Range Rover P550e, the king of moderation

Watts On

The king of SUVs and SUVs of kings, the Range Rover, the fifth generation that was launched in 2022, welcomes for the 2024 model year a modified hybrid version, giving them a few extra horses and adding 100% electric autonomy. This while I eagerly await the 100% electric version promised this year.

When we get crusts from a famous wine merchant, Cuban vitolas from a special civet or a can of beluga from a delicatessen, we turn to the Range Rover when we want the most refined and complete luxury of an SUV. An undisputed benchmark since 1970, on the road and on the toughest terrain around the world.

A recognizable line at first glance.Photo: Land Rover

Indeed, others were launched in the segment when it became fashionable and transformed into the goose that laid the golden eggs, but without reaching the level of the Range.

Environment separately

It is often dangerous to rethink icons. Designers have managed to bring the current range into the 21st century in a modern and modest style, which however does not deviate from tradition. Whatever the generation, this unchanging body line, full of greatness and strength, is recognizable at first glance.

Luxury and tranquility inside.Photo: Land Rover

But the sensory experience is fully experienced within. On a modest design layout like the exterior, leather, wood and aluminum blend wonderfully in this proverbial luxury pod. Of course there is more baroque or more original, but here everything is fair, simple, clear. Even the infotainment system, behind its large central screen of 13.1 inches, can be tamed easily. And once on the road, we really enjoy looking down, with gentlemanly disdain, at all the top things in the SUV class, whether they are decorated with stars, a stylish propeller or the legendary two wings of other recent Perfidious icons. Albion.

Power and glory

This is not the first iteration of the Range to be converted to electrification. The previous generation, between 2012 and 2021, saw the first hybrid version (full hybrid) on the 354 hp diesel V6, then from 2017 the plug-in hybrid version based on the 2-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine. Despite the 404 hp in total power and respectable torque of 640 Nm, the machine will not leave us with an unforgettable memory.

Placed in the center of the chassis, the battery also ensures the overall balance of the vehicle.Photo: Land Rover

With this third electrification exercise, Land Rover has learned its lesson. The powertrain is based on a 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline inline 6, along with an electric motor powered by a large 38.2 kWh battery. To give an idea, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, launched in 2019, had the same battery capacity… The 100% electric range of the Range Rover plug-in hybrid is advertised at 121 kilometers (WLTP). Two total powers are offered in the list: 460 hp/660 Nm and 550 hp/800 Nm, that of our test. It is enough to pull 2.8 tons without a beast whose design nevertheless gives pride of place to aluminum.

Note also that the PHEV Range ranks as the second most powerful Range in the range, behind the exceptional 615 hp SV and ahead of the 530 hp P530, both powered by BMW’s naturally aspirated V8.

Giant “vert”

Driving the Range Rover is characterized by superior comfort coupled with smooth and continuous power development. The advantages that the electricity supply also goes for it. The Hybrid range ticks all the boxes: cloistered running silence and a power supply to the petrol engine that ensures powerful recharging without falling into brutality. The certification should not be out of date as with the array of chips that manage the chassis, the beast gracefully manages the effects of its overall weight in sequence.

Fast and confident on the road.Photo: Land Rover

Another aspect of a lover is his extravagance. Just imagine that a few years ago, using more than 500 hp under the hood of the Range resulted in an average consumption of between 15 and 20 liters of unleaded fuel per 100 kilometers following the severity of the right leg. Today? Between 7 and 8 l/100 km in daily driving. Even better, this Range Rover P550e even sets my perfect consumption record, all categories combined, in almost 18 years of car testing: 2.9 l/100 km on a trip of about 150 km.

38.2 kWh of battery allows you to benefit from long-distance power supply in hybrid mode.Photo: Land Rover

Several reasons for this: Of course, the size of the battery plays an important role. It is possible to benefit from the contribution of electricity, in hybrid mode, over several hundred kilometers. Then, a very good management of the transition between fuel and electricity makes it possible to use energy fully.

Last important information, the Range battery has a fast charge (50 kW), requiring more than 40 minutes to go from 0 to 80%. This allows you to benefit from electricity for long distances, using every coffee-cigarette-toilet break to recharge.

It is not restricted from the beaten track.Photo: Land Rover

In addition, if I may say so, even though it is a hybrid, this version of the Range Rover does not lose any of the off-road capabilities that have made the model famous. And we are very happy, once again, in walking the pastures and other forest paths on the electronic net, in silence and without any production. Royal! Like its undemocratic base price of… 168,500 francs. God protect the King!