Jaguar Land Rover looks to add more diesel engine options

Quite recently it had been noticed that the diesel avatars of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport had gone missing from the official Indian website of Land Rover (do read – Range Rover and Range Rover sport ditch the diesel engines in India?) This does seem to suggest that the diesel guzzling engines of Land Rover are being scraped. And it isn’t really surprising. Back in March, it had been announced that the popular V8 diesel motor of Land Rover had been killed off. At present, the only diesel products offered by JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) are the New Discovery Sport and New Range Rover Evoque. 

Does this mean that we could say goodbye to diesel powered vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover ? Not likely, it seems that due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the process of bringing more engine options for the Jaguar Land Rover models has been delayed. It is believed that JLR could introduce a new set of engine options in the coming months, one of these engine options could be the 2.0 litre diesel. Rumours suggest that this engine would be used to power the Jaguar XF and Range Rover Velar. Let’s go through the Jaguar Land Rover line up of vehicles and see, which variants are on offer and does the future seem to bring in new engine options for them.

The Jaguar family

The most affordable cub from the Jaguar family is the XE, and it received a minor facelift late in 2019. With a few cosmetic updates on the outside, the technology within the inside was also enhanced. Furthermore, at that point of time, the XE sported a diesel and petrol engine, however, only the petrol is offered now. The XE has 2 trim options, S and SE, and both these variants are powered by a sole 2.0 litre petrol engine which makes 250 ps and 365 nm of torque, while being coupled with an 8 speed automatic gearbox.

In terms of sedans, after the XE comes the XF, and this vehicle is also brought to life from a 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine which produces 250 ps and 365 nm of torque. The XF uses an 8 speed automatic transmission as well. A single variant is offered with the XF which is the Prestige variant. If rumours are to be believed, a diesel 2.0 litre engine could very be offered on the XF, but this is yet to be confirmed. Fun fact, Jaguar’s alpha sedan XJL is out of production as a new generation XJL is soon to be introduced, and until it is unveiled, the XF is the range topping sedan made by Jaguar.

Next is the sleek and fire breathing F-Type, which is powered by a beastly 5.0 litre supercharged V8 petrol engine which churns up either 450 ps and 580 nm of torque in the P450 tune. In the P575 tune, it makes 575 ps and 700 nm of torque. A 2.0 litre petrol engine is also offered on the F-Type which is supposed to be the ‘affordable’ F-Type, and this vehicle has a total of 300 ps and 400 nm of torque.

Now comes in the suv made by Jaguar, the F-Pace, and this vehicle also, much like the XE and XF uses a 2.0 litre petrol engine. It is entirely possible that in the future, the 180 ps making 2.0 litre diesel engine could be included on the F-Pace.

The Jaguar family in India seems to be sharing the petrol engine between themselves, but the future does seem promising for diesel engine enthusiasts as a 2.0 litre diesel engine seems to be making its way to the Jaguar range of vehicles.

The Land Rover & Range Rover family.

The relatively small member of the Range Rover family is the 5 seater Evoque, and this suv was launched in India in its second generation avatar, earlier this year. The Evoque is one of the 2 suvs offered by Land Rover Range Rover, which is available for purchase in its petrol form and diesel powertrain as well. The petrol version of the Evoque uses a 2.0 litre engine which uses a 48V mild hybrid system. This engine makes 249 ps and 365 nm of torque. The diesel trim is brought to life with a 2.0 litre engine, producing 180 ps and 430 of torque. Both these engine options make use of a 9 speed automatic gearbox.

The other member of this family to sport a diesel engine is the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Discovery Sport was launched with a 2.0 litre diesel engine, and with time, the 2.0 litre petrol engine was also added to its arsenal. The petrol engine uses a 48V mild hybrid system, and produces 249 ps and 365 nm of torque. The diesel 2.0 engine creates 180 hp and 430 nm of torque. A 9 speed automatic transmission is responsible for the shifting of gears.

Next up is the Land Rover Discovery, with the MY2020 update, the diesel option like the 2.0, 3.0 and 3.0 V6 have been scrapped and the sole engine offered is the petrol 2.0 litre engine. This petrol spec engine is good enough for 300 hp and 400 nm of torque. An 8 speed torque convertor is used on the 2020 Discovery.

The modern and uber cool Velar, had a host of variants on offer when it was launched in 2018, but unfortunately, now there are only 2 versions available. It is powered by a single 2.0 litre engine, producing 250 ps and 365 nm of torque. It is being said that the 2.0 litre diesel engine could be offered on the Velar soon.

Another member of this family who has lost a large portion of its fantastic engine is the Range Rover Sport. This model is powered by a sole 2.0 litre petrol engine, making 300 ps and 400 nm of torque, while being mated with a 8 speed shifter. The 3.0, 5.0 litre petrol engines, and the 3.0, 4.4 litre diesel engines which were available before, are not offered at the moment.

The Land Rover Defender which is the off road king was unveiled in our country early this year. Bookings have been opened for it, and the only powertrain on offer is the 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine which makes 300 ps and 400 nm of torque, while being coupled with an 8 speed convertor gearbox. An option between a 3 door or 5 door will be available. However, diesel fans do not be disheartened, a diesel option will be available for the Defender in a few months.

The range topping alpha of this family is the Range Rover, and in spite of being the honcho of this family, the Range Rover is powered by a sedate turbocharged 3.0 litre V6 engine. Furthermore, this engine also employs a electric supercharger and a 48V mild hybrid system which speeds up things and also boosts efficiency. A total of 400 hp and 550 nm of torque is made by this engine, and an 8 speed torque convertor shifter is employed for the smooth shifting of gears. If you are looking for the 3.0, 4.4 diesel or the 5.0 litre petrol engine, I would ask you to stop looking because they have been dropped for now.

The Land Rover family also much like Jaguar is sharing a set of engines, but unlike Jaguar, diesel options are offered on 2 models of Land Rover. In the coming time, diesel engines are believed to make their way to these suvs, and that will be surely increase the options available for the customers.