What Does Steve Say About The Range Rover Sport PHEV? (Video)

So you’ve wanted a Range Rover for quite some time but you just keep thinking to yourself, darn it I really need a hybrid and preferably one with a plug. OK, that scenario is highly unlikely but that doesn’t mean Land Rover isn’t doing it anyway because they are. Meet the 2020 Range Rover Sport PHEV.

Plug-in hybrid technology is a bridge between a standard gasoline-electric hybrid and a fully electric vehicle.  It provides a short EV driving range, typically less than 30 miles, before a small gas engine joins the party at which point you’re back to normal hybrid driving; some EV, some gas but typically a blend of the 2 which delivers vastly improved MPGs.  A PHEV’s allure likely rests with how far you typically drive.  If you’re an around the town, short distance kind of commuter and dutifully keep the battery charged you may use little to no gas at all. This is why the EPA’s estimates for PHEVs should be used as a loose guide.  Of course, electric motors also boost performance.  They don’t need time to generate their peak torque – you press the accelerator and the car just goes…quietly.  That’s the coolest part.  If you’ve never experienced it before you’ll immediately notice the difference.

You certainly can’t say Land Rover isn’t providing choices here; the Range Rover Sport is offered with a diesel, 2 mild hybrids, a couple of supercharged V8s and this PHEV supported by a 2.0-liter turbo 4. The P400e as it is known falls just short of its name at 398 horsepower. But it’s the 472 pound-feet of torque this powertrain produces that slots it 2^ndin twisting force to only the mighty SVR in the 6 model Sport lineup. But batteries and motors are heavy so the PHEV’s 0-to-60mph time of 6.3 seconds makes it the slowest Sport this side of the diesel model.  Far from plodding but a little disappointing nevertheless.