After what seemed to be an endless string of spy photos, the high-performance Range Rover Sport will finally break cover on May 31. The announcement made by Land Rover also includes news about the super SUV's official name as it will eschew the "SVR" suffix of its predecessor to utilize "SV" going forward. We're also being told it's going to be initially sold strictly as an invitation-only model in limited quantities.
When it debuts at the end of next month, the new model will be the "fastest, most dynamic and technologically advanced Range Rover Sport ever." It'll also bring "innovative world-first, sector-first and Range Rover-first technologies," although Land Rover doesn't go into any details about the technical specifications. It only says these new goodies will "unlock the assertive model's full performance potential."
The old SVR used JLR's own supercharged 5.0-liter V8 but that engine is unlikely to survive in the new SV due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations. The standard Range Rover Sport already uses BMW's N63 engine, so the range-topping version might also borrow a powertrain from Munich. The SV should bring a healthy boost in output over the regular model, and it'll be interesting to see whether the Bavarian automaker will allow Land Rover to use an M engine.
If that's going to be the case, there are two obvious candidates – the S63 and the S68. The former is being gradually phased out by BMW to make room for the latter, which is an all-new engine with mild-hybrid technology but with the same twin-turbo 4.4-liter configuration. It produces up to 614 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) of torque in models such as the 2024 X5/X6 M Competition.
With Land Rover saying the SV will be the fastest Range Rover Sport ever, we can deduct it'll have more power since it's highly unlikely the extra performance has been obtained by making the SUV lighter than its predecessor. In nearly all cases, next-gen cars are usually fatter. We'll remind you the old supercharged V8 had 567 hp and 515 lb-ft (700 Nm).
The Range Rover Sport SV will have some tough competition to face now that Lamborghini is selling a Urus Performante while Aston Martin has the DBX707. There's also the V12-powered Ferrari Purosangue, albeit that one is positioned in an entirely different price bracket.
