The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire April/May Edition 2015 | Page 19

REVVED UP

RANGE ROVER HYBRID – As British as Fish & Chips
The sky was Alice Blue and the breeze was cold
but the weak, wintry sun heralded a hint of
warmer days to come. Thus the decision was
made to drive to Weston-super-Mare for a stroll
along the prom and to enjoy one of the finer
things in life – fish and chips at Winston’s Fish
Bar. As luck would have it we were able to make
the journey inside our featured car, the Range
Rover Hybrid pictured, which, coincidentally, is
also one of the finer things in life.
These days Land Rovers come in all shapes and
sizes including this plus-sized long-wheel base
version of the Range Rover. This is a car that
is about the same size and weight as the Taj
Mahal yet managed an astonishing average
of a trip-computer registered 32.9mpg for the
trip from a mix of urban and motorway speeds
and without any eco-caution.
You would think that given the sheer scale
of this vehicle it would be impossible to park
yet amazingly this is not the case. The Range
Rover LWD Hybrid is festooned with cameras
and parking aids which make manoeuvring
a doddle. Clearly this isn’t a motor that you
can squeeze into a tight spot but otherwise
parking is straightforward. The long
wheelbase offers the benefits of an additional
186mm of legroom for rear seat passengers
who can stretch out like sleepy sultans.

The Range Rover Hybrid powertrain
combines Land Rover’s 3.0L SDV6 diesel
engine with a 35kW electric motor, integrated

with an 8-speed ZF auto transmission. The
system allows the driver to select from
three different drive modes to maximise
performance or efficiency, and is capable, say
the company, of delivering 26% lower CO²
emissions (169g/km) and 44.1mpg. I would
suggest that this last figure would involve
some serious hyper-miling techniques. I doubt
that buyers who can afford this car (model
featured £108,000+) will worry too much
about the fuel bill but in any case the over
30mpg figure that we saw remains impressive.
The mpg figure is aided by the intelligent Stop/
Start feature and this, combined with electric
only power - say when stuck in a traffic creep,
meant that the engine registered ‘off’ for 21%
of the trip.
The hybrid retains the same proven
Terrain Response system and all-wheel drive
technology found in the other petrol and
diesel-powered models. The complete hybrid
system, including a lithium-ion battery pack,
inverter and electric motor, weighs less than
120kg. The electric motor produces 170Nm
torque and operates to boost acceleration
when required, and to drive the vehicle in EV
(electric vehicle) Mode. The motor also acts as
a generator, harvesting kinetic energy through
regenerative braking, charging the battery
when the vehicle is slowing. In EV mode the
Range Rover Hybrid can travel at speeds of up
to 30mph for a range of up to one mile before
the diesel engine seamlessly restarts.

Hyundai makes business a pleasure
Hyundai i30 Active 1.6 CRDi 110PS Blue Drive

£194.99 per month^

Certainly, out on the road the power is
more than enough to make overtaking simple
aided by blind spot monitoring in the door
mirrors. The Range Rover Hybrid comes with
a sport mode and flappy paddles but most
users will stick with the regular drive because
it is so good that anything else seems a bit
superfluous. The Range Rover isn’t a sports car
– that’s not how you drive it.
It is however a powerful car and comes
with many extras and secret delights too

numerous to list. On this range-topping
Autobiography model TV/DVD is available
front and back and tech-savvy ankle biters can
control their viewing pleasure with their own
remote control hidden in the rear-seat centre
armrest/cupholder. Our car came with a full
sized spare wheel but this can be substituted
by a third row of seats and a tyre kit. While we
are around the back I should say that the boot
is massive and very well shaped. The security
cover folds back and the tailgate drops down
to allow access.
You can buy cars that cost even more than
this. You can buy cars that are even more
luxurious and you can buy cars that go much
faster. None of these cars though can be as
much at home on the side of an Alp than
they can be in Sloane Square. Although the
company is foreign owned the cars are still
made in this country and traditionally are as
British as our beloved fish and chips.
Written by Geoff Maxted www.drivewrite.co.uk

Pebley Beach Hyundai

01793 816800
West Swindon Motor Park, Paddington Drive,
Bridgemead, Swindon SN5 7SB
www.pebleybeachhyundai.co.uk

with £1,169.94 Initial payment (plus VAT)

15% BIK

CO2 emissions
97 g/km

76.3 MPG*

Fuel consumption MPG (l/100km) for Hyundai i30 Active 1.6 CRDi 110PS Blue Drive 5 door: Urban 67.23 (11.2), Extra Urban 83.0 (3.4), Combined 78.4 (3.6), CO2
Emissions 94 g/km. Fuel consumption: figures shown are based on official EU test figures. These are to be used as a guide for comparative purposes and may not
reflect all driving results. ^Business users only.
Contract hire offers for business users for i30 Active 1.6 CRDi 110PS Blue Drive 5 door, figure based on a non-maintenance contract