2019 Range Rover P400e: A new age of range
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An automotive icon that has lived through decades is in a precarious situation. If it changes too much, the faithful could turn on it. But if it doesn’t change much at all, it risks losing touch. The Range Rover has walked that tightrope in America since the late 1980s, and so far it has been successful. Now, for 2019, Land Rover skews slightly farther whence it came by introducing its first electrified Range Rover, the P400e plug-in hybrid.
The Range Rover P400e joins the Range Rover Sport P400e in a plan to offer every Jaguar Land Rover vehicle with an electrified powertrain option from 2020 onward. With a claimed 31 miles of battery-electric driving range, the P400e versions of the Sport and the big Range may be regarded as the first plug-in off-roaders. (Subaru’s hybrid Crosstrek wasn’t a plug-in, was axed for 2017, and wasn’t really an off-roader, either.) The Range Rover’s hybrid system is set up just like it is in the Sport: A turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four is rated at 296 horsepower and an electric motor offers 114 more; combined, they can deliver a peak 398 horsepower. The electric motor lives inside an eightspeed automatic transmission and sits next to the 7.0-kW charger. A 13.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack is tucked out of the way under the cargo floor, while the plug-in charging access point is behind the grille.
With 472 lb-ft of torque reaching the ground via a permanent four-wheel-drive system, Land Rover claims the
P400e can reach 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and tops out at 137 mph when using the default Parallel Hybrid mode. Personal settings allow drivers to specify a minimum amount of electric power they want to keep stored, and Predictive Energy Optimization uses GPS data to adapt and determine how to most efficiently deploy the power sources. In Electric Vehicle mode — which is perfect for urban zones restricted to zeroemission vehicles or perhaps for quietly sneaking up on mountain goats — Land Rover claims a top speed of 85 mph with a fully charged battery pack.
When the P400e launches for 2019, it will join a line of Range Rovers refreshed for 2018. Two levels of supercharged 3.0-liter V-6s, two levels of supercharged 5.0-liter V-8s, and a turbo-diesel 3.0-liter V-6 will be available. Exterior updates are minor but apparent: The hood is longer, the grille incorporates gloss black accents, the LED headlights are slimmer, and the lower air intakes are wider. Range Rover touched up the side accents and graphics, the taillights are new, and a restyled rear bumper now integrates boxy exhaust exits. There are six new wheel designs and two new paint colors: Rossello Red and Byron Blue.
Inside, occupants are now greeted by Range Rover’s Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. Duo indicates two 10.0-inch high-definition displays stacked on top of each other in the center console. The top unit, which can tilt forward to adjust for glare, is dedicated primarily to maps and navigation, while the lower screen acts as a control center for the infotainment, car settings, climate control, and other features. We’ve used the system in the new Range Rover Velar, and the high-resolution displays are beautifully clear — but we’ll have to wait to see if Touch Pro Duo proves more reliable than JLR’s previous systems.
While fiddling with the new gadgetry, the driver and front passenger experience all-new seats. Rover says wider cushioning makes the SUVs easier to get into, and improved packaging makes them more comfortable while providing greater legroom and better space for reclining. Seat controls have moved to the door panel and operate up to 24-way power adjustments, depending on the trim level. To better isolate the refined cabin, Range Rover increased glass thickness by 20 percent. Additional new features include cabin air ionization, gesture control for the sunshades, and a Fitbit-esque Activity Key wristband that can supplant the key fob for locking/unlocking and starting the vehicle.
The new 2018 Range Rovers should start arriving at dealerships later this year, with the P400e sometime next year. There’s no word just yet on how much the hybrid will cost, but we don’t expect it will be cheap.