The Range Rover Sport P400e might be a familiar sight these days. but it still uses luxury one-upmanship. if you’ve got one of these on the driveway, you’ve officially made it. but being lavish doesn’t have to mean a total abandonment of efficiency. as the 26 miles of pure electric range on offer in the plug-in hybrid P400e shows. but is it?
Pricing
The full luxury experience that you would expect of a Range Rover costing. let’s face it. after options, the Range Rover P400e nearly cost 80,000 pounds or more.
Performance
Especially given that, under that bonnet is a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. although I would advertise in conjunction with the electric motor. you still have a very sumptuous 398 brake horsepower electric motor.
Even so. you can see why some people might balk at the idea of a 4-cylinder in a car like this. so we’ll find out what that is like. and on top of that, the Range Rover Sport has always been a firm family favorite. thanks to its seven-seat layout which you cannot have in this plug-in hybrid model as you can in the plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90 that is the Range Rover Sport ultimate nemesis.
So we need to know what it’s like to drive. is it good enough for that price and is it still a great family car.
Charging
The Range Rover plugs in the virus socket in the nose of the car. connect it to a normal 3 pin domestic plug using the standard cable provided. and you’ll get a full charge into the 13-kilowatt-hour battery in 7.5 hours. the P400e can also charge up at any AC car charger. whether it’s a home wall box or public charging station.
But it’s disappointing that you have to pay extra for the cable to allow you to do AC charging. and it will take around three hours for a full charge regardless of what speed the charging station itself is capable of. you can also set the Range Rovers cabin to preheat or call ready for when you leave. and there’s time to charging to allow you to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs.
Range
I’ll start by talking about the range in this car. because it’s the electric running that’s going to make the difference between this and any of its diesel or petrol brethren. now I think you’re going to see around about 20 miles in varied real-world use. probably more like 15 if you venture out to the motorway or in winter. because cold weather will always eat away at the battery range on an electric car as well.
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Any electric car. that does sound a bit low especially given that you know you get cast like the BMW 5-series. that’ll do 30 miles and more or even the BMW X5 which will do way more than that officially. but given how big a car the Range Rover is and given this type of lifestyle that I think it’s going to fit into. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem for most people. and it’s still going to obviously deliver fuel-free commuting if you just mooch about London all the time. which I suspect a lot of these are going to do.
If you do leave your city and you go out onto the motorway that 2-liter petrol engine it’s nice and quiet. it works really well with the electric motor. nice smooth auto gearbox. it’s going to deliver about 30 mpg. 35 on a very good day. so it depends on what your expectations are as to whether that’s good or bad. it’s very much on a par with the Volvo.
So I think it’s really probably not going to surprise anybody buying a Range Rover. even so. if you do a lot of motorway mileage the diesel may well be a better bet for you if you. live around town and do a lot of short journeys. this is a great car. not only because of that electric running. but because it is peachy to drive.
Towing capacity
It’s worth noting that the Range Rover P400e isn’t just nice to drive. it’s also a fantastic tow car. with a maximum towing capacity of 2.5 tons. which is about as good as it gets with any plug-in hybrids.
CO2 emissions
However, the flipside of that is that the Co2 emissions are quite poor by plug-in hybrid standards. with 69 grams per kilometer as a minimum so if you’re a company car user this is going to be an expensive option buy plug-in hybrid standards.
The driving position in the Range Rover is second to none. it’s just wonderful that elbow on the window sill position is natural in a Range Rover and it’s just one of the main reasons that you buy it I think. not only that. but it’s very well equipped by class standards.
Range Rover Sport P400e Specs
So even the base level Range Rover Sport P400e, you get
- 20-inch alloys
- fixed panoramic roof
- reversing camera
- powered boot lid
- keyless entry
All of the stuff that you’d expect really. which isn’t to say that there isn’t a raft of options that you can splurge on. should you wish including of course bigger alloys, a head-up display, at even the semi-autonomous driving with adaptive cruise control is optional on the lower two trims. it cost 1600 pounds and is definitely worth adding.
The dual touch screens that you get are a really good feature as well. they look great and like an apple car play and android auto as standard. which is good news because the standard interface is a bit clunky. and its layout the touchscreen doesn’t always respond too quickly. so you do find yourself using those much more frequently because they’re just better.
They have all the other features that you’d expect as well including nav with charger. the search function on it. so really it does do everything you would expect of it generally as I said it’s the whole experience of being in this cabin in this driving position that is one of the main reasons that the Range Rover is such a standout car.
Practicality
However, the practicality of the P400e is one reason why you might not think that this is such a standout car. while there are masses of room to stretch out in the back seats. the boot is really rather shallow and small by big SUV standards. and there’s no cable storage or underfloor space. of course, there’s no seven-seat option either. in this respect, the Volvo XC90 is a dramatically better family car.
Last words
There is something intangible about a Range Rover that its rivals just don’t quite match. the driving position the general ambiance of the thing the way it goes down the road and I think the electric running only enhances that. so honestly if you want one of these and you do a lot of short journeys or live around town. this is a no brainer. it’s just sublime to drive. but I think that practicality is a big letdown for a car of this size and cost and knowing what people expect of a Range Rover Sport. and for that reason, I would say that the Volvo xc90 is a better all-round option
