Jaguar Land Rover has just announced a new
plug-in hybrid system and revealed it will be introduced with the latest Range
Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport with other models to follow. The
powertrain packages together a small 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol engine
delivering 197 hp with a 107 hp electric motor and a 15 kWh battery. All up,
this results in 304 hp and 540 Nm of torque.
The Range Rover Evoque P300e is able to hit
100 km/h in 6.4 seconds while the Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e
reaches the same mark in 6.6 seconds. Both models are capable of having their
batteries recharged from zero to 80 per cent in 30 minutes through 50 kW and
100 kW DC Rapid chargers (the SUVs cap charging to 32 kW). All-electric range
for the Evoque P300e is rated at 66 km while the Discovery Sport
P300e can drive for 62 km on battery power alone.
Not only do the new hybrid Evoque and
Discovery Sport models offer respectable performance but they are also both
very fuel-efficient over the combined WLTP cycle with the Range Rover rated at
1.4 l/100 km (168 U.S. mpg) and the Land Rover rated at 1.6 l/100 (147 U.S.
mpg). Coupled to the hybrid unit is an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Buyers of the two models will receive a Mode 2 Home Charging Cable that allows
for the battery to be charged up in 6 hours and 42 minutes through a normal
household socket.
There are three different driving modes
offered. In the default Hybrid mode, the engine and electric motor work in
harmony and adapt to driving conditions and the remaining charge in the
battery. EV mode is also offered where the electric motor solely powers the
SUVs. Last but not least is the SAVE mode that prioritizes the combustion
engine as its main power source and maintains battery State of Charge at a
specific level.
The British car manufacturer hadn’t
announced the launch date of both models in all markets they will be sold in at
the time of writing. However, we do know that it accepting orders in the UK now
while both will arrive on Australian shores during the second quarter of 2021.