Although roughly less than two years away from launch, Land Rover continues to use engineering mules to test the next generation of its Range Rover model. And by mules, we mean that the British firm is utilizing a modified body of the current luxury SUV with a different front end and beefier wheel arches hiding the wider tracks of the new platform architecture.
And while the 2013 Range Rover’s looks remain a mystery for now, we do know that it will adopt a new lightweight aluminium chassis using know-how from the group’s Jaguar brand. Furthermore, the new model will feature an alloy body shell while certain components will be made of composite materials.
Despite a marginal increase in dimensions, the liberal use of lightweight materials in the construction of the 2013 Range Rover will bring major weight benefits, and as a result, significant improvements in fuel economy, CO2 emissions and of course, performance. It is believed that Land Rover’s luxury SUV will shave close to half a tone off the current model, which weighs between 5,688 and 6,195 pounds (2,580 kg to 2,810 kg, depending on the version).
Under the hood, the new Range Rover will gain refined versions of the current powerplants, including V6 and V8 diesels, and V8 petrols in both naturally aspirated and supercharged formats connected to Land Rover’s 8-speed automatic transmission.
The big news, however, is the development of a hybrid model, a first for Land Rover. The British company teased the hybrid powertrain with the Range_e concept at the Geneva Salon this past March.
The prototype model was equipped with the current 245HP 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel engine, working with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and a 69kW / 92HP electric motor. Using a parallel plug-in hybrid system, with a 14.2kW/h lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from an external 240V power source, the Range_e can be driven on pure electric power for more than 20 miles (32 kilometers), with zero tailpipe emissions.
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