A NEW DIESEL?!

RANGE ROVER’S CLEVER NEW SIX

Stigmatised though they may be, JLR is all too aware that the characteristics of diesel engines suit its cars beautifully, being torquey, fuel-e cient and capable of big miles between fill-ups. As such, the next Range Rover will use JLR’s new mild-hybrid diesel six, a lighter, cleaner, smarter replacement for the old turbodiesel V8.

DIESEL AND ELECTRICITY IN CONCERT

The second-gen Evoque deploys mild-hybrid tech for useful increases in e ciency and refinement. The new diesel six follows suit, with a modest battery and a 48-volt starter/generator capable both of harvesting energy that would otherwise be lost to brake friction and quickly and quietly re-starting the engine during auto stop/start running.

LIGHTER IS BETTER, ALWAYS

There’s much to recommend the straight-six engine configuration, hence BMW’s long-standing adoration for it – and Mercedes’ recent switch to inline sixes from V6s. The new Ingenium diesel is some 80kg – or one passenger – lighter than the outgoing diesel V8, thanks to fewer cylinders arranged in a single bank and its all-aluminium construction.

THE PERFORMANCE A RANGE ROVER NEEDS

The new 3.0-litre, twin-turbo diesel six will be available with two levels of performance initially: D300 (296bhp and 479lb ft) and D350 (345bhp and 516lb ft). Both comply with Euro 6d and RDE2 emissions regs, thanks in part to a super-lean high-pressure fuel-injection system and a sequential turbo arrangement that works to heat the catalyst more e ciently.

LESS FRICTION, LESS FUEL

Simply dropping from eight cylinders to six has reduced internal friction levels, but the new Ingenium motor goes further still with slippery pistons, needle roller bearings for the camshafts, and oil pumps able to vary their e orts as required, so they’re only a drain on the engine when it matters.