Wednesday 16th October 2013

Range Rover Hybrid completes Silk Trail

10,000 miles in a diesel-electric prototype? That's a Range Rover kind of challenge!

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Regardless of the transport method, Solihull to Mumbai is a fair old trek. But Land Rover saw it as a great route for the final development work on the Range Rover Hybrid. You can probably see where this is going...

It's a long way even stickered on a bonnet

Yep, with three diesel-electric Range Rovers, a team have covered the 10,472 miles and 13 countries in 53 days. The journey across the so-called Silk Trail, the route first used to connect Asia and Europe, was used as the last validation test before sale of the hybrid begin next year.

The Range Rover Hybrid supplements the standard V6 diesel with a 35kW electric motor to give 335hp and 516lb ft of torque. Surprisingly given the terrain, the Hybrids were quite close to the official economy on the Silk Trail.

An expedition average of 36-37mpg compares well with the claimed 44.1mpg combined. CO2 is rated at 169g/km, making it usefully more efficient than the standard V6 diesel. It's also quicker despite a 120kg weight penalty. But there's a price to pay and that's the, er, price. The Hybrid range is expected to start from just under £100,000, whilst the standard V6 diesel starts at £71,000.

Weight advantage probably lies with the elephant

Still, we'll hope to provide you with some definitive impressions soon. For now, a bit more detail on the Hybrid's epic adventure. Those involved were the first westerners to use the entire Xinjiang-Tibet highway at over 5,300m above sea level and spent seven consecutive days at altitudes of between 3,350m and 5,379m. Between the three Hybrid prototypes and four support vehicles, there were four cracked windscreens, four buckled wheels and 15 punctures. Should have gone for run-flats...

So well done everyone, a fine achievement. And thanks to your photographer too for some beautiful images!

 

[Source: Autocar]

[Dave G fsi]

Well done to the LR guys, and some awesome pics there too!

[J B L]

Well done, they really are on a roll these people at JLR.


From a mere mortal point of view though: £70k to £100k... how many miles would you have to do to justify the extra £30k outlay?

[oldtimer2]

Full marks to Land Rover for publicising, from start to finish, this demanding trip. At least it makes a change from Ring lap times. LR posted video here, revealing some spectacular high altitude scenery:

http://newsroom.jaguarlandrover.com/en-in/land-rov...

[0llie]

That average fuel economy figure is very impressive. Brilliant achievement by all!

Now get it on the Darien Gap like you did with the original 2 door! (Joking aside, I'd love to see how it would fare).

[David87]

What an awesome journey. There are few cars I would rather own than the L405 Range Rover, but I think I'd save some money and have the TDV8.

[vsonix]

Silk Trail, or Silk Road? I could have sworn it was the latter! Or have you already started using 'Silk Trail' in case 'Road' sets off the GCHQ filterbots?

[jakeb]

Pictures look like the work of Nick Dimbleby www.nickdimbleby.com

Its a shame they haven't done something a bit more radical with the hybrid setup like front wheels driven by electric motors (think of the weight saving losing the transfer box etc) a la Audi R18. Would be perfect for running around chelsea....

[Andehh]

Cracking achievement, and those average mpg figures speak for themselves esp considering the weight of the extra kit, shoddy fuel and seriously demanding climate! Those windscreen and tyres are NOT cheap though...

/JLR employee....

[anonymous-user]

Thing is, impressive as completing that expedition is, it's not really that much of a "test" these days.

Back in the day however:


1957 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition

I bet they felt every one of those 18,000 miles in those S1s ;-)

[anonymous-user]

jakeb said:

Pictures look like the work of Nick Dimbleby www.nickdimbleby.com

Yeah he's in the main photo at the top of the page. A couple of people behind the lady in pink. Fantastic shots.

[camel_landy]

jakeb said:

Pictures look like the work of Nick Dimbleby www.nickdimbleby.com

Its a shame they haven't done something a bit more radical with the hybrid setup like front wheels driven by electric motors (think of the weight saving losing the transfer box etc) a la Audi R18. Would be perfect for running around chelsea....

Yeah, Nick is the one punching the air, just to the let of the roof lights.

M

[jamoor]

I'd expect a £80-100,000 car to travel 10,000 miles without a hiccup.

What are we supposed to be impressed by here?
My £400 14 year old car would have made it with ease.

[smilo996]

Did someone put Jaguar Landrover on steriods? Great news and congratulations. All they need now is to provde Aston with some and tear up the AMG agreement.

[Siscar]

jamoor said:

I'd expect a £80-100,000 car to travel 10,000 miles without a hiccup.

What are we supposed to be impressed by here?
My £400 14 year old car would have made it with ease.

One of the things I think people don't realise is that in a lot of the world roads outside towns aren't made with tarmac. One of the reasons Land Rover is doing so well is that in a lot of countries you want to be able to travel in comfort and at speed on some pretty rough terrain that would batter your average car to bits in no time.

In the past couple of years I've done about 5,000km in Discoveries in Africa and they are brilliant at it, a lot of the roads become corrugated, so you are driving over hard peaks and troughs a few inches deep and about 9 inches apart, the suspension takes a hell of a hammering but does it well.

Having said that it's no surprise to me, or them, that it could do it, it's what the car is designed for, but it's not the trivial achievement it may sound like if your idea of going 10,000 is doing on the UK road system.

[Denorth]

jamoor said:

I'd expect a £80-100,000 car to travel 10,000 miles without a hiccup.

What are we supposed to be impressed by here?
My £400 14 year old car would have made it with ease.

Please do it! We all be waiting for your report to read. It must be an interesting one. But don't let those photos of RR driving on the tarmac roads to mislead you.

[skyrover]

I wonder what would have happened if a suspension airbag had popped. Bumpstops and limp home mode.

Much as they like to tout it as the ultimate off roader, it gets further away with each iteration.

Expedition vehicle? No chance

[Siscar]

skyrover said:

I wonder what would have happened if a suspension airbag had popped. Bumpstops and limp home mode.

Much as they like to tout it as the ultimate off roader, it gets further away with each iteration.

Expedition vehicle? No chance

Well having just spent a week with the Land Rover Experience people based in South Africa, they organise 'expeditions' in various bits of Africa doing about 2,500kms a week in a fleet of Discoveries and say they very rarely have a problem. They just travel with spare wheels because 99% of all the problems are punctures.

[skyrover]

The difference being, land rover own these vehicles and can provide you with a replacement if one breaks down.

No point in carrying vast bits of kit, since there's bugger all you can do to fix it when in the bush.

[Walter Sobchak]

The L405 is shaping up really well, I wouldn't bother with the hybrid though, TDV8 with active suspension would be my pick.

[Siscar]

skyrover said:

The difference being, land rover own these vehicles and can provide you with a replacement if one breaks down.

How? These are week long trips, at times you are over 1,000km from the starting point and any spares or spare vehicles.