Land Rover launches Hybrids

Land Rover is launching its first-ever hybrid models – the Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid – which will deliver strong fuel economy, significantly lower CO2 emissions and retain Land Rover’s renowned capability and performance.

The first deliveries will be made in Europe during Q2 2014, with an Australian release date yet to be announced.

The two all-aluminium models share an identical powertrain. They are the world’s first premium diesel SUV hybrids.

“We are extremely excited to introduce the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Hybrids, the world’s first hybrid SUVs with legendary Land Rover capability.  The addition of a smooth electric drive enhances refinement, cuts CO2 emissions and delivers staggering performance on a par with our legendary SDV8 engine,” says John Edwards, Land Rover global brand director.

The new Range Rover hybrid powertrain features three driver-selectable modes and combines Land Rover’s popular 3-litre SDV6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor integrated with the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The hybrid system, including lithium ion battery pack, inverter and electric motor weighs less than 120kg.

The electric motor produces 170Nm torque to boost acceleration and drives the vehicle in EV Mode. The motor also acts as a generator, harvesting kinetic energy through regenerative braking, charging the battery when the vehicle is slowing.  In driver-selectable EV mode the Range Rover hybrid can travel at speeds of up to 48km/h for a range of up to one 1.6km before the diesel engine seamlessly restarts.

Together, output of the diesel engine and electric motor is 250kW at 4,000rpm and a class-leading 700Nm torque between 1,500-3,000rpm, resulting in stunning SDV8-style performance. Both models accelerate to 100km/h in under seven seconds; deliver strong transient and mid-range performance with a top speed of 218km/h, combined with a 26 percent reduction in CO2 emissions to 169g/km, equivalent to 6.4L/100km on the combined cycle.

The latest generation Range Rover models have all been designed with the integration of a hybrid system in mind. Consequently, the liquid cooled battery pack is mounted beneath the floor of the vehicle in a protective boron-steel cradle without impacting on the cabin or luggage space.  The Range Rover hybrid has the same five-seat capacity and luggage space as the standard vehicle and retains the full-size spare wheel. 

Both hybrid Range Rover models continue to deliver a class-leading breadth of capability and versatility, enhanced by the exceptionally linear torque delivery from the powertrain and retaining Land Rover’s peerless four-wheel drive system including Terrain Response® 2, with uncompromised wading and ground clearance.