If you looking for ultimate luxury in your tow vehicle and you’re willing to put down some serious coin to pay for it then the new 5th generation Range Rover PHEV may be worth considering. The PHEV version (P440e) will be offered with a 3.0-litre petrol engine and a 38.2 kWh battery. In terms of EV range, the PHEV version will have an estimated EPA range of 48 miles, towing capacity is looking likely to be 5,511 lbs, but is not yet confirmed.
Range Rover PHEV (5th Gen) Specs
- Official Towing Capacity – 5,511 lbs (predicted)
- Availability – Later in 2022
- Price – Starting from $104,900
- EPA (estimated) – 48 miles pure electric range
- Combined (city/highway) – Currently unknown
- Maximum Charge Rate/Time – 7kW/5 Hours & 50kW DC in under an hour
Range Rover PHEV (5th Gen) HP & Torque
- P440e AWD: 434 HP with 620Nm of torque
- Electric Motor provides: 141 HP
Range Rover PHEV (5th Gen) Towing Capabilities
The PHEV versions of the 5th generation Range Rover are not as yet available to order in the US. There have been comments from Land Rover that the PHEV P440e will not be available until the 2023 model year. Its also not yet clear if US customers will get the option of the more powerful P510e which is available in the UK.
When it comes to towing capacity, looking at the Land Rover page (see here) on the Range Rover for US customers it would appear the P440e has a 7,716 lb towing capacity. But I don’t actually believe that to be the case.
As I’ve just written about on electrictowcars.co.uk, in the UK the Range Rover PHEV has a towing capacity limited to 2,500kg (5,511 lbs). Hence, I expect that reduction in towing capacity to carry over to the US version.
After all, if you check out my post on US vs UK towing capacities, rarely if ever does the US version of a vehicle get a better towing capacity compared to the UK/EU version. In most cases, the US version gets a significantly lower towing capacity. So in the case of the US version of the Range Rover P440e, I actually think a towing capacity of 5,511 lbs is a best case scenario.
In terms of competition, there really isn’t any at this high luxury PHEV end of the market. The closest comparable vehicle would be the BMW X5 45e which actually has a higher towing capacity of 5,952 lbs, but much less EV range at just 31 miles.
EV Range & Real World Application
The Range Rover P440e has the largest battery I’ve ever heard of being put in a PHEV to date at 38.2kWh (31.8kWh usable). Previously, the largest battery capacity PHEV was the Mercedes GLE 350e (not sold in the US) at 31 kWh, with the BMW X5 45e coming in at 24kWh.
As a result, the Range Rover PHEV is estimated to have an EPA EV range of 48 miles, which beats the BMW X5 45e at 31 miles. As I often state in my articles, when towing though, these EV ranges will be very minimal, likely in the 20-mile range.
The point being though, these PHEV tow vehicles have the potential to drive on electric power much of the time when not towing, provided they are plugged in of course. Also provided they offer an EV range above 30 miles to cover most commutes which the Range Rover PHEV does.
As shown via the image above from the linked PDF brochure, Range Rover states that its claim to 75% of daily journies in electric mode is based on the following:
“Assumes charging only at home and based on anonymised ownership data from Range Rover customers”
I find that statement encouraging for two reasons, first, the claim is actually based on data Range Rover has collected, its not just some random marketing figure based on a niche potential owner example. Second, its because its based on ‘charging only at home‘.
The Range Rover PHEVs can DC rapid charge at up to 50kW. However, when it comes to charging etiquette unless you are in the vehicle when its rapid charging and ready to give up the charging bay to a BEV that would desperately need it, I wouldn’t encourage the use of DC rapid charging a PHEV.
Yes, driving on electric energy most of the time should be encouraged, however, we need to avoid PHEV vs BEV owner disputes. BEVs need DC rapid chargers, they are essential to vehicle ownership and use, for a PHEV owner, its a nice option, but its not essential to keep moving.
First Impressions Of The Range Rover 5th Gen PHEV
At this point, the PHEV versions of the 5th generation Range Rover are not available to purchase and there are no motoring journalist reviews I can reference. However, I thought I would add in a video from Harry’s Garage on his first impressions of the specs of the new Range Rover.
Harry owns a 4th generation Range Rover PHEV (P400e) and provides good insight into the improvements that the 5th generation P440e and P510e Range Rover will offer.
My Thoughts On The Range Rover 5th Gen PHEV…
Ever since the first-generation Range Rover, they have been viewed as pretty much the ultimate luxury tow vehicle, and it appears the 5th generation Range Rover will continue that trend for the most part in PHEV and later BEV forms.
As I’ve stated above, its a little disappointing these latest PHEV versions don’t get the full fat 7,716 lb towing capacity of other ICE versions, but still, a 5,511 lb towing capacity meets the needs of many people. My thoughts on the cost, well, yeah, its really expensive. Then again, its a new Range Rover, and each new generation has seen a significant jump up in price.
