Adding plug-in hybrid power to the new Land Rover Defender’s winning recipe will only enhance the end product for many given this is the most economical version of the brand’s excellent rugged SUV; there’s little trade-off in the way this PHEV drives. It is expensive though, offered in X-Dynamic trim level upwards and out-pricing six-cylinder versions of the Defender spec-for-spec. Private buyers will need to keep on top of their recharging to maximise efficiency, recoup running costs and really justify the extra outlay, but it’s still a brilliant electrified offering from Land Rover.
Land Rover has made a lot of noise about building a family around the new Defender, with the launch of the short-wheelbase 90 version and Hard Top commercial variants of its reborn icon joining the 110 so far. And why wouldn’t it? Interest seems to be flooding in from Land Rover buyers old and new, and with more models will come more sales - the 100,000th of which is about to be surpassed.
Electrification has only played a small role in the Defender line-up thus far though, with mild-hybrid power in some six-cylinder versions. This is the model to change that though. It’s badged P400e, and it’s the first plug-in hybrid version of the brand’s tough off-roader.
Available only in five-door, longer wheelbase 110 guise, power is sourced from other P400e badged plug-in hybrid models from across the Jaguar Land Rover spectrum. That means that a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is joined by a 19.2kWh battery and electric motor set-up.
