Beautiful, electric luxury: the plug-in version of the Range Rover Sport has a range of more than 100 kilometers with a purely electric drive. This is by no means an unrealistic manufacturer’s specification, but a practical value that can be easily achieved in everyday life in summer temperatures. No wonder, since the Range Rover has a battery with a whopping 31.8 kWh, i.e. almost with the capacity of the power dispenser in the all-electric Mini. Can the infotainment keep up? With the Pivi Pro system, it already has many useful components for electric driving.
But first a little criticism. Regardless of the huge battery, the AC charging station at home or on the road only charges in a single phase with 7 kW. That means: at least five hours for a filling. But the Range Rover Sport is one of the few plug-ins that can charge at the DC column. Then everything is done in one hour with 50 kW.
Inside the high-quality SUV shines a tidy operating landscape that largely dispenses with buttons and switches and relies on touch elements. For example on the steering wheel, where sensor surfaces are arranged on two levels, the active one always has backlighting. The large on-board monitor measuring 13.1 inches diagonally also needs to be approached with dexterity. The respective action is confirmed by haptic and acoustic feedback. Below the monitor are two rotary controls that you can also press and pull up. Like the sensor buttons in between, they are used to operate the air conditioning system.
Speech recognition can be that fast
What is shown on the on-board monitor is clearly arranged. On the left, facing the driver, are buttons for the most important submenus, and here you can see, for example, the navigation map or the entertainment menu with a very nice design. The system reacts quickly to inputs, nothing jerks, and even the voice control is available for an input almost immediately after the engine starts. It generally does its job well. However, she doesn’t like the fact that she doesn’t even understand a command to switch on the seat massage. Prices start at 107,000 euros.
Great cinema: Navigation in the Range Rover Sport: Image: Manufacturer
The navigation with real-time traffic information is a plus, and anyone who explores the details of the new Pivi Pro will discover a number of subtleties relating to electric charging. You can not only display the charging stations along the route. You can also see which charging points are still free, how high their charging speed is – and even a price. The battery can be pre-tempered so that it charges faster, and there is a sophisticated charging strategy that can be used, for example, to ensure that the charging process does not start until midnight, when electricity prices are cheapest, or that it ends at the planned departure time.
Michael Spehr Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 10 Michael Spehr Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 60 Michael Kirchberger Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 5
Other small details can only be discovered after a long trial and error. If desired, the system can mute the navigation announcements when the vehicle is driving in familiar surroundings. This is exactly the right attitude for the morning drive to the office, because you don’t need any commands, but want to avoid traffic jams and other traffic disruptions and be informed. As in the predecessor, the navigation system identifies frequently driven routes, even if they were not expressly entered as navigation destinations. Pivi Pro is part of the standard equipment of the new Range Rover Pro, but the recommended head-up display is subject to a surcharge, it costs 1400 euros.