Jaguar Range Rover has announced its next creation – the 2019 Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Baroque Ground investigates
In what will be the first of a new breed of cars, Jaguar Land Rover announced the 2018 Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid. This iteration features a 296-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo-charged four cylinder gasoline engine that is paired with a 114-horsepower, 85kW electric motor, offering a total output of 398 horsepower and 474 pound-feet of torque.
Land Rover estimates that the Range Rover PHEV can travel for up to 31 miles on a fully charged battery, which is extremely competitive compared to other plug-in hybrid vehicles from BMW and Volvo. Included with the vehicle is a 7kW onboard charger, although, unlike the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, this one will not have DC fast charging, making the Mitsubishi the only plug-in hybrid with that feature.
Drivers have two driving modes, which gives them control over whether to use the gasoline engine or the electric motor. The vehicle features a Predictive Energy Optimization that uses GPS altitude information when the driver maps a route on the navigation system. According to Land Rover, this determines when to put the car into electric mode for greater efficiency and to conserve fuel.
Of course, the vehicle is not only about saving energy. According to Land Rover, it boasts excellent off-road capabilities. There’s a Terrain Response system that is designed to take advantage of the torque available from the hybrid system. This makes the plug-in version as capable as the standard one.
Adding this PHEV variant to the Range Rover mix is just one of many new changes to the 2018 Range Rover line-up. In addition, most of the vehicles have been a little revised when it comes to styling and also boast upgraded technology features, such as seats that can be folded using a smartphone app.
The 2018 Range Rovers in gasoline or diesel will be available at the end of 2017, and the PHEV models are expected to reach US dealerships by spring next year.