The current Range Rover has been around for five years now, reason enough for Land Rover to give it a small update.
It's a very subtle change on the outside, you'll almost have to look twice to notice the differences.
The interior has received some minor changes as well, but most importantly,
you can now get it as a plug-in hybrid. In the Netherlands, it doesn't matter as much for the additional taxes,
but it does for the private taxes. That means this is the cheapest Range Rover available today.
On the inside, the Range Rover still is a moving gentlemen's club.
Everything is aimed to please the driver, and Range Rover does a very good job.
The seats feel like armchairs, all of the materials you see are equally premium,
wood, leather... Anyway, despite the traditional materials,
the car is still incredibly modern.
You can operate the sunroof by making a sliding your hand.
The car is fitted with 17 ports for telephones, laptops or other devices with a plug.
The big news is in the dashboard however. Just like in the Velar,
you now get a set of screens which are only operated by your fingers. You only get a few physical buttons,
but it's mostly touchscreen.
The instrument cluster and steering options are in there as well, and that works perfectly fine.
If it works, that is. I could have dirty fingers,
but sometimes it feels like I can't get it to move, and that's too bad.
The other big news is the drivetrain of course. Under the hood,
we find a 4-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol engine, producing 300 horsepower.
Directly behind the combustion engine, is an electrical motor producing 114 horsepower.
Behind that is the good old 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The way the two engines run together is almost perfect. The power sources change seemlessly,
or kick in together. You really have to look at the dashboard to find out what you're driving on.
If you only want to drive on electricity, you get 50 kilometres before the battery runs out.
If you put your foot down, you won't have as much range.
But if you do put your foot down, you can get it to go from 0-100 km/h in 6,8 seconds.
Those are serious figures, but it's all about the emissions in this car.
It only does 64 gram of CO2 per kilometre.
The plug-in hybrid Range Rover has different driving modes. With the push of a button, you can go fully-electrical,
and you can go off-road with that, so you'll have an electrical terrain vehicle.
So if you were to travel across your estate, you wouldn't have to be afraid you'd disturb the birds.
They do discourage you to drive through water in electrical mode. If you go in, the exhaust will be submerged.
That doesn't sound like a big problem, but because the exhaust pipes are environmental centres,
it would be a shame if it were to break.
You can wade up to 90 mm of water, if it goes beyond that, the combustion engine has te be used.
If you're driving through the streets, you can drive fully electrically,
but it's better to let the electronics do their thing.
That can also be done based on the satnav system.
If the electronics know there's a hill coming up, or if you're moving in a populated area or if there's a lot of traffic,
it changes its strategy, and it becomes even more efficient.
Of course, you're able to recharge the battery or keep it level...
if you know you'll want to drive fully electric somewhere else. Think of a parking garage or near schools, so you won't harm children.
I'd almost say you only have to press a button, but you do actually have to look through the menu's.
The whole hybrid-transition has added some weight. This car weighs 2.500 kg,
but the chassis knows how to mask the weight. It's not a nimble car,
you'll notice that immediately, but it isn't annoying or anything.
You'll notice it has become heavier in the steering as well. It doesn't have the sharpness its German rivals do have.
Comfort does play a key role in the Range Rover, and this plug-in is no exception.
All four wheels have electrical traction, so they can brake regeneratively as well.
That transition between mechanical and electrical braking is very smooth.
It's not like it bites when you're braking, it doesn't go as far as that,
but the transition is very good and seemless.
When it comes to performance, the plug-in hybrid is similar to the biggest diesel available; the V8.
However, compared to the diesel, the price is quite a bit lower.
It's the cheapest drivetrain you can get in this car, or in the Range Rover Sport,
and it's all because of the low CO2-emissions. That's why the private taxes only are just over €6.000,
and that's why it's €46.000 cheaper than the comparable diesel, but that comes with the loss of the sound of a nice V6 or V8.
If you can live with that however, this is a great machine.