Range Rover Sport HST Isn’t Mild Mannered
If you haven’t heard of “mild hybrid system” prepare to get familiar. If Land Rover has anything to say about it, this system will become a household term. The new Range Rover Sport HST will feature the mild hybrid system, which uses energy harvested from braking to produce electricity. That electricity is then used to improve the efficiency of the Sport’s 3L straight-six turbocharged engine. The system stores the power in a 48V battery to be used when the engine is under load—at a traffic light, for instance. The power is also routed to the “electric supercharger” system, which uses electricity to improve the responsiveness of the turborcharger diminishing lag.
The mild hybrid system’s results are anything but “mild.” With 395 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque, the Range Rover Sport HST can go from 0 to 60 in less than six seconds. It has a top speed of 140 miles per hour. Even with those speeds, the Sport HST still has a 25.4 miles per gallon rating and only emits 213 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. That’s a three mile improvement over the previous engine.
“Inline six-cylinder engines are inherently better balanced than V-6 designs and our all-new Ingenium unit builds on that promise to optimize efficiency in all operating conditions,” explained Nick Rogers, head of JLR’s product planning. “Advanced features, including an electric supercharger ensure distinctive Range Rover Sport performance and responses, while the intelligent MHEV system harvests energy to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.”