Land Rover will expand its range of electrified models this year, introducing a plug-in hybrid system to its two smaller SUVs: the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. The automaker will pair its 1.5-liter three-cylinder Ingenium engine with an 80-kW electric motor and a 15-kWh battery positioned below the rear seats, placing the electric motor in the rear axle for better weight distribution.
While the three-cylinder engine will produce 197 hp by itself, the electric motor will add an extra 107 hp; the extra helping of electric power will be able to propel the Discovery Sport from 0 to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds, while the Evoque will be a bit quicker to 62 with a time of 6.4 seconds.
Most of the appeal of this powertrain, aside from the extra power, will be an all-electric range of up to 41 miles in the Evoque and 38 miles in the Discovery Sport in the (somewhat optimistic) WLTP cycle, which will be accessible via the EV drive mode. In the WLTP cycle the Discovery Sport will return a combined 175.5 mpg, while the Evoque will be even more economical with a rating of 201.8 mpg in the U.K. market, where these will go on sale later this year.
Drivers will be able to take advantage of both powertrains via the hybrid mode for longer journeys, or use the save mode to maintain the battery level. The automaker says that owners will be able to charge the vehicles from 0 to 80% in as quick as 30 minutes with a DC fast-charger station or over six hours with a household electric outlet.
“Jaguar Land Rover has filed over 40 patent applications for the latest class-leading technologies that debut in the three-cylinder plug-in hybrid system. A number of these relate to the high voltage belt-integrated starter generator (BiSG), for example, which is a key enabler for the hybrid system on this car,” the automaker added.
The addition of its latest PHEV system to the Evoque and the Discovery Sport advances Jaguar Land Rover’s priority of electrifying its lineup; both vehicles have been offered with 48-volt mild hybrid systems prior to the rollout of the latest PHEV system, which will also make it into the new Land Rover Defender later this year.
Speaking of later this year, that’s when these two PHEV models will go on sale in Europe after Land Rover resumes production on May 18, but Jaguar Land Rover hasn’t confirmed U.S. availability. Back in Europe these will be badged P300e; if North America gets one or both models it’s possible they’ll be paired with 2.0-liter inline-four engines—the base gasoline units in the U.S. lineup—just like in the Range Rover Sport P400e.
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