To mark the launch of the new Range Rover Hybrid models, and also as a showcase of the car’s reliability, versatility and real-world performance, Land Rover sent three prototypes on an awesome adventure. The cars have now successfully completed the Silk trail expedition 53 days after they began the journey back in England.

The 10,472 miles trip started from Solihull, home of Land Rover, to Mumbai, home of TATA Motors, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover. Sure, there has never been a chance of the cars failing this test, as it was more of a publicity stunt than anything else – and they had a large support team – but still, the journey provided the engineers with a good thorough test of the diesel hybrid model in various conditions.

Passing 13 countries and two continents, the Range Rovers encountered deep potholes, dusty desert trails in 43°C heat and numerous miles of mud and gravel tracks and cattle trails, as well as mountain roads, cliffs, and all other sort of off-road routes a normal car cannot even think about dealing with. And they emerged from all of them with flying colors. The Silk Trail 2013 expedition was the final validation test for the Range Rover Hybrid before it is signed-off for production.

The Silk Trail expedition also provided an opportunity to measure the real-world fuel economy of Range Rover Hybrid. The system in this car, featuring a 35kW electric motor supporting the TDV6 3.0 litre turbo-diesel engine, managed to return 36 to 37 mpg, which is great for a proper off-roader with a Range Rover badge.

Peter Richings, Jaguar Land Rover Hybrids and Electrification Director who took part in the final leg from Jaipur to Mumbai commented: “The world’s first diesel hybrid expedition along the Silk Trail pioneered an ambitious route across Europe and Asia that would have been impassable to most other types of vehicle – but no matter how hostile the conditions, the Range Rover Hybrid prototypes took it all in their stride.”