The Range Rover might be the ultimate
luxury off-roader, but engineers are eschewing the muddy English countryside
for laps on the Nürburgring. Caught undergoing testing earlier today, the
redesigned Range Rover is heavily disguised but still instantly recognizable.
While the camouflage hides a number of details, we can see the model will have
a prominent grille that is flanked by new headlights with distinctive daytime
running lights.
Moving further back, there’s an
evolutionary hood and streamlined body work. We can also see a more pronounced
shoulder line and a familiar greenhouse. It’s also interesting to note the
model uses traditional door handles rather than the flush-mounted ones featured
on the Velar and Evoque. The evolutionary design continues out back as the
redesigned model has an upright tailgate with a small lip beneath the rear
window. We can also get a glimpse of a four-tailpipe exhaust system and
vertical taillights.
While the interior of this prototype is
camouflaged, previous pictures have shown a new steering wheel with an
assortment of buttons. We can also expect a more upscale cabin which places a
greater emphasis on technology. Speaking of the latter, there should be a
digital instrument cluster and a TouchPro Duo infotainment system. Land Rover
has been tight-lipped about the upcoming Range Rover, but the model will ride
on the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) which supports internal
combustion engines as well as mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains.
The new platform will also be more aluminum intensive and this could enable the
2022 Range Rover to be lighter than its predecessor.
Engine options remain unconfirmed, but we
can expect both mild and plug-in hybrid options. If choices carryover from the
current model, there could be a hybridized 3.0-liter inline-six with outputs of
355 hp and 395 hp. Likewise, the plug-in
hybrid variant could use a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, an
electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. This setup gives the current
model a combined output of 398 hp and 640 Nm of
torque.
Jaguar Land Rover has also inked a deal
for access to BMW’s Gen 5 electric drive unit. It is expected to be used in an
electric Range Rover and there have also been rumors about models equipped with
a BMW-sourced twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8. Of course, we still have a wait ahead of
us as the redesigned Range Rover isn’t expected until next year.
