Land Rover is developing a new “Range Rover Sport Coupe” that will rival the likes of BMW’s X6 and Mercedes-Benz’s GLE Coupe, Autocar reports. The new model, codenamed L560 and referred to internally as the “Evoque Plus”, will use the alloy chassis of the Jaguar F-Pace and is expected to surface next year.
The UK mag says that Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern and Range Rover design boss Phil Simmons are understood to be developing a new look for the Sport Coupe to exploit the sporty, long-hooded proportions of Jaguar’s new SUV.
The report points out that at around 4.7 metres long, the RR Sport Coupe will be a little smaller than the 4.9-metre X6 and GLE Coupe, and will fit between the 4.4-metre Evoque and 4.85-metre Range Rover Sport. That puts it close to the 4.6-metre BMW X4, but the RR SC’s price positioning is expected to be much nearer to the bigger German SUV coupes.
The upcoming “Range Rover Sport Coupe” will be based on Jaguar F-Pace underpinnings
McGovern has previously alluded to a new Range Rover that will be a bigger surprise than the successful Evoque, and this new SC is expected to have a more intimate “cockpit” cabin, four seats (three-seat bench optional), sloping roofline, tight rear overhangs and new materials and finishes, the report adds. An “urban cool” group of buyers is the target of this new product.
There’s a range of six- and eight-cylinder JLR engines to choose from but the RR SC could opt out of the four-pot units offered in the F-Pace. The motoring rag says that it could also feature the electric powertrain JLR is developing for its I-Pace EV that will surface next year. A hybrid powertrain, possibly based on the 3.0 SDV6 HEV in the Range Rover Sport, would be offered.
Another possible candidate is JLR’s 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine. The firm’s strongest motor (550 PS and 680 Nm in the Range Rover Sport SVR) would give the Range Rover Sport Coupe a performance boost over the big Germans thanks to a lightweight alloy body
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