A CLASSY ECO-WARRIOR
NOT SO long ago, Range Rovers were condemned as gasguzzling Chelsea Tractors by militant environmentalists. Now the model is being reinvented as something of an eco-warrior.
While the newest version looks similar to existing ones, under the skin it’s all change, with a frugal plug-in hybrid model. But buyers will be glamping, not camping, in that it still promises high levels of comfort and refinement, including seats with ‘ hot stone’ massage settings and gesturecontrolled sunblinds.
This week, former Made In Chelsea stars Millie Mackintosh and fiance Hugo Taylor were among guests at the global launch in London of the latest generation of the 4x4, which promises to deliver 101 mpg.
Part of the drive to shed the car’s gas-guzzler image rests on its ability to run on zeroemissions electric- only mode for up to 31 miles, allowing it into city centres such as Oxford, which has plans to ban diesel and petrol-only cars.
The launch, at the Design Museum, marks a generational shift since the first Range Rover hit the road in 1970. The P400e plug-in hybrid is powered by a 2- litre Ingenium petrol engine linked to an 85 kW electric motor housed in an automatic eight-speed gearbox. It develops a total of 404 bhp, equivalent to four Ford Fiestas, and travels from rest to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, with a top speed of 137 mph. A full rapid charge takes 2 hours 45 mins, while the standard 10-amp home-charging cable takes 7½ hours. The car comes in standard and long wheelbase versions.
The Solihull-built models start at £79,595 for the 3-litre TDV6 258 bhp Vogue. The plug- ins P400es are from £86,965 to £105,865 depending on trim. Topping the family range is the SV Autobiography Dynamic which is ‘the most powerful production Range Rover to date’ costing £177,030.
Its V8 supercharged petrol engine has been cranked up to 565 bhp (a 15hp increase) to propel it from rest to 60mph in only 5.1 seconds.
The new Range Rover is available to order now with first deliveries from early next year.
Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern said: ‘Customers are clear about what they want from any new Range Rover. Don’t change it, just make it better.’