Land Rover has now revealed the big Rangie with a three-pin - the new P400e plugin hybrid.
Sounds clever...
It might well be. Not only does it use the smallest engine ever installed in a Range Rover (a 300hp 2.0-litre Ingenium turbo four-pot, plus a 116hp electric motor for a total of 404hp) it's also the Range Rover with the best fuel economy figure ever - a staggering 101mpg (although that's clearly based on the totally unrealistic combined cycle test). Emissions are pegged at 64g/km, while it'll do the 0-62mph sprint in just 6.4 seconds.
Can you go off-road with the batteries?
Oh yes; in fact, Land Rover says that the P400e is actually better off-road than the standard car, because the electric motor can put down its torque much more precisely. Charge it up (that takes two-and-three-quarter hours from a 32-amp wall-box) and you can travel for a claimed 31 miles on just the batteries. Land Rover's research says that most people's daily journey is less than five miles, incidentally. As with pretty much all other plugin hybrids, you can drive the Range Rover P400e on just the batteries, as a hybrid, or charge the batteries on the go using the petrol engine. Top speed is 137mph. It does eat into boot space though, albeit only to the tune of 100 litres, leaving 800 litres still to fill with Hunter wellies and Labradors.
It does look a little different...
Yes, as well as the hybrid powertrain, Land Rover has given the Range Rover's exterior a go-over. There's a new grille, new bumpers and side skirts, and some other detail updates. The new lights are now LED, and can be had as Matrix LED Laser units, which can project a main beam as much as 500 metres up the road.
Inside, there's a new 12-inch all-digital instrument pack, plus the new 'Blade' double-decker infotainment system, lifted from the Range Rover Velar, which can, according to Land Rover, "dual-task for the driver, keeping mapping information displayed on the upper touchscreen, while providing easy access to further features on the secondary lower screen. By dividing information and controls logically between the two screens, the new Range Rover achieves a more intuitive user experience."
There are also new seats (with as many as 24 electric adjustments and even heated arm-rests), and gesture-control for the panoramic roof's sunblind, meaning you can just wave a languid hand rather than pressing a plastic button like some sort of peasant. You also get a new head-up display (said to be less tiring on the eyes than before), the waterproof 'Activity' key wristband, Wifi capability, 17 power points (including three-pin domestic-style sockets), a cleverer traffic sign camera and much more. Oh, and for the ultimate in luxury, you can have a long-wheelbase model with 186mm more legroom and 'Executive Class' reclining seats in the back.
Neil Briscoe - 10 Oct 2017
