Look out BMW iX5! Luxury Range Rover Sport to gain V8-beating all-electric power option
Land Rover has confirmed its Range Rover brand will offer its next-generation pure-electric powertrain in the current Range Rover Sport large luxury SUV.
Arriving four years after the current third-generation L461 Range Rover Sport made its debut, the new battery-powered variant will give the British marque a rival to the recently unveiled BMW iX5.
The Sport will join an expanding electric Range Rover line-up that will also include the newly revealed Range Rover GT SUV coupe, broadening the brand’s EV offering into another luxury SUV segment.
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Shown at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed ahead of its launch later this year, full details of the Range Rover Sport EV have yet to be released, but it is expected to share much of its powertrain with the flagship Range Rover Electric, which has already been teased multiple times by the British 4WD maker.
If true, expect the large luxury SUV to combine dual electric motors, all-wheel drive and around 404kW of power and 850Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100km/h sprint of around 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 210km/h.
It makes sense for the two similarly sized Range Rovers to share the same EV powertrain, as both models sit on the MLA Flex architecture that was originally developed to support all-electric power.
With revised aerodynamics — including a smoother front grille and underbody tweaks — the large 118.5kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery confirmed for the Range Rover Electric should provide the sleeker Sport with a driving range of between 600km and 650km.
Boasting an 800-volt electrical architecture, DC fast-charging speeds are expected to exceed 350kW, allowing a 10 to 80 per cent recharge in around 20 minutes.
With first deliveries expected to begin before the end of this year — much later than the original 2025 launch target — Land Rover is expected to soon confirm more details, including when the battery-powered Sport will be locked in for the Australian market.
If it gets the green light, it will be offered alongside the existing inline six-cylinder petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid variants, as well as the flagship petrol V8.
