![]() ![]() ![]() What is impressive is the way the car juggles its two power sources. They’re a little sluggish when you use the paddles on the steering wheel to change gears yourself, but many owners will probably never do that, instead just leaving the gearbox to its own devices. Gear changes are smoothed out well, but we’d like them to be a little snappier in the sportier driving modes. It’s only at higher speeds that you’re reminded of the car’s size, as it’s hesitant to perform rapid direction changes. The rear wheels turn by up to 7.3 degrees – in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds – which makes the large Range Rover Sport surprisingly easy to park, and to pilot around a tight multistorey. The e-motor takes the reins for lower-speed acceleration, while the petrol engine kicks in once it reaches its stride.įour-wheel steering aids agility and is a real plus for city driving. That’s why the noise from the petrol engine is often quiet, although we’d like to hear a little more from it as it produces a lovely sound at high revs. It is a luxury SUV after all, and the Sport element does play second fiddle. The official 0-62mph time is 5.2 seconds, but acceleration is smooth and sustained rather than lairy. That huge wave of torque makes the Sport feel surprisingly urgent when you put your foot down, be it in town or on faster roads. ![]() Our test car was the more potent P510e, which produces 503bhp and a whopping 700Nm of torque, available throughout the rev range from just 1,000rpm. Whether you go for the P440e or the P510e, you get a 141bhp electric motor mated to a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine. It’s perhaps a necessary evil from the bigger battery and all the technology on board, but it still makes the Range Rover Sport PHEV considerably dearer than the Volvo XC90 Recharge or Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid. The plug-in models are some of the more expensive in the line-up though, with prices starting at £84,500 and quickly rising to over £112,000 for a top-spec car – and that’s before you add any optional goodies. Use the car as intended, and keep the battery topped up, you might see over 300mpg, so the plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sport should be the cheapest version to run. Full commutes or large portions of motorway journeys can be done without bothering the petrol engine. After all, the 39kWh Hyundai Kona Electric manages 189 miles of range without a petrol engine to fall back on.īut the bigger battery does make the Range Rover Sport PHEV more versatile than before. While the old model could only cover 25 miles on electric power, the new Range Rover Sport PHEV can crack 70 miles in the right spec, according to Land Rover.īoth versions – the 434bhp P440e and the 503bhp P510e – feature a reltaively huge 38.2kWh battery, so it’s still a little hard to congratulate the car on its efficiency. There are now two to choose from, and the big news is that they can travel far longer on electric power than before. But until then, it’s offered with a thoroughly reworked pair of plug-in hybrid powertrains to go with the cleaner, simpler design and state-of-the-art interior. Like the fifth-generation of the full-fat Range Rover we tested earlier this year, the all-new Range Rover Sport will be available in fully electric form by 2024. ![]()
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