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The Range Rover Sport is about to get a lot more “sport,” plus some zesty badging.
What It Is: A Land Rover Range Rover Sport wearing the most sensationally patterned camouflage we’ve ever seen. Certainly, the blue, white, and black theme would be perfect for rendering this Range Rover Sport invisible—in an electrical storm. Sans lightning-bolt backdrop, we can make out that this Range Rover Sport is loaded with a go-faster body kit, previewing a forthcoming hot high-performance RS model.
Why It Matters: Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport already anchors the Range Rover line from a sportiness perspective, but there’s room left for even zestier variations. So, much like the Autobiography Edition Range Rovers, which elevate the model’s luxury quotient, the Range Rover Sport RS will take the nameplate deeper into the high-performance realm. We’re intrigued by Land Rover’s commandeering of the RS moniker, which Jaguar uses, in a slightly different form (R-S), for its spiciest XK and XF models. Its use on a Range Rover will bring cohesiveness to Jaguar-Land Rover’s performance offerings to match the sharing of engines and transmissions that already exists.
Platform: The Range Rover Sport RS will utilize the same platform as its non-RS stablemates, but likely beefed up to handle the twisty bits with more intensity. Look for a stiffened, lowered suspension and Rover’s air spring setup, which will facilitate at least some off-roadability; even the regular Sport model is outfitted for proper off-roading, despite its sporty mission.
Several body modifications are visible on this RS prototype, including larger front intakes, hood vents, quad exhaust outlets (even the Range Rover Sport Supercharged only gets two), and reshaped fender vents. Not to beat the dead horse, so to speak, but let us reiterate our desire to see this prototype’s wild body wrap made available to paying customers. If you look closely, the vivid pattern actually is made up of a collage of scenes starring Range Rovers, which all seem to have been hit with Instagram’s “cool” filter.
Powertrain: The engine bay is where the Range Rover Sport RS will really set itself apart from the next-sportiest Sport model, the Supercharged. That’s because we suspect the RS will get the 550-hp version of the 510-hp Supercharged’ model’s blown Jaguar/Land Rover 5.0-liter V-8. We also expect the RS to inherit lesser Sport models’ eight-speed automatic and full-time all-wheel-drive system, perhaps with special tuning to impart a rearward torque bias.
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