Land Rover trades diesel V8s for electrified V6s

Later this year, Jaguar Land Rover will unveil two mild-hybrid powertrains based on three-liter, six-cylinder diesel engines. These will replace the cumbersome 4.4-liter SDV8 unit JLR has been using since the times when it still belonged to Ford.

The electric motor add-on should bring along both higher fuel efficiency and better acceleration performance. The new Range Rover Sport (specifically, the HSE, HSE Dynamic and Autobiography Dynamic versions) will ship with a powertrain called D300, which is rated at 300 horsepower (224 kilowatts). The range-topping trims will get D350, which boasts 350 hp (261 kW) and up to 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. The latter will accelerate the car from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) within 6.5 seconds and max out at 225 km/h (140 mph).

The non-Sport version of the Range Rover will also get the D350 spec, which will enable it to sprint in 7.1 seconds.

The facelifted Jaguar XF and F-Pace should also receive at least one diesel option each, although further details are unavailable. Both cars should have debuted by now, but never did due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A year ago, the Range Rover Sport received a mild-hybrid spec based on an Ingenium inline-six engine running on gasoline. Some time earlier, the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport received similar specs based on their four-cylinder engines.

Jaguar Land Rover has previously pledged to electrify its entire lineup, no exceptions, by the end of the current year, so we will see how that works out.