Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
Land Rover didn’t know back then, but the introduction of the Range Rover revolutionized the world of SUVs by combining off-road capability with luxury features. The fourth generation soldiers on with the same recipe as the original, but then again, it’s an 8-year-old design.
Time hasn’t been kind of the full-size utility vehicle from Solihull, and this gets us to the fifth generation. Land Rover went down the evolutionary route, not a full-on revolution because that would alienate current customers. Just like before, the suspension system will be of utmost importance because the Range Rover has to ride comfortably and to handle as well.
Spied at the Nurburgring with camouflage from head to toe, the prototype before your eyes isn’t shying away from its Velar influences. The square-edged profile and strong lines hide an all-new platform co-developed with Jaguar, called MLA as in Modular Longitudinal Architecture.
It’s probably the most ambitious Jaguar Land Rover platform to date, developed for mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric applications. The XJ sedan will utilize it, first as an EV with a 90.2-kWh battery. Plug-in hybrids will rely on a 13.1-kWh pack while mild hybrids will feature a belt-driven starter generator for temporary go-faster boosts and better mileage.
It remains to be seen if the XJ will continue to be offered with a V8 option, but you can bet your two cents that internal combustion choices will include the Ingenium inline-six engine. Given the MLA, it’s pretty safe to assume that a six-cylinder will be offered in the Range Rover as well.
It also remains to be seen if Land Rover will debut the Gen 5 next year as a 2022 model or in the 2022 calendar year, but one thing is certain. The Range Rover won’t have it easy, not in this sea of luxury but also sporty SUVs. The Bentley Bentayga with the twin-turbo V8 comes to mind, and honorable mentions also go to the Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Spied at the Nurburgring with camouflage from head to toe, the prototype before your eyes isn’t shying away from its Velar influences. The square-edged profile and strong lines hide an all-new platform co-developed with Jaguar, called MLA as in Modular Longitudinal Architecture.
It’s probably the most ambitious Jaguar Land Rover platform to date, developed for mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric applications. The XJ sedan will utilize it, first as an EV with a 90.2-kWh battery. Plug-in hybrids will rely on a 13.1-kWh pack while mild hybrids will feature a belt-driven starter generator for temporary go-faster boosts and better mileage.
It remains to be seen if the XJ will continue to be offered with a V8 option, but you can bet your two cents that internal combustion choices will include the Ingenium inline-six engine. Given the MLA, it’s pretty safe to assume that a six-cylinder will be offered in the Range Rover as well.
It also remains to be seen if Land Rover will debut the Gen 5 next year as a 2022 model or in the 2022 calendar year, but one thing is certain. The Range Rover won’t have it easy, not in this sea of luxury but also sporty SUVs. The Bentley Bentayga with the twin-turbo V8 comes to mind, and honorable mentions also go to the Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
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