At the top of the Range, meet the seven million hour Rover

Published on 6 April, 2022

Overview

They are waiting in line to buy the new €146,000 Range Rover: 150 people have ordered one and the cars don’t get here until July.

Realistically it will be January before many can expect to take a seat at the wheel of the motor claimed to be the best car of its kind in the world.

Of those who get their car this year, only a handful will buy the lowest-price model (€146,000 for the SWB 3-litre Si6 PHEV SE).

Most will personally spec them so you could be talking €20,000 extra – or more.

They will be paying for something that has taken seven million hours to create. Yes, seven million, according to the automaker.

They had a static short-wheelbase model ‘visiting’ in Sandyford recently where I got a chance to sit in and have a look.

It is super-smooth on the outside and laden with stuff within as well as being massively roomy (there is one metre of legroom in the second row on the long wheelbase version).

On first appraisal they have faced, and met, a huge challenge in “re-creating the Range Rover”.

As an indication of the innovations on board there are 125 patents registered.

There are two PHEVs and several mild hybrid petrol and diesels. The plug-ins comprise a 440PS and 510PS with 6cylinder petrol engines and a claimed electric-only range of up to 113kms.

There will be a full electric model in 2024.

It is a large car but all-wheel steering means it has the turning circle of a small vehicle. Well, that’s what they say. And if you have difficulty there is an app that will do the parking for you.

With 150 orders already in I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot more don’t further fill the books further over the coming weeks and months. The only cloud on the horizon is the lack of supply.

They say the extended-range hybrids can mean you make 75pc of your journeys with zero emissions. It depends on how you drive of course.

They also claim the PHEVs have CO2 emissions as low as 18g/km. That is lower than initial estimates.

There are four, five and ­seven-seat interiors across Standard and Long Wheelbase body designs. There is up to 50kW DC rapid charging capability and you can charge up to 80pc in under an hour.

The most powerful P510e plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 38kWh lithium-ion battery, 105kW electric motor and 3-litre 6cyl – and it is quick: 0-100kmh in 5.6 ­seconds.

As well as the two plug-ins, there are mild-hybrid 6cyl petrol and diesels – and a new V8.

KIA Niro 

KIA has revealed some more detail on its new Niro.

We know it will come with PHEV and EV powertrains.

The PHEV will arrive in time for 222 registration (July) with the EV arriving later in the summer. Irish specs and pricing are yet to be announced.

The car has been redesigned from the ground up and is an ‘intrinsic’ model in Kia’s line-up, which will include 14 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2027.

The electric Niro has a claimed range of 463km. Built on the ‘K’ platform it is 4,420mm long, 1,825mm wide, and up to 1,570 tall. The Niro PHEV debuts Hyundai Motor Group’s first 5.5kWh high-volt positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater for plug-in hybrids, extending the EV driving range in colder ­conditions.