The Passage du Gois linking the island of Noirmoutier with mainland France is only passable twice a day during load tide
The Passage du Gois linking the island of Noirmoutier with mainland France is only passable twice a day during load tide
Image: Supplied

Luxury and electrification are not exclusive, with Rolls-Royce already offering the all-electric Spectre, Bentley planning to reveal its first pure electric car in 2026 and brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz having electric versions of their flagship models.

While many are reluctant to make the switch just yet, there is a solution for those who wish to adopt the latest technology and do their bit to reduce emissions. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) seems like the ideal balance; a car that meets all emissions regulations, can drive in electric mode for a relatively short distance and has a petrol engine to ensure you can drive the full distance you need to travel. It’s why models like the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid and the Range Rover PHEV are proving popular, but are they just city slickers or can they really go the distance?

To answer this very important question, we took a Range Rover PHEV on a long distance trip from the UK to northern France, packed with all the paraphernalia needed for a family vacation. A fully electric Range Rover is in the final stages of development and will debut before the end of 2024, but even when it does, the PHEV could continue to find favour with those who need the best of both worlds.

One of the reasons for this can be found in the numbers. Attached to the 3.0l six-cylinder petrol engine is an electric motor and battery, the combination of which give the car 338kW and 660Nm of torque. Equally important, the electric motor allows you to enjoy whisper-quiet luxury in electric mode for up to 121km. That’s the claimed figure, Land Rover says that you can expect it to be realistically around 94km and, from my experience, you can probably knock another 30km off that in most use cases.

The most optimistic of those is when you just drive around town. Unplug in the morning, head to work or the golf club and you’ll get lots of electric local kilometres, possibly even enough to cope with all you have on your schedule for the day.

If you need to travel further, then the petrol engine will do most of the grafting, possibly with some help from the electric motor, unless you put the battery into save mode. If you find yourself driving in Europe, then it’s a very useful feature because many cities have low emission zones that you can quietly drive around in on electric power.

That is if you manage to keep some charge in the battery. On a long distance trip, it’s remarkably difficult. We travelled about 1,800km and the battery often ran down, even when using the battery save mode.

Initially the battery proved its worth, giving the weighty Range Rover an impressive average fuel consumption figure of just 3.7l/100km. Over the 1,800km we travelled the green battery indicator light often ran down to zero and when the petrol engine was left without its assistant, that figure rose to nearly 7l/100km. Admittedly, that’s still impressive for a petrol-powered Range Rover.

The small battery on the Range Rover PHEV required regular charging stops to make the most of it
The small battery on the Range Rover PHEV required regular charging stops to make the most of it
Image: Supplied

Whether using petrol or electric, the big Rangie did what it is very good at, travelling long distances in comfort. After driving off the ferry, spending a night in Dieppe and plugging in for the first charge at a local Intermarché supermarket, we headed to the town of Le Mans. Best known for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, we discovered a city that is full of culture, impressive architecture and things to do, perfect for what turned out to be 24 hours in Le Mans.

First, we had to find somewhere to park the car because despite booking an Airbnb with a garage, the Range Rover didn’t fit. Luxury SUVs are rare in that part of France, even frowned on by many locals. The roads are full of hatchbacks, station wagons and crossovers, in fact we only saw two other Range Rovers on the whole trip and one of those was also from the UK.

If you do find yourself in Le Mans, then you’ll discover what we did, a city that is fantastic for exploring with curious alleyways, cafes, art galleries and a fascinating history. To stick with the electrification theme, we rented an electric boat and cruised along the River Sarthe, a quiet and effortless experience that lets you see things at a gentle pace. As night fell it was time for the Night of the Chimeras, an annual light show where images and stories are projected onto buildings such as the majestic cathedral and even on trees, a 3D effect that is simply mesmerising.

Despite the battery being depleted the Range Rover was still showing an average of 34.9mpg (6.74l/100km) on arrival at the famous Le Mans circuit
Despite the battery being depleted the Range Rover was still showing an average of 34.9mpg (6.74l/100km) on arrival at the famous Le Mans circuit
Image: Supplied

Naturally we also had to head to the famous racing circuit, again with no battery left and oddly no chargers in the public car park. It didn’t dampen the spirits as we explored the museum, took a walk along the side of the pit straight and then drove part of the circuit itself, most of which is run on roads open to the public the rest of the year.

From there we headed to the west coast and the Vendee region for a bit of glamping in an African Safari tent at a Eurocamp site. They’re great spots with all the amenities for the kids and easy access to local attractions. Not being far from the Loire Valley, it was also perfect for a bit of wine estate shopping.

The Range Rover wasn’t going to be put through any serious off-road stuff on the trip, but we did get to drive across the sea bed which is unusual. The Passage du Gois links the mainland at Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier and is a 4.125km causeway that is accessible only at low tide. When the sea is out people flock to the area on each side of the tidal road to park and dig for clams. We skipped that, but it’s a great piece of road to travel along and the island is well worth exploring too.

The latest Range Rover adds significantly more technology to its majestic levels of comfort
The latest Range Rover adds significantly more technology to its majestic levels of comfort
Image: Supplied

We missed low tide for the trip back but fortunately there is also a bridge and once back at base, we plugged into the campsite’s 7kW charger. There it had to sit overnight to be fully charged and give us access to that 65km-95km of electric range. Glamping over, the drive back took us to the picturesque village of Camembert, where they do, of course, make the famous cheese. It’s a remarkably small village, really just the cheese factory, a museum and a few other buildings. We expected something much larger for such a famous name, but it sits in the heart of a much larger Cheese Route. There are some great roads around there too, a chance to have a bit of fun.

With prices starting at R3,320,900, did the plug-in hybrid prove itself a viable alternative to pure petrol or diesel? Well, yes and no. The battery certainly helped to keep the consumption down but pulling that additional weight around when the battery was depleted meant more work for the engine. For local travel when the battery was fully charged, it was ideal.

For the most part though, the Range Rover was a superb companion, wafting along French rural roads and highways in the majestic manner you’d expect. Now we wait to see if the fully electric version is up to the task of delivering that same level of long distance luxury. 

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