While waiting for the P440e/P510e to be revealed and available to order, and while waiting for the proper reviews expected to be released in February, there are some questions that at least I have about the new L460. One of these here:

The 48V MHEV system of the L460 will "harvests energy usually lost under deceleration and braking to boost fuel efficiency". I guess the P440e and P510e will use the same system when regenerating, or will the new PHEV variants use an upgraded regenerating system? Regardless, I've understood that the new L460 will use the same iAWD system as the new Defender and Velar (rear-drive-biased system), which means that at normal speed it will be a RWD vehicle (with improved drivetrain efficiency).

But when regenerative braking, will the iAWD then immediately switch to full AWD, or will the regenerated energy only be harvested from the rear wheels? Anyone knows?

Hi Eirik,

I have the present P400e PHEV hybrid. It works quite simple, as can be followed from the
center dash screen under the "My EV" button.

Driving and regenerating has every variation in modes. Brown stands for ICE, bleu for EV and
green for regenerating.

If you drive bleu/green/brown chevrons in the car animation show what mode you are driving in.

It can be the engine is brown, the chevrons are brown, but the RWD axle is green charging the battery.

But also : bleu/brown chevrons from the wheels making 'tracks' , indicating ICE/EV mixed propulsion.

Braking : if you release the throttle, green chevrons on ALL FOUR wheels appear.

So it appears ( or at least suggests ) its harvesting energy from all four wheels. I-pace First Edition Santorini & 2nd car Mazda MX-30 Advantage red/black
PHEV P400e Hybrid Autobiography Loire blue= SOLD
D5 SD4 HSE Lux Corris grey = SOLD
D3 TdV6 HSE Lux Vienna Green =SOLD
P300 F-Type 2018 Ultra Blue = SOLD
25t F-Pace 2020 Loire Blue = SOLD

Thanks Dan,

Not a big deal, but my thinking was more related to any improvements in how the regenerative braking works in the new L460 PHEV variants. Having driven a L494 P400e for a month last fall, I don't think that the current LR PHEV recuperation system is best-in-class wrt efficiency. We tested and almost ordered a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo last summer (but turned it down due to our hopes for the coming L460 PHEV model), and the Porsche recuperation system pulls up to 265kW recuperation power when braking, and it does that using traction on all 4 wheels. Of course much easier to obtain an efficient recuperation system in a BEV vehicle having electric motors on both axels…

However, I guess that the focus on efficiency for the new L460 has resulted in an even better recuperation system in the new L460 PHEV variants. But since the 4WD in new L460 is set up differently than the L405 (L460 is RWD when driven at normal speeds), and if the electric motor is still installed where the torque converter normally would be in the bell housing, I guess that either the iAWD system needs to switch to full 4WD instantly when the brake pedal is pressed (less efficient regeneration due to increased transmission loss while braking), or regeneration will pull power from one of the axels and braking the other axel is done purely by the brakes. As said – definitely not a big deal – the new 2nd generation PHEV system in the L460 should most likely be more efficient anyway.