Land Rover has announced the 2019 Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid, among the first in a wave of electrified vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover.
A 296-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine is paired with a 114-horsepower, 85kW electric motor for a total output of 398 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque. Land Rover estimates the Range Rover PHEV can go up to 31 miles on a fully charged battery, too, which would put it well above other plug-in hybrid SUVs such as the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 T8. A 7kW onboard charger is included, but DC fast charging isn’t available; the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is still the only plug-in hybrid SUV to offer that.
Two modes give drivers some control over how the gasoline engine and electric motor are used, too. Land Rover says a Predictive Energy Optimization uses GPS altitude information when a route is put in the navigation system to determine when to put the car into electric mode or hybrid mode for greater efficiency and conservation of the electric-only range.
Being a Range Rover, however, Land Rover claims the PHEV has credible off-road skills too, with the Terrain Response system calibrated to take advantage of the torque available from the hybrid system. Even though most Range Rover owners stick to the pavement, this plug-in version is meant to be just as capable as the standard versions.
The addition of the PHEV variant is part of a number of changes to the 2018 Range Rover lineup that include minor styling revisions and upgraded technology features, such as seats that can be folded using a smartphone app.
The gasoline and diesel Range Rovers go on sale at the end of the year, while the PHEV model should reach US dealerships by spring.