2020 Ranger Rover Dips a Toe in the EV Pool With Hybrid Powertrain

2020 Ranger Rover Dips a Toe in the EV Pool With Hybrid Powertrain

Published: May 9, 2019 | By: American Luxury Staff

On the EV front, the news from Land Rover this spring has been sometimes exciting, and occasionally stymying.

From the latter camp comes the story that the company is putting off a full EV SUV for about five years, and sticking with the more conservative hybrid powertrain option as a defining feature of the Land Rover approach to the new auto age. But parent company Tata’s looking at a heaping helping of loan maturity in 2020, so perhaps they’re letting the J in JLR take point in progressiveness in design just as in the acronym; the I-Pace remains Jaguar Land Rover’s production EV figurehead while daddy plays it safe and gets the bills paid. And, perhaps, thereby hangs a tale.

As far as exciting news, we have confirmation that a mild hybrid Range Rover will arrive in 2020. That’s nice to hear; there’s no reason why the big fellow can’t call the shift toward efficiency an absolute boon in all ways. The variant is called the PHEV P400e, and it boasts an all-electric range of 31 miles; not bad, and ideal for most commutes and Saturday errands.

For performance figures, the I6/electric hybrid can reach 60 in 6.4 seconds…again, not bad, as this is the heaviest SUV in the company lineup. A whopping 398 HP and 472 lb-ft of torque are available; 114 HP is contributed by the electric motor, and a turbocharger and electric supercharger help feed the ICE without turbo lag and with improved efficiency. The automaker also claims that the hybrid will be the “quietest Range Rover yet.” Better and better.

The P400e should be arriving later this year, with pricing to start at around $96K. Those dazzling Autobiography package options are available on the variant, too, but of course boost the sticker by about 30%. In either case, expect the big machine from Land Rover to be mighty enjoyable.

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