► Range Rover EV prototype passenger ride
► Set to cost from £170k and weigh 2.8 tonnes
► 300-mile real-world range, 117kWh battery and 542bhp
Range Rover has gone electric. It’s been a long-time coming, but the British brand has finally made an EV version of its flagship SUV. In a year when even Ferrari is set to announce its first electric vehicle, Range Rover’s latest model comes not a moment too soon and looks set to build on the 140,000 (including Sport) models shifted each year.
As well as gathering key early details, we’ve also been for a passenger ride in a prototype version of the Range Rover Electric and also driven it: both on a UK off-road course and on the ice of Arjeplog.
‘It’s a Range Rover first, EV second.’ That’s the internal party line, anyway. According to Thomas Müller, JLR’s product engineering boss, the EV version doesn’t replace anything—it complements it. ‘The customers should choose the best powertrain for a Range Rover that he or she wants to drive’.
However, both Müller and Vehicle Engineering Director Matt Becker claim it’s their top pick from the lineup. Why? Because the electric powertrain’s smoothness and serenity match the luxury character more naturally than a thumping V8 ever could.
Range Rover isn’t planning an all-out migration to battery power just yet, though. With 80% of current buyers living in regions not facing imminent combustion bans, the Range Rover Electric is an addition, not a revolution. And yes, petrol and diesel versions are sticking around.
The result, in the nicest possible way, is a car you could mistake for any other contemporary Range Rover. Exterior visual clues are few, and it’s the same story inside – deliberately. The floor height is the same (as are key external measurements such as ground clearance and the car’s approach, breakover and departure angles), there are no oddly shaped footwell intrusions and the primary controls are familiar, only nudging the shifter down now toggles one-pedal driving rather than putting the transmission into Sport.
The most noticeable styling difference is likely to be around the front grille where the differences in cooling requirements between EV and ICE means a revised design is possible. However, it’s worth noting that on our prototype car a 3D printed placeholder was used before the design is finalised.
First joined Becker at JLR’s winter testing facility for a sideways jaunt across a snow-packed handling circuit, and despite its expected 2.8-tonne kerb weight, the Range Rover Electric (on all-season tyres) acquitted itself admirably.
Range Rover is tight-lipped on the final spec, but we know a few tasty figures: 542bhp, 117kWh usable battery, 300-mile range, 0–62mph in around 4.5 seconds. Underneath, two electric motors (having four would be less efficient, heavier and not as effective) drive both axles, using clever torque vectoring logic to manage grip. JLR’s Integrated Traction Management (ITM) can respond to slip in 50 milliseconds—around 100x faster than a traditional system.
That peak power figure is very modest by modern luxury e-SUV standards. Range Rover argues it’s all you could ever need (and the quad-motor electric G-Class boasts a similar peak output), and it’s in-line with the current V8 Range Rover flagship (‘powertrain agnostic’, right?). By limiting the sheer force with which the car can launch, Range Rover’s also giving itself a chance to preserve the poise and grace with which its cars are synonymous. To that end, the electric Rangie also uses multi-valve air springs not fitted to piston-engined versions.
The centre of gravity is a good 50–60mm lower than the V8 Range Rover, meaning it can run with softer anti-roll bars and remain composed. Dual-rate springs, revised damper valving, and anticipatory software all keep it flat and balanced—even during the heavy acceleration granted by 627lb ft of torque.
We saw this in action up a steep slope where the right-hand side wheels were on ice and the left-hand side on tarmac. Despite having almost zero grip on one side, the car was able to claw its way up, managing traction across all four wheels. Admittedly, a petrol Range Rover could deliver similar end results, but the ease of use and control granted by faster responding electric drive units was hugely impressive.
Later in the year, we drive a prototype in the UK, at walking pace, over a number of dauntingly extreme, man-made off-road obstacles. There will be no full-bore launches and no opportunities to test the car’s fast-sweeper body control or high-speed refinement, though we know the latter is likely exceptional, given the serenity of the combustion-engined versions and the quieter powertrain here (trigger the ABS at low speed and the clicking behind the dash is oddly prominent).
Each of the Range Rover’s drive and terrain response modes boasts a unique throttle map, with the power and torque curves sculpted to suit the scenario.
Right now, that means what feels like miles of throttle travel with which to meter out the e-motors’ twist, and the result is an incredible level of accuracy. No longer is your right foot the conductor for a vast orchestra of fuel injection nozzles, pistons, gears, clutches, differentials and driveshafts. The car doesn’t deliver an approximation of the torque and forward progress you demand (perhaps with one or more wheels dangling in the air). Instead, you get – and this doesn’t sound anywhere near as impressive as it feels, granted – exactly what you asked for.
In summary, early impressions suggest Range Rover has done a fine job taking its halo model into the age of electric. The execution appears well thought out and the engineers are right in that the level of serenity and quiet (afforded by the EV powertrain) does work beautifully with the car’s luxurious character.
If the price tag is indeed around the £170k mark, customers will however have a straight choice – V8 petrol or full EV. And in that respect, our only concern would be whether the electric powertrain feels special enough to warrant its price tag. After all, it’s easy to sell the benefits of a V8 over a regular engine, but much more of a task to differentiate a premium EV powertrain.
Range Rover’s going to great lengths to suggest the EV Rangie will lose nothing to its piston-engined counterparts. Off-road, except where its weight begins to count against it, it’ll likely be superior.
James heads up our automotive video activities in the UK and is responsible for video on CAR magazine. Usually found in front of camera, he is also an amateur race driver and has tested most of the supercars that matter over the last few years. James also contributes reviews, videos, news and advice across our sister website Parkers.co.uk.
With contributions from
Ben Miller
By James Dennison and Ben Miller
