Business Traveler, July/August 2020

J U LY A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m 1 9 T E C H N O L O G Y O F T H I N G S W O R D S C H R I S H A L L LAND ROVER DEFENDER Price from 49900 Its been a long time coming but the new Land Rover Defender is finally here Sure to please and anger car enthusiasts in equal measure the new Defender isnt an exact replacement for the previous model for the simple reason that the market has moved away from that farming essential of yesteryear All Defenders will boast plenty of off road ability and practicality along with easily recognizable styling cues Also there will still be commercial versions for those after a workhorse The longer 110 will arrive first with the shorter 90 three door version following soon after Four accessory packs and 170 individual accessories mean you can build your own bespoke Defender exactly how you want it Mild hybrid and plug in hybrid versions will join the range soon We cant wait to get behind the wheel PORSCHE TAYCAN Price from 103800 Porsche has fully embraced battery power with this new Taycan its first fully electric sports car A four door sedan the Taycan initially comes in Turbo or Turbo S forms indicating their power levels with a marginally less powerful 4S as the base model The immediacy of electric power combined with the Taycans fourwheel drive system means that its performance is at hypercar levels the Turbo S covers the traditional 0 60 mph sprint in only 28 seconds with a fully charged range of 257 miles Better yet the Taycan handles beautifully and despite the new technology still feels like a Porsche too This years World Performance Car We certainly wouldnt bet against it KIA SOUL EV Price estimated from 35000 Delayed to 2021 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Land Rover Defender Porsche Taycan Jeep Renegade Hybrid Kia Soul EV Slowly but surely Kia and sister company Hyundai are becoming forces to be reckoned with in the electric and hybrid market As well as the existing Niro brand Kia will add to its electric line up with this funky Soul EV With a 280 mile range from its 64 kWh battery the Soul EV will be available in two distinct trims with an optional ten speaker Harman Kardon stereo Not only is the Souls range based on real world driving but at a fast charging point it can get an 80 percent charge in only 75 minutes We love its boxy looks and together with its electric credentials think it could easily develop a cult following JEEP RENEGADE HYBRID Price estimated from 22000 On sale September For a company renowned for its tough back to basics image Jeep is about to switch things up in 2020 First is this new plug in hybrid version of its baby Renegade which will be swiftly followed by a hybrid Compass and then a hybrid version of the butch Wrangler 44 Details are sketchy at present but the Renegade will feature a 13 litre turbo gas engine alongside an electric motor to produce around 220bhp with an electric only range of 31 miles and a 0 60mph time of seven seconds With impressive emissions below 50g km