Rumours suggest the next-gen Range Rover Sport will switch to the V8 from the BMW M division.

A story out of the UK from Autocar says the next generation of Range Rover Sport will ditch its ageing 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine and switch to the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol from BMW’s M division.

Land Rover is currently hard at work getting its all-new 5th-gen Range Rover onto showroom floors, but the all-new 2023 Range Rover Sport is not too far away. It’s a huge model for Jaguar Land Rover with a remarkable sales success story, with the Sport comfortably outselling the standard Range Rover.

While the new Range Rover is aimed at the top-end of the market, the Range Rover Sport is a bit more accessible and JLR will be using it as a foundation for its electrification campaign. There’s a new electrified platform called MLA Flex which will underpin the large Range Rover models and it’s said to be stiffer and offer more refinement.

With the engine agreement between BMW and Jaguar Land Rover, its rumoured the next-generation Range Rover Sport will lose its legendary supercharged V8 and gain the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 from BMW. Given the recent news that BMW’s M division is working on the new M5 with a hybrid version of this engine, it makes logical sense to predict the next Range Rover SVR will feature an electrified turbocharged V8 petrol engine.

Outputs of the outgoing Range Rover SVR were never considered weak and 423 kW and 700 Nm gave it solid performance credentials, with a delicious soundtrack to accompany it. The new BMW V8 motor is rumoured to produce around 550 kW and have a pure electric mode. Let’s not forget BMW M is working on a hybrid electricified performance SUV either, which was previewed with the XM Concept.

The rise of the hardcore performance SUV has been well publicised, with most luxury brands offering a fast high-riding product. Think of your Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX, Audi RS Q8, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S and the BMW X5 M Competition. All have monstrous petrol V8 engines and all are able to decimate the 0-100 kph sprint in under 5 seconds with ease. The downside of these vehicles is the fuel consumption, which is something future iterations will address thanks to the hybrid technology.

Further Reading

All-new 5th-generation Range Rover revealed