Recently, three Range Rover Hybrids took to hot deserts and mountains in an expedition to demonstrate the amazing all-terrain capabilities of hybrid technology. The Range Rovers, which had no modifications other than to their power source, have ploughed through the barren deserts of Uzbekistan and high on to the Kyrgzstan Mountains, covering a total of 6,332 miles since they set off from Solihull, UK. They will keep going forth until they reach their final destination in Mumbai, India.
This is all part of the Silk Trail 2013 expedition, which visits 12 different countries and lasts a total of 16,000 km. Of course, the big news here isn't that the Range Rovers have conquered seemingly impossible terrain (because they're simply awesome off road anyway) - it's that hybrid technology is getting serious over at Land Rover, and the company are embracing green technology to make their vehicles more efficient than ever.
The current Range Rover Hybrid is a prototype, due to go on sale in the not so distant future. It features the entry level 215 kW/442 lb/ft ‘SDV6’ diesel engine and has a 35kW/170Nm electric motor. This makes for a total system output of 250 kW of power at 4,000 rpm and 516 lb/ft of torque at 1,500-3,000 rpm. That's more torque than the range-topping supercharged V8 Range Rover. This set up enables the hybrid to accelerate from 0-62 mph in under 7 seconds.
Speed isn't the aim of the game entirely though; for sure, Range Rover wants their hybrid car to be as responsive and as pleasurable to drive as possible, but the point to combining an electric motor with a diesel engine is so that buyers can benefit from the savings in fuel. Farnell Land Rover should have this fantastic off-roader on its forecourt as soon as possible.
So how fuel efficient is this new set up? Range Rover says it'll deliver 44.1 mpg on a combined cycle, which for such a large car, is mightily impressive. What's more, this Range Rover will have the cheapest tax disc of any modern Range Rover due to its reduced CO2 rating.
Because the latest Range Rover Vogue and Sport were built with hybrid technology in mind, the new models will not compromise luggage space or interior room. Space for the electric motor has been made so that the Range Rover is as practical as ever. However, addition of the electric motor means that weight has been increased by around 245 kg. This is just another reason to be impressed by the hybrid cars sprightly performance.
The future of Land Rover Jaguar is a very green one if their hybrid car is anything to go by. The engineers have done a great job of keeping the car competitive performance wise and yet and we can't wait for it to become available to the wider public.
