Skip to main content

Land Rover adds fuel economy to the Range Rover’s resume with 2013 hybrid

2013 Land Rover Range Rover front three-quarter viewThe Land Rover Range Rover has never been a car for hippies, thanks to its big, thirsty V8 and considerable girth. Admittedly, there was never a reason to build a fuel-efficient luxury SUV. Land Rover is giving it a shot though, with a hybrid Range Rover based on the updated 2013 model.

The hybrid will combine Land Rover’s 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 with an electric motor and 1.7 kWh lithium ion battery pack, which will be housed under the SUV’s floor. Despite the Range Rover’s heavy footprint and blunt aerodynamics, Land Rover says the Range Rover hybrid will do 0 to 60 mph in under seven seconds.

The all-important fuel economy number is 45 mpg, on the European cycle, with emissions of 169 g/km of carbon dioxide. While a big SUV with the fuel economy of a small hatchback sounds incredible, keep in mind that cars tend to do better in European testing than EPA testing; Europe also uses Imperial gallons.

The Range Rover’s only conceivable competition are luxury SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, both of which are rated at 21 combined mpg on the EPA cycle.

The Range Rover hybrid will have one advantage over all other hybrids, though: it’s a Range Rover. That means unparalleled off-road capability, which should make an interesting test of hybrid technology. A hybrid is very fuel efficient while crawling through city traffic, but what about while crawling through the Amazon rainforest?

Unfortunately, this will be a moot point for American buyers. Land Rover will not sell the Range Rover hybrid in North America, because getting its turbodiesel V6 to comply with American regulations would require too many expensive modifications.

Americans will have to stick with the gas guzzling 5.0-liter V8, attached to the same eight-speed automatic transmission as the hybrid. However, Land Rover expects significant fuel economy gains for the conventional Range Rover, owing to its new aluminum body and the eight-speed transmission. The current Range Rover is rated at 12 mpg city and 18 mpg highway.

The Range Rover may not be the most politically correct car but, with or without a hybrid version, it’s still an impressive piece of kit. People buy these beasts for their luxury, off-road ability, and swagger, not fuel economy. Still, it would be nice to have it all.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Alpine sale: Up to $160 off speakers and subs for your car
alpine speaker sale crutchfield march 2024 car and amp setup on table

If you’re looking to kit your car out with some superior speakers or a subwoofer, Crutchfield is the place to go today. Right now, there’s a huge sale on Alpine subwoofers and speakers with nearly 50 different items forming the sale. As there are so many options, the best idea is to hit the button below to see what’s around. If you don’t know where to start though, read on while we take you through some great items in the sale.

What to shop for in the Alpine sale
Buying the best aftermarket car speakers are important for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road and is currently dealing with a mediocre sound system. One good starting point in the Alpine sale is the 2-way speakers for $104 instead of $130. You get two 2-way speakers with a polypropylene/glass fiber/mica woofer with a specialized rubber surround. There’s a one-inch silk dome tweeter with speakers able to handle up to 80 watts RMS with 240 watts peak power. The grilles aren’t included but the factor ones should be fine for most purposes.

Read more
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more