Groundbreaking new Range Rover breaks cover

Underneath a recognisable outline, Land Rover is reshaping its flagship...

By Sam Sheehan / Thursday, 14 May 2020 / Loading comments

JLR has many important cars in the pipeline. But none are as crucial to its bottom line as the margin-rich new Range Rover. The current model, the L405, was a triumph of regeneration when it launched in 2012, and helped spur the manufacturer's enormous R&D programme. Its successor is among the fruits of that success, and while you can bet your bottom dollar the styling will remain familiar, underneath the fifth-generation Range Rover is all-new and custom-made to propel Land Rover into a new decade.

Key to its prospects is a new platform; JLR's Modular Longitudinal Architecture - the excruciatingly expensive toolkit that will underpin virtually everything large and complicated in the firm's new portfolio. Flexibility is built in, not just in scale, but also in propulsion: the new Range Rover will be made available as both a mild and plug-in hybrid across the board, with the lineup likely topped by the BMW-provided 4.4-litre V8.

While we’re a long way off from learning finer details, we know BMW’s turbocharged petrol motor – delivered as part of an agreement signed in early 2019 – is good for more than 500hp. It has 530hp in the X5 M50i, for example. So, with the help of electrification, we’re not expecting JLR to have much trouble in matching the 565hp developed at the zenith of the present Range Rover line-up. Improving emissions and economy figures is obviously the real boon; expect those to be dramatically enhanced.

Beneath high-ranking V8 cars, the current straight-six, endowed with its electric supercharger, is virtually assured a place on the team. The 3.0-litre Ingenium motor is good for 400hp in the Range Rover Sport, with 406lb ft of torque the headline stat thanks to the incorporation of an MHEV electric drive. It's 48v architecture is crucial as the new Range Rover is expected to feature active anti-roll bars for the first time (the presence of a 'prototype chassis control system' referred to on the development car's steering wheel is likely a nod to the new setup).

The incorporation of the technology with JLR's electronically controlled air suspension will be the bedrock of an improved handling package. Land Rover has been well beaten to the use of the active roll-bars - already a well-established feature of large Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini SUVs - so expect its inclusion to be prominent. Ditto the involvement of electric motors, particularly if they're deployed on the axles, where the manufacturer will be keen to exploit any off-road advantage - even if propping up the performance of entry-level Ingenium models is likely to be duty number one.

On top of that lot, Land Rover’s flagship will also get its maker's over-the-air technology. Everything from the health of vehicle systems to infotainment updates will be manageable without physical visits to garages, while keeping models up to date with JLR’s latest software. Expect lots of digitisation inside – a Land Rover USP since the Velar – and no shortage of driver assist features, for both on and off-road driving. Land Rover’s top model will still be aimed at the very highest echelons of SUV ownership, after all, so it will be as plush as it is advanced.

As for when the car will be finished, this latest sighting near JLR’s home suggests testing is back underway after a brief period of coronavirus lockdown. All things point to a 2021 launch, meaning the new Range Rover will arrive one year into JLR’s commitment to launch electrified-only cars. While the SUV’s importance to Land Rover’s future is beyond question, its status as flagship conveys its own kind of pressure. The L405 was not just a good car or a much-improved successor to what came before, it was a bellwether of the manufacturer's progress and affirmation that it was headed in the right direction. Expect nothing less from its follow-up.