Wednesday 4th October 2017

Range Rover Sport PHEV announced

There is a new SVR too...

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Outwardly, Land Rover's mid life update of the enormously popular Range Rover Sport appears to be a rather evenhanded affair. On the one hand it has launched the firm's first plug-in hybrid electric model - meaning that Gaydon now has an SUV to compete with the 'green' credentials of various luxury-minded rivals - and on the other, there's a refreshed SVR, belligerently furthering the idea that the Sport is a Range Rover meant for keen drivers.

Really, though, it's all a little more club-fisted than that. The P400e (as the hybrid has been badged) is a necessary step in the right direction for a brand which has committed itself to offering an electrified version of every model from 2020 - but its claimed 101mpg and 64g/km CO2 emissions (measured on the NEDC cycle) are likely to be as repeatable in the real world as the ice in your freezer.

That doesn't necessarily separate it from any of its rivals of course; it merely signifies that Land Rover is unlikely to have furthered the appeal of a hybrid SUV beyond the current benchmark. Certainly there is unlikely to have been any headway made on the headline foible of the breed (namely a chronic weight problem). The previous four-cylinder Sport was already the wrong side of two tonnes; expect the addition of an 85kW electric motor and a 13.1kWh lithium-ion battery module to have done it no favours at all.

Combined with the 300hp 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine, the P400e will output 404hp through its eight-speed ZF transmission (and all four wheels) with both power sources running simultaneously; apparently good for 6.7 seconds to 62mph and a top speed of 137mph. Its all-electric range meanwhile (the reward for sacrificing nearly 80 litres of boot space to make way for the battery) is quoted at 31 miles. With a fast-charging 32 amp wall box, it'll recharge in two hours and 45 minutes. If you're stuck with a 10 amp domestic supply, it'll take the best part of eight hours.

From where we're sitting (on top of a wallet containing a fuel card) all of this makes the Special Vehicle Operations product look like the far more pragmatic choice. Yes, a 25hp increase in the 5.0-litre V8's output from 550hp to 575hp is unlikely to have helped its appetite for super unleaded, just as the introduction of a carbon fibre composite bonnet won't have made a colossal dent on its prodigious kerbweight - but the new SVR is expected to be marginally quicker (and sharper to turn, too, if SVO's tuning adjustments pay off) and that's a good thing when you've got a 570hp Porsche Cayenne Turbo S to compete with.

Mild styling updates will also feature across the range, as will some interior changes which are intended to bring the model in line with the Velar's use of dual 10-inch touch screens. The new line up, otherwise comprised of a familiar selection of petrol and diesel engines, goes on sale in 2018; with the P400e starting at £70,800 and the SVR, £99,680.

[Mercutio]

Hmm. It's a laudable step in the right direction, and no doubt will be snapped up by those who love the marque and the image, but can now do so with better fuel economy and a clean(er) conscience...

However I just feel it's a bit late to the party, and the horrible weight and size of the vehicles puts me off - as per the article, I can't imagine all that battery is going to do anything to make the car more nimble.

Worse, with JLR's reputation for reliability, adding a whole load more electrical gubbins to go wrong isn't filling me with confidence.

I love the historical marque (still want to own a Discovery or Defender) and am proud of our modern British motoring success story with JLR under Tata, but I'm unlikely to buy this over an XC60.