2019 Range Rover Sport P400e Plug-in Hybrid Review: A Best Of All Worlds Luxury Hybrid?

It has all-electric capability, but does it come without compromise?

2019 Range Rover Sport P400e Plug-in Hybrid Review

Overview

It can be argued that nothing beats pulling up to the country club in a luxury SUV. That’s especially true, at least by popularity, of the Range Rover Sport, as it is one of Land Rover’s best-selling models. Now, the 2019 Range Rover Sport P400e hybrid SUV combines luxury, sportiness and extra fuel economy.

This handsome SUV has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine and a plug-in hybrid electric motor that deliver 398 horsepower and 472 pound/feet of torque. On top of that, the battery pack provides up to 31 miles of all-electric range.

Starting from $79,000, this plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sport goes on sale in Summer 2019.

Comfort and Convenience

Inside, the 2019 Range Rover Sport P400e offers the same luxurious features as the standard gasoline or diesel-powered models.

It takes a fair amount effort to climb in, but occupants sit high. There’s good room for four tall adults despite an extra-large front console with an optional refrigerator compartment, but the stiff center of the rear seat is best left to the large fold-down arrest with its twin cupholders. Rear door openings could be wider.

Both thick rear seatbacks flip forward to enlarge the cargo area reached by opening the power tailgate. The moderately sized cargo compartment has a wide but high opening that can make it difficult to load conventional cargo or to even put a large dog back there.

The church-quiet upscale interior has top-notch materials that let you know this is, indeed, an upscale vehicle. The Windsor Leather front seats are heated, and the power adjustable leather-covered steering wheel helps assure a comfortable driving position. Among the many other interior features are two-zone climate control, ambient interior lighting, a surround sound system, cruise control, easily used touch screen, lots of steering wheel controls and a fixed panoramic roof. A sliding panoramic roof is optional, as is a heated steering wheel. 

2019 Range Rover Sport P400e Plug-in Hybrid Review

Performance

With the electric assist, the Sport P400e’s fuel economy figures of 19 miles per gallon the city and 25 on highways should easily be topped, especially if a driver puts it in “Eco” mode via a console control, and not “Dynamic” mode, which sharpens everything up a bit. There’s also “Comfort” and other driving modes, which include “Rock Crawl.” After all, although the all-wheel-drive Sport has significant off-road abilities that can involve rocky terrain, it focuses more on handling prowess and ride comfort than off-road jaunts. Still, there’s an excellent all-wheel drive system with a twin-speed transfer box.

The steering is precise but rather heavy, and the ride is on the firm side. You can feel significant bumps despite the adaptive air suspension. I was aware of the vehicle’s roughly 5,100-pound weight while buzzing round curves, but handling was helped by the Sport’s electronic traction control, dynamic stability control and roll stability control, not to mention its 20-inch wheels. The anti-lock brakes have an emergency braking system.

While the 2019 Range Rover Sport HSE P400e is rather large, it’s not difficult to park. Helping a driver out are a rearview camera, lane departure warning, rear traffic monitor, blind spot monitoring and a traffic sign recognition.

TFLcar’s Take

My test Range Rover Sport HSE P400e looked especially sporty with its optional Firenze Red paint, which coved my test vehicle. It deserved nothing less. With options and a destination and delivery charge, my test vehicle’s bottom line price was $93,200. It is expensive, but it still offers everything a normal Range Rover Sport would, with a bit of added practicality.

Some attractive options are expensive. They include a $4,000 “Driver Assist Pack” that contains blind spot assist, a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control with steering assist and lane keep and park assist. Other options include four-zone climate control, head-up display, cooled front and rear seats, heated rear seats and special 21-inch split spoke style wheels.