By Otsile Kadiege

Land Rover South Africa has added a new plug-in hybrid derivative to the long-standing Discovery Sport range. The new P300e Plug-in Electric Hybrid grade promises improved fuel consumption and pure electric drive with a range of more than 60 km.

Powertrain

The Discovery Sport P300e is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine that was constructed using lightweight aluminium and weighs 37kg less than a four-cylinder engine.The three-cylinder engine also features a Belt-integrated Starter Generator (BiSG) like the four-cylinder Ingenium engine. This delivers enhanced regenerative braking, recharging the battery on the overrun and when decelerating, and also enables smoother, quieter and faster start-stop operation than a traditional starter motor.

On its own, the engine develops 147kW. When paired with its 80kW electric motor integrated into the rear axle, the P300e has a combined total system output of 227kW and 540Nm. It also has a 14.9kWh lithium-ion battery that features rapid DC charging capability as standard. Away from home, a 0-80 per cent charge using a 50kW DC public charger takes as little as 30 minutes. On a 7kW AC home charger, it can be charged from 0-100 per cent in around two hours.

The battery pack avails up to 61km when charged to the brim, but Land Rover says customers should expect real-world electric range of around 47km.

Pricing

Discovery Sport Dynamic SE – R1,715,000

Discovery Sport Dynamic HSE – R1,798,200