An electric plug-in hybrid powertrain with powerful capabilities is also in development.
Land Rover has begun to focus its attention on the next-generation Range Rover Sport after launching the new Range Rover. We may have some details about the performance SUV’s upcoming redesign. Expect a new platform, and a new engine.
Autocar has reported that the new Range Rover Sport will be riding on Land Rover’s MLA Flex architecture. This should provide 50 percent more torsional stiffness, and reduce structure-borne sound by 24 percent. These improvements are substantial over the outgoing RR Sport, and should help the model get closer to the leaders in the segment, such as the Porsche Cayenne M and the BMW X5 M.
The 4.4-liter engine will be loaned to the Range Rover Sport by the former, which will replace the aging supercharged V8 of 5.0-liters. The move was anticipated considering that the regular Range Rover had received a tuned version of the same engine. The British engineers will have the opportunity to tune the engine for the Sport trim.
The BMW M5 CS’s 4.4-liter V8 is internally called S63 and produces 625 horsepower (460 kilowatts). In the X5 Competition, it generates 615 horsepower (452 kW). Similar numbers are expected in the SVR which is Land Rover’s rival for the most powerful and fastest SUVs from Munich. Expect a 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration time of approximately 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).
Autocar reports that a performance plug in hybrid may also be in the plans for Range Rover Sport. This is a very interesting fact. According to the British publication, a 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine will be paired up with a 141 horsepower electric motor. A 31.8-kWh battery package will give an all-electric range that is approximately 62 miles (100 km).