New mild-hybrid six-cylinder diesel Range Rover ends V8 oil-burner’s run

Land Rover is reportedly putting the finishing touches on a brand-new turbodiesel engine fitted with a mild-hybrid system.

Representing a first for the brand in spite of the 48-volt system already being offered on the turbo-petrol four-cylinder Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, as well as in six-cylinder supercharged guise in the case of the all-new Defender and Range Rover Sport HST, Britain’s Autocar reports that the latter will debut the new oil-burner in two states of tune.

Set to carry the D300 MHEV moniker, the six-cylinder, as per its name, will produce 300 pferdestarke (PS) or 221 kW, while a more powerful version, the D350 MHEV, will deliver 350 PS or 257 kW and replace the current 4.4 TDV8 engine made by Ford at the Chihuahua Plant in Mexico.

With a reported torque output of 700 Nm, the same as the V8, the Sport D350 MHEV will allegedly get from 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and top out at 250 km/h, while the same engine in the full-size Range Rover will result in it reaching 100 km/h from standstill in 7.1 seconds. Like the Sport, the D350 MHEV will only be offered on flagship Range Rover models, as the D300 MHEV will serve on entry-level derivatives.

Given that the next generation Range Rover will premiere in 2021 and the all-new Sport a year later, expect the introduction of the mild-hybrid oil-burner to be carried over once the current models reach the end of their production cycles.

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