Range Rover Hybrids reach midpoint of Silk Trail route to Mumbai

While cars from other automakers were basking on the soft carpets at the Frankfurt motor show, with fingerprints being wiped almost hourly from their glistening paint jobs, a trio of Range Rover Hybrid prototypes were taking the long way to Mumbai. And not just the long way, but the tough way. Twenty-two days after departing Land Rover's home in Solihull, England, a team of Range Rovers has reached the midpoint of their journey along one of the historic Silk Trail routes to Mumbai, India.

One would think that since the routes that make up the Silk Trail have been around for centuries, the routes would have been converted into a more or less navigable system of roads, but in reality most of the routes used by travelers in centuries past have remained unchanged. And that means that the three Range Rover Hybrids are traveling quite a bit of the way off-road.

The expedition has covered 5,226 miles so far, and in its third week has managed to cross Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The three trucks have suffered four tire punctures and one cracked windshield, stats that any expedition veteran would tell you are to be expected when traveling in this part of the world.

Land Rover
The Range Rover team makes a stop at the dried out Aral Sea.

The first week of the trip was arguably the easiest part of the journey, with the expedition members taking some time to see the sights of Eastern European capitals as the trio of Range Rovers pressed eastward. But the touristy parts of the trip came to an end after that first week, as the team left the safety of European Union road infrastructure.

The three Range Rover Hybrids are equipped with 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engines, but they also have 47-hp electric motors which kick in at certain times in the driving cycle to save fuel. Even though the trucks are filled to the brim with expedition gear, they were still getting around 40 mpg driving through the less traveled parts of Kalmykia region of Russia and Uzbekistan.

The team spent the 23rd day of the expedition seeing Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. With 27 days left until they reach Mumbai, the toughest parts of the journey are still ahead, with the Himalayas and the deserts of Kyrgyzstan and China.

By Jay Ramey