2016 Range Rover Diesel Boosts Fuel Economy 32 Percent
Land Rover has slimmed down its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport SUVs in recent years by up to 700 and 800 pounds, respectively, by switching to lightweight aluminum in an effort to improve fuel economy. The weight reduction didn’t equate to a big jump in EPA ratings (just 1 to 2 mpg between comparable engines), but the luxury SUV-maker takes another step toward boosting the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport’s fuel economy with the introduction of a diesel engine for 2016 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Related: More 2015 Detroit Auto Show News
The newly optional turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel V-6 in the 2016 Range Rover HSE and Range Rover Sport HSE delivers a 32 percent increase in fuel economy compared with Land Rover’s supercharged 3.0-liter gasoline V-6. Land Rover estimates fuel economy at 22/28/25 mpg city/highway/combined, though EPA ratings are pending; the supercharged gasoline V-6 is rated at 19 mpg combined in both SUVs. With the diesel engine, the two become the Range Rover HSE Td6 and Range Rover Sport HSE Td6.
The 3.0-liter diesel is good for 254 horsepower and 440 pounds-feet of low-end torque that Land Rover says is well-suited to towing and off-roading as well as offering comparable acceleration to the supercharged gasoline V-6. The Range Rover Sport diesel does zero to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and the larger Range Rover diesel does it in 7.4 seconds, compared to 6.9 seconds and 7.1 seconds, respectively, for the gasoline versions.
Land Rover’s new diesel entry in the U.S. makes it one of the growing number of luxury SUVs with diesel power, joining the BMW X5 xDrive 35d (24/31/27 mpg), Mercedes-Benz ML250 Bluetec 4matic (22/29/25 mpg), Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec 4matic (19/26/22 mpg) and Audi Q7 TDI (19/28/22 mpg).
Like other diesel SUVs this size, diesel exhaust fluid is used to clean up the Range Rovers’ nitric-oxide emissions by injecting the fluid into the exhaust. Land Rover says the under-hood fluid reservoir holds enough to last 10,000 miles.
This may not be the last you’ll hear of diesels in Land Rovers. Land Rover expects to expand diesel availability across its lineup in the coming years.
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