XCar Reviews Range Rover Hybrid, Doesn't Quite Get It

Starting from this fall, Land Rover added hybrid versions for the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport to its range. The first ever hybrid models in the history of Land Rover combine a 3.0-liter SDV6 turbodiesel engine linked to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with a 35kW (47hp) electric motor/generator.

With a total system output of 335hp (340PS) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, the Range Rover Hybrid sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 7 seconds and has an average fuel economy of 44.1 mpg UK (36.7 mpg US, 6.4 l/100 km).

XCar took the Range Rover Hybrid for a spin and found that it’s exactly like any other Range Rover (which is good), only more economical.

However, as the hybrid model is only offered on the top-spec Autobiography model, there’s a big problem: it costs £98,400 in the UK, the same as the 510hp V8-powered Range Rover. The question is: will fuel costs really matter for customers who can afford to spend that much on a car in the first place?

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Range Rover Sport Sets Fastest Desert Crossing Time with Avg. Speed of 81.87 KM/H (50.87 MPH)

A good way to get publicity for new models is to establish records few thought about before. After setting a record for production SUVs at Pikes Peak this summer, Land Rover has claimed another first with the new Range Rover Sport, this time off-road.

The SUV set the fastest time for a land vehicle crossing of the “Empty Quarter”, the largest sand desert in the world and the second largest desert overall after the Sahara.

Land Rover’s team completed the journey from Wadi Adda Wasir in Saudi Arabia to the border of the United Arab Emirates in 10 hours and 22 minutes at an average speed of 51.87 mph (81.87 km/h), covering a distance of 849 km (527 miles) on a route dictated by the conditions on the ground.

The record was made with a standard production new Range Rover Sport fitted with a 510PS 5.0-liter supercharged V8 petrol engine, riding on regular tyres. The only modification to the vehicle was the addition of an underbody protection plate.

Behind the wheel was Land Rover driver Moi Torrallardona, a 47 year-old Spanish off-road racer who has competed 10 consecutive years at the Dakar Rally, with a best finish of 6th overall.

“Desert driving requires a unique combination of speed, finesse and technical skill. It is crucial that you tackle the dunes with precision. Knowing the right time to go full throttle and the right time to slow down, takes experience and clear judgement,” said Torrallardona.

“This unique way of driving requires a vehicle which has the same skillset - it must be both incredibly fast but also agile, responsive and well planted. The Range Rover Sport is exactly that. It is massively capable and is truly the best tool for conquering the desert,” he added.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

Jaguar-Land Rover Opens Assembly Plant in India, Rolls Out its First Model [with Video]

Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.
The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.

Land Rover Ad Suggests you can get Away with Anything Inside an LR4

Land Rover vehicles are known for offering a high level of security to their occupants, but does that apply only to traffic accidents? Well, if we are to believe a new U.S. campaign for the LR4/Discovery SUV, the feeling of safety inspired by a Land Rover vehicle goes well beyond road accidents.

Twit of the Day: Drunk Driver Finds Ideal Parking Space for his Range Rover Sport

A security camera in Russia caught a drunk driver in a Ranger Rover Sport climbing the doorsteps and parking the luxury SUV right in front of the entrance of an apartment building in Chelyabinsk, a city located to the east of the Ural Mountains, on Miass River. The intoxicated driver is seen in the security video stumbling out of the British SUV with a bottle in his hand.

VIDEO: New Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Launch Film

Now that Land Rover has unleashed most of the details surrounding its new Range Rover Evoque 5-door, the British company is turning its attention on promoting the crossover model to the social media. Beginning from Wednesday, December 1st, the automaker will share a new animated film of the five-door Evoque on its official social media pages including Facebook. For those curious enough (or bored...) to want to take a look, follow the break for the official clip.

VIDEO: New Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Previewed on Film

The wait for the five-door version of the promising Range Rover Evoque soft roader is almost over as in less than a week's time, we'll see the SUV up close at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Following yesterday's detailed photo presentation, we now have the first video footage of the Evoque, which will hit U.S. dealerships next fall with a 240-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot petrol and a starting price of around $45,000.

New Range Rover Evoque: First Video Footage of 3d SUV on the Move

Land Rover just released some new videos of its upcoming Evoque in motion, and it continues to convince. Interested? Hit the jump for the vids, or head over to our previous post for all the details.

Debuting at next week's Paris Auto Show as a 3-door model (the 5-door's on the way, don't fret), the new mini-Range will get turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines; the 2.2-liter diesels will come in 150-horsepower and 190-horsepower flavors, while the 2.0-liter gasoline engine will put down a still-undisclosed output (where you at, Rover?).

2012 Range Rover Evoque: Videos and Photo Gallery from Presentation

Yesterday, we showed you the first official photo of Lande Rover's new small SUV, the three-door Range Rover Evoque. Now we bring you a full set of images and a video from the glitzy presentation that was held in partnership with Vogue magazine in London [hence the glamour shots, which we hope you don't mind], as well as a second video clip with 'walk-around' beauty shots of the production version of the LRX Concept.

The new 'baby' Range Rover will descend upon on us at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September and will go on sale from next summer. Few technical details were released on Land Rover's smallest, lightest and according to the company, most frugal vehicle in the brand's lineup, but we do know that customers will have a choice of both a 4WD and a 2WD version.

Furthermore, it was revealed during the presentation that Range Rover's newly appointed Creative Design Executive, Victoria Beckam (yes, the former Spice Girl), will make use of her styling expertise [sic...] on a special edition version of the Evoque. Enjoy the photo gallery and videos after the break.