Range Rover has come up with another successful recipe – mixing water and electricity with the first underwater hybrid car.
Defying logic and beating rivals has been a trademark of Land Rover for 60 years and Range Rover for 45 years and they have, you might say, plumbed new depths to make competitors despair.
Boldly facing the challenge of making its luxury range topping model more economical and “greener” without comprising its core value of go-anyware ability its new hybrid powertrain is fully waterproofed.
The result is the new Range Rover Hybrid in short or longer wheelbase designs has the same wading ability as its petrol and diesel derivatives at 90cms, or a ripple under 3ft.
Check out rival hybrid 4x4s and ask the salesman about wading depth and they will be left stranded to state they work much above knee height. If you need real winter weather capability in your hybrid, there is no competitor to the Range Rover version of its famous 4×4.
I tested a pre-production model three years ago and was impressed by its refinement and that has not changed after a short spell behind the wheel of a LWB production hybrid model with V6 3.0 diesel engine.
It produces a combined output from 3.0V6 diesel engine and 35KW electric motor of 340PS or 250KW but more importantly it pushes out 700Nm from 1,500rpm, so it’s very gutsy and remarkably quick from low speed and when overtaking.
While not as quiet as its petrol stablemates under acceleration, the 3.0HD powertrain lacks little where it matters and it delivered a useful 33.6mpg average over main and secondary roads.
Much of that is down to the eight-speed automatic gearbox with excellent ratios and seamless changes which give good pickup and truly effortless main road long-legged ability.
A well-weighted steering system has a reasonably good turning circle and the brakes were extremely powerful, progressive and imparted excellent feedback.
Land Rover has improved the SDV6Hybrid responsiveness and pick up, its quickness selecting driving modes and slightly improved power output and lowered emissions as well for 2016. In EV mode alone it will reach 30mph and travel a mile.
Subtle changes for this year see a new clearer camera system with wash & wipe lens cleaner on tailgate and that can be opened from either side by sweeping a foot beneath sensors. Automatic ride height lowering when getting out of the vehicle has been improved as well.
The waist-level loadbed has a nominal 550-litres but folding down the seats progressively increases this to 2,345 litres and the new easy-egress system is a big improvement. Room is excellent for five, particularly in the 5,120mm long wheelbase version which has a wheelbase of 3,120mm, compared to the standard model’s 2,922mm wheelbase and 4,999mm overall length.
MILESTONES: 2016 model year Range Rover 3.0SDV6 HEV. Price: £107,950.
Mechanical: 3.0V6 turbo-diesel engine and 35KW electric motor combined 340hp, eight-speed automatic with AWD. Performance: 135mph, 0-62mph: 6.9sec
Consumption on test: Combined cycle 45.6mpg (33.6mpg on test), CO2 164gkm, VED road tax £180, BIK company car tax 30%, Insurance group: 49E. Warranty: 3yrs/ 100,000 miles.
For: Sophistication, room, luxury features, economy, versatility, lowest taxes of any Range Rover, retains traditional Range Rover 4×4 off-road ability.
Against: Noisy engine under load, big to park in urban areas, expensive, no plug-in electric hybrid function to reduce emissions still further. Robin Roberts Miles Better News Agency
