BRIMLEY, MI – Aside from a phalanx of stickers on the outside, you’d never know Magna’s EtelligentCommand demonstrator vehicle was anything other than your typical Range Rover Evoque, but there’s much more to this compact SUV than can be seen from the outside.

A rolling laboratory of sorts, this vehicle showcases some of the Canadian Tier 1 supplier company’s latest and greatest electrification technologies, which, in this combination, deliver exceptional performance.

The Magna EtelligentCommand demonstrator is a plug-in hybrid that features two separate powertrains. Under the hood is a 1.5L 3-cyl. that delivers 197 hp and 207 lb.-ft. (281 Nm) of torque. This gasoline engine is matched to a 5-speed dry dual-clutch automatic transmission that also houses a 161-hp electric motor.

With a disconnecting clutch, this vehicle’s engine can power the wheels, charge the battery (while driving or parked) or be shut down and left out of the equation completely. This all gets a bit confusing, but the front-mounted electric motor can directly drive the vehicle through second and fourth gears, which are optimized specifically for the motor. With this powertrain’s unique arrangement of clutches, however, that dynamo can also power the wheels through first, third and fifth gears depending on the situation.

“You can drive through any of the gears with any of the two powerplants,” explains Will Lawrie, vehicle systems integration engineer at Magna. That front-mounted motor might be used for normal, everyday driving, but also for a “boosted event” as Lawrie describes it, when you bury the accelerator pedal and the combustion engine can kick in to provide additional giddyup. “The EM (electric machine) may launch in second gear because that’s the most efficient operating mode for the EM from a standstill,” he notes, “and then the ICE engine may go through gear one. So, both of those gear paths are driving at the exact same time to the tires.”

There’s a lot going on under the EtelligentCommand’s hood, but the aft-mounted propulsion unit is considerably simpler. “In the rear axle, we have a standalone e-drive system. It’s 160 kW (215 hp) with a twin-clutch torque-vectoring system,” Lawrie says. “This gives us the dynamic flexibility of being able to modulate torque left to right just from the system alone,” with no differential braking required.

Enhancing performance and efficiency, the EtelligentCommand also is a plug-in hybrid. The vehicle features a fairly large battery, which has a usable capacity of 21.5 kWh. Lawrie notes this particular pack is built for demonstrator purposes, giving the vehicle an estimated 68 miles (110 km) of electric range on the WLTP test cycle. Regardless, that’s still probably enough to meet the daily needs of most drivers, even in the U.S.

Cutaway of EtelligentCommand shows front and rear propulsion setup.

Cutaway of EtelligentCommand shows front and rear propulsion setup.

This demonstrator vehicle’s front and rear powertrains are completely separate. The former is not currently in production, but the latter, Lawrie says, is pretty much made from parts Magna already has in its product portfolio. When installed in a vehicle built by an OEM partner, these powertrain systems “could be used in combination, or they could be used individually in different applications,” he explains. “You can use the hybrid transmission with just a front-wheel-drive application if you wanted, you can use the rear e-drive to…supplement in a PHEV technology, or in a full EV application as well.”

Tested here on the immaculately groomed snow fields of the Brimley Development Center in the frozen tundra of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, this Magna-modified right-hand-drive Range Rover proves to be a pleasure to pilot. Accelerating normally from a standstill, the vehicle gets up to speed effortlessly and smoothly on pure electric power. If more performance is needed, or if you’ve switched to a more aggressive driving mode, the combustion engine kicks in to provide even more oomph.

With all systems go, stand on the accelerator and this Evoque leaps ahead, providing shockingly quick acceleration, easily achieving 60 mph (97 km/h) in a rough estimate of less than 6 seconds, possibly under 5 seconds. With abundant all-electric torque, a willing combustion engine and an eager transmission, the EtelligentCommand is seriously quick.

Despite having dry clutches, which are not usually known for providing the best shift quality, this vehicle’s transmission swaps ratios with imperceptible immediacy. This gearbox is lightning quick and almost unbelievably smooth. Lawrie says the front-mounted electric motor does a little magic to help improve the shift quality.

For more engaging dynamics, the rear drive unit can shuffle torque from the left wheel to the right depending on conditions. In normal, everyday use, the EtelligentCommand will let the driver get a wisp of oversteer. Stability control is still ready to step in to keep you from ending up in the ditch.

For your drifting pleasure, more aggressive driving modes are available, and stability control can be deactivated. When these limitations are removed, the EtelligentCommand is eager to play, the prodigious electric torque has no trouble kicking the back end out on the snowy test surface. Just stab the accelerator pedal and turn the steering wheel. It’s super easy to get sideways, which is surprising for a front-drive-based vehicle, and it’s super easy to regain control.

The EtelligentCommand showcases some the capabilities of Magna’s electric powertrain technology. With two separate drive units, there’s a lot of complexity here, but it all works seamlessly. “Integration was a big win for the team on this vehicle, being able to show the different technologies, not only alone, but how they operate together, because that’s important to a lot of customers,” Lawrie says.

If the technology found in the EtelligentCommand demonstrator makes it into production, expect to find it in higher-end vehicles, which is appropriate given the performance and refinement of these systems.

Magna isn’t disclosing whether any automakers are on board to use the either of these drivetrain systems, but Lawrie says the technology is “definitely on the performance-oriented side of the portfolio. We’re probably not putting this in a base vehicle.”