MET VIDEOThe Dutch government grants a more than serious bpm discount on plug-in hybrid versions of the new Range Rover Sport. Simply because this car offers the possibility to drive fully electrically over a great distance.
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Werner in the grass
16 Sep 2022
The tax on passenger cars and motorcycles (bpm) is levied on the basis of CO2 emissions. So the more a car consumes and the more CO2 it emits, the higher the BPM tax. Both the new Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport will be available from the last quarter of this year as the so-called P510e and P440e, or plug-in hybrids.
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Once the 38.5 kWh battery is fully charged, these versions of the Range Rover can drive 113 kilometers electrically without the need for combustion engine intervention. The official legal consumption measurement, which manufacturers must have all their models met, determines that the part that the car can travel electrically can be added to the result. As a result, the Range Rover Sport P510e emits 20 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The almost equally powerful Sport with the 530 HP V8 engine reaches 261 grams of CO2 per kilometer, which is equal to 53,149 euros in bpm and makes a total of 200,252 euros. However, the owner of a P510e only included 480 euros bpm in the total price of 143,516 euros.
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Now a Range Rover Sport with a V8 engine is a great car to drive. But that’s not enough even in the plug-in variant. The electric motor runs smoothly with the 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo engine. If desired, the fully electric car can be driven, provided the 38.5 kWh lithium-ion battery is sufficiently charged. This is possible with an AC charger with up to 7.4 kW or a fast charger with 50 kW.
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Presumably not many Range Rover owners will use such a fast charger. These are mainly found along the highway and are intended for electric cars that require energy. If the Range Rover’s battery is low, the Range Rover’s six-cylinder will help. The engineers were supposed to equip a car of this class with an 11 kW on-board charger.
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The pleasant navigation system works closely with the powertrain. If the destination is in an urban area, the powertrain ensures that the battery is fully charged, so that the Range Rover can travel its miles through the city on the (electric) battery. In places where many people stay, the Range Rover emits nothing. It is important that the navigation system is set up. You can also manually switch the powertrain to electric via the digital control system. In all other cases, the car mixes the driving forces. In principle the start is completely electric and where the driver requires a lot of power, both the six-cylinder and the electric motor provide its power.
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Both the Range Rover and this Range Rover Sport are available with a 440hp or 510hp plug-in powertrain. Land Rover, which includes Range Rover, expects to be able to deliver the first copies of the Sport later this year. You can partly see the Sport as the smaller version of the Range Rover. At 4.95 meters it remains a large SUV.
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Compared to its predecessor, the Sport has grown in height, at the same time there was a little flank. As a result, the new Sport feels a bit tight. However, the design is less attractive. The rear light of the Range Rover Sport is quite conventional and does not have the elite look of its big brother. Since the front window pillar is angled, there is more dynamics in the Sport’s design. It is therefore more of a car for successful footballers, while the large Range Rover is more of a car for successful brokers. The price difference between the large Range Rover and the Sport is about half a ton.
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But the differences go beyond mere looks. Both models have air suspension, but the Sport’s air springs have two chambers. In this way, the movements of the bodywork can be controlled more precisely and this ensures that the car leans less strongly when cornering.
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driving test
We were able to drive both the large Range Rover and the Sport and the handling difference is nothing short of spectacular. Sport lives up to its name: it is dynamic. Although the weight of the car of a whopping 2735 kilograms remains tangible. That huge weight is around 350 pounds above the Sport without the plug-in system. The battery weighs around 250 kilos, add the electric motor and extra components such as the charging system and you get to almost 2800 kilos.
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A long off-road ride proved that such an elephant weight doesn’t have to hinder abilities in the wilderness. Not that many future Range Rover Sport owners will ever send their SUV to the country this way, other than the fact that this is next to impossible in the Netherlands. But a Range Rover, just like a Land Rover, should be able to take its occupants with all the luxury and comfort to the most impossible places. As it was developed for the first generation Range Rover in 1970 and is still the case with current editions.
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And this Sport can do a little more off-roading than its predecessor. In addition, the tour in the countryside is very easy. It involves pressing the button that belongs to the surface. Then press the button that keeps the car at a preselected speed downhill. And if you really want to make it simple, the new Sport has “off-road cruise control”. By braking, accelerating, checking the differentials, distributing forces and making the electronic stability systems intervene properly, the Sport does it all by itself. As a driver, only the steering remains.
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