Bookings have opened in India for the new Land Rover Defender P400e plug-in hybrid SUV with a combined 404 hp and up to 43 km of electric-only driving.
The new Land Rover Defender arrived only recently and has shown what an outstanding achievement it has been. Our drive review will be out in the forthcoming issue. That aside, hot on the heels of the news that is achieved a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, the bigger news is that India will soon have the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version – the Defender P400e.
While the engine in the Defender P400e is still the P300-spec “Ingenium” 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol we’ve driven, the P400e gets an additional power source in the form of a 19.2-kWh battery pack and a 105-kW permanent magnet electric motor. That brings the equivalent of 143 hp and a lot of instant torque. The combined output from the electrified powertrain is a hefty 404 hp and 640 Nm, the latter of which is available from 1,500 rpm with a chunk of it almost instantaneous – the advantages of a plug-in hybrid.
The Defender P400e will operate in hybrid mode from the get-go, using electric power when available. The petrol engine will initialize when needed with its role as a generator being a prominent aspect. As such, it has been rated on the WLTP cycle with as low as 74 g/km and fuel efficiency as high as 30.3 km/l. Yes, that’s with the 2,525 kg it must haul. That said, it can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and get up to a top speed of 130 km/h in electric mode and 209 km/h in hybrid mode. An all-electric range of up to 43 km is possible. It can be charged using a standard 15-amp socket or with the complimentary 7.4 kW AC wall-box charger.
The Land Rover Defender P400e will be available only in 110, five-door guise in SE, HSE, X-Dynamic HSE and X trim levels in India, with deliveries set to commence after April 2021. The only similar option is the Volvo XC90 T8 TwinEngine, which combines a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and e-motor for a combined 390 hp and 640 Nm. Although, the XC90 is mode luxury focused and the Defender offers a lot more off-road gear.
