MOTORS REVIEW: Range Rover P440e PHEV

Despite being 5.05m long and 2.05m wide (there is a long wheelbase option too) this cruise-liner of the roads claims a 69-mile zero emissions range.

A 38.2kWh battery – bigger than a Mini EV’s – is responsible for cutting emissions, fuel consumption and hiking-up refinement.

Combined with a turbocharged three-litre, six-cylinder petrol engine the 440PS and 620Nm drivetrain delivers six-second acceleration to 62mph and a 140mph top speed alongside 20g/km CO2 emissions and 328mpg fuel economy.

With no charge on board, the Rangey managed 31mpg on test with us.

Faced with Aston Martin, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce creating SUVs, Range Rover has ramped-up in terms of size, luxury and price tag, with a six-figure entry level.

‘Our’ P440e came in at £123,225 with just over £14,000 of options, £5,000 of which was accounted for by 24-way heated and cooled, massage electric front seats with ‘Executive Class’ rear seats.

A note to well-heeled parents. Unless Tarquin and Tabitha are true angels, this rear-seat luxury

might cause more trouble than it is worth.

My pair scrapped for control of the tablet-like control pad it includes, allowing adjustments to be made to the rear seats, climate control, ambient lighting and panoramic sunroof.

The new Range Rover’s cleaner exterior design is mirrored in a Pivi Pro infotainment system

featuring a slender 13.1-inch touchscreen with crisp graphics.

This reduces the button count in a cabin offering an overriding sense of modern luxury.

My only reservation about comfort was the mismatched height of the driver’s armrests, the door-integrated offering sitting too low.

While there is no disguising its size and weight, the Range Rover glides along on air-sprung suspension.

This drops to an accessible height when parked, no doubt with assistance from an excellent four-wheel-steering which cuts the turning circle to just 11.4m.

That same suspension can be raised for off-road use, liberating the useful 900mm maximum wading depth that accompanies a 2.5 tonne towing capability.

No further reassurance is required that the Range Rover’s new PHEV drivetrain brings very little in the way of compromise.

Not so much dynamic as imperious, it remains the luxury SUV benchmark.