A Chinese SUV weighing nearly three tons capable of climbing above 6,000 meters in altitude—that is not a feat most would have anticipated. The Freelander 8 from Chery Jaguar Land Rover has just set a world record by reaching precisely 6,002.33 meters in Tibet. The ascent was undertaken under especially demanding conditions, pushing both its powertrain and its off-road capabilities to the limit.
A Three-Ton SUV Faces Thin Air
To reach that height, the Freelander 8 had to cover roughly 1,480 meters of terrain consisting of loose rock and schist, with an ascent gain of about 200 meters. At 6,000 meters up, conditions become particularly harsh as atmospheric pressure drops to around 47.2 kPa. The amount of available oxygen is therefore far lower than at sea level. And, as with the human body, this oxygen deficit challenges the thermal engine that acts as an endurance extender.
That situation notably tests the internal combustion engine used as a range extender. The Freelander 8 carries a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine tasked with generating electricity. According to Chery-JLR, it managed to retain roughly 80% of its electrical-generating capacity during the climb.
In addition to the range-extender engine, the SUV features two electric motors that drive all four wheels. The combined output comes to 610 kW, roughly 818 horsepower, with 360 kW at the front and 250 kW at the rear. The rear motor is paired with a two-speed transmission that multiplies torque by a factor of 1.5 on the first gear. The manufacturer claims up to 8,000 Nm of torque at the wheels. While this figure may seem theoretical in everyday driving, it matters a great deal on a slope with such incline.
A Record That Still Needs to Prove Itself
The Freelander 8 introduces another trait in comparison with its predecessor. While the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 5, the former record holder, relied on a ladder-frame chassis, the Chery-JLR SUV uses a unibody architecture. It measures 5.12 meters in length, with a wheelbase of 3.04 meters, and it notably features air suspension with adjustable damping.
The SUV is sold in China for between 289,900 and 379,900 yuan, which is about €36,000 to €47,000. It sports a 60.33 kWh NMC battery paired with an 800-volt architecture, as well as Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 5 driver-assistance system equipped with LiDAR.
What remains now is to see how these technologies perform under far more conventional conditions. Because while climbing a mountain above 6,000 meters makes for an excellent publicity coup for Chery-JLR, the Freelander 8 will ultimately prove its worth on everyday roads. It is worth noting, too, that the Freelander 8’s order books have been strong since its launch in China.
