The Range Rover, it maybe a year or so away from its 50th birthday but for many its still the ultimate luxury SUV, its just as comfortable around Royalty as it is on the red carpet, yet it has the off road ability of a tractor. Frugal is not a word associated with rather large luxury SUVs is it but thanks to the combination of a 2L petrol engine and an electric motor, land rover claim that this can can deliver 101 miles per gallon. The first Range Rover plug in hybrid the P400e with its cleverly hidden plug in socket hidden in the front grill. The grill is part of a 2018 update across all the models in the range and it has been inspired by the smaller Rang Rover Velar the update has also included a re style bumper, new tail lights and along with exhaust pipes. But it is the inside where you really see the changes, it is of course extremely plush, with wider and even more comfortable seats and it now has the latest dual screen entertainment system once again from the Velar. This is where you will find all the information about the electric side of things. It works in a couple of modes, you can choose from the Default which is Parallel Hybrid or EV, in parallel hybrid the computer juggles the two power sources but for longer journeys there is a save function to save the electric range which is up to 31 miles but this depends on weather and driving style, so you can use it for going into the city. Then we come to the Predictive Energy Optimisation which basically it lets you pick a spot on the sat nav and it will work out a route to your destination and it optimises the fuel consumption. You can keep an eye on the range and fuel consumption in front of you and also on the screen. It is recorded that 90% of our journeys are less than 15 miles a day and if you fall into that category then this is were a hybrid works brilliantly. Of course longer journeys will cost you quite a lot more but is offset with that 31 miles of range you could easily be driving most days on just pure electric power. You have to get into the habit of charging it up each night as you can take advantage of off peak electricity to re charge the battery. This is a 2L - 4 cylinder petrol engine working alongside an electric motor together the two produce an impressive 399 horse power which makes it feel pretty quick off the mark in fact it is only slightly quicker than the V8 diesel Range Rover. Switching to all electric mode is recommended for the city and it is so silent.
