In one of the most ambitious driving adventures ever undertaken by Land Rover, the Range Rover Diesel Hybrid is put through its paces along the Silk Trail in its final test before being put into production.
The voyage began at Land Rover's home in Solihull, covered 16,853 kilometres through 13 countries such as France, Germany, Russia, Uzbekistan and China before ending up in Mumbai, India - home of JLR owners, TATA. Along the route, the three vehicles tackled pretty much every type of terrain, temperature and altitude; all in pursuit of fine-tuning engine and transmission software to ensure that it performs well, regardless of the environment.
The journey itself took 53 days to complete. Temperatures ranged from a frosty -10 degrees to a toasty 43 degrees centigrade; and a full week was spent at more than 11,000 feet above sea level, where the thin air consisting of just 10 per cent oxygen put both man and machine to the test. Terrain included mud, gravel, sand, cattle trails, rivers and asphalt with potholes so deep they destroyed four of the convoy's wheels. In addition to the ruined wheels there were smashed windscreens from loose gravel surfaces and a total of 15 punctures; there were also tight mountain roads and the chaos of Chinese and Indian streets to contend with.
As you would imagine, the Range Rover passed the test with flying colours. The electric motor with its instant torque delivery was said to be invaluable at the high altitudes where the combustion engine was down on power; and despite the rough terrain and heavy loads the trio averaged 36mpg across the trip.
"In developing the hybrid-powered Range Rover, our objective was to gain a hybrid's fuel economy and carbon emissions advantages without compromising the Range Rover's go-anywhere capabilities, its cabin space or its refinement," commented Peter Richings, Jaguar Land Rover Hybrids and Electrification Director, upon the conclusion of the journey. "The success of this remarkable expedition clearly demonstrates we have achieved that."
Whilst on its voyage, the convoy also achieved a world first near the remote city of Kashgar in north-west China. Along this part of the route there is a road known as the Xinjiang-Tibet highway - a mountainous route sitting more than 17,500 feet above sea level that had, until this expedition, never been completed in a foreign vehicle, and "never previously seen in its entirely by a westerner".
Anything else?
The Range Rover Diesel Hybrid is set to go on sale in selected markets during the first quarter of 2014. Prices and specifications have yet to be announced.