The next-generation Range Rover Sport will be available with plug-in hybrid and electric power, but it looks like the V8 isn’t going anywhere either.
It might be a different V8 to the one we know and love, though. The next-gen Range Rover Sport SVR photographed here is likely to have a BMW engine, not the ageing supercharged V8 used in the current model.
That means less supercharger whine, but more power. Where the current SVR has 423kW of power, the twin-turbo 4.4-litre twin-turbo BMW V8 engine we expect to feature in the 2023 model makes 467kW in its most powerful state of tune.
In other words, the new SVR should be fast. These photos reveal it should also have quad pipes and big brakes.
Under the skin, the new Range Rover SVR will ride on a variation of the Jaguar Land Rover MLA architecture.
It should debut when the full-sized Range Rover shows its face later in 2021, and will support everything from 48V mild-hybrid to pure-electric power.
Based on these photos, the Sport has short overhangs and slim LED headlights like the current model, but we’re expecting a pinched glasshouse more in keeping with the Velar to feature this time around.
Our spy photographer also predicts the new Range Rover Sport will move to slim, horizontal tail lights like those of the Velar and Evoque.
Inside, expect options ranging from high-end leather substitutes to the softest, waxiest cow hide money can buy in a range of single- and two-tone schemes.
The Pivi Pro infotainment system currently rolling out across the Land Rover and Jaguar range, or a variant of it, is all but guaranteed to feature.
That means plenty of widescreen displays, flashy graphics, and over-the-air updates to make sure it stays fresh.
Land Rover is in for a significant makeover under a new business plan by Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore.
The off-road brand will reveal six all-electric variants by 2026, the first of which will lob in 2024.
Whether the cars will be standalone electric vehicles or electric adaptations of existing models such as the Defender isn’t yet clear.
