Friday, August 23, 2013

Hybrid models of Land Rover Range Rover and Sport revealed

Land Rover, cruising on its exceptional performance till now in 2013, has revealed new hybrid versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models. It is being speculated that the manufacturing of these hybrid versions will be starting soon. With the launch of these hybrid models, Land Rover for the first time is planning to introduce these new types of cars. Interestingly, both these vehicles are powered by state-of-the-art diesel-electric hybrid powertrains.
According to John Edwards, the Global Brand Director of Land Rover, these are “world’s first hybrid 4x4s with true Land-Rover-level off-road capability.” He also said, “We are very excited to be introducing these models.” Some sources have claimed that these new hybrid versions will make their global debut at 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2013. Both these hybrid models are equipped with a 35 KW electric motor and Range Rover’s well known TDV6 diesel engine, which takes their maximum power output to 335 bhp. In order to add to the potential of this performance oriented engine, it has been mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which channelises the produced output to its wheels.
Despite its terrific power, the advanced hybrid system incorporated in both the models does not increases the kerb weights by more than 120 kg. This is remarkable, considering the fact that this weight also includes lithium ion battery. This weight saving mechanism is better than what Land Rover achieved by implementing all-aluminium 
body/chassis construction in both of its models. It must be noted that kerb weights for hybrid versions of Sport and Range Rover are 2372 kg and 2394 kg, respectively. These figures are almost similar, which led experts to claim that the performance and fuel economy of both cars are also going to be close to identical.
Electric motor generates 35 kilowatts of power and 170 Nm of torque. With this, the vehicle can reach a speed of up to 48 kmph on the electric motor alone for a distance of about 1.6 km. Driver can select this mode and is recommended only for stop and start driving, around the town. The motor can also act as a generator by harvesting kinetic energy under braking. The combination of V6 diesel and electric motor makes the Sport model faster with a top speed of 225 kmph when compared to Range Rover, which clocks 218 kmph. The 0-100 kmph acceleration for the Sport is 6.7 second, which is less than that of Range Rover by 0.2 second.
Expected to perform at similar levels of off-road capability and durability, with respect to the conventional models, Land Rover plans a 10,000-mile expedition for these hybrid versions. This expedition has been named as ‘2013 Silk Trail’. This is an effort to prove the power and performance of these cars. The route for this expedition covers 12 countries, starting from France to India. After crossing Poland, Russia and China, the expedition is set to end by mid-October at Mumbai Head Quarter of Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company, Tata Motors.

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