Jaguar/Land Rover is hastily working on a slew of new models to fill out its range and challenge its German and Japanese luxury rivals. Besides the mainstream offerings, the UK automaker’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) unit is bringing forth range-topping models like the new Range Rover Sport SVR to establish the brand’s performance focus.
But Land Rover knows a 550 horsepower SUV isn’t for everyone, so the automaker is reportedly working on a crop of mid-range “SV” vehicles to match BMW’s M Performance, Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Sport, and Lexus’s F-Sport nameplates.
SV-badged versions will be inspired by SVR vehicles in terms of looks and mechanical improvements to distinguish themselves from the standard cars. While the report doesn’t state Jaguar will also have SV models, there’s a good chance the tarmac-focused brand will have its own range of SV’s.
Jaguar recently announced that the range-topping XE will wear the SVR badge, so a mid-range SV only makes sense. Considering the F-Type already comes in several flavors of output, the brand might forgo an SV version, or it may only be an appearance package. Presently, the F-Type R Coupe is the automaker’s highest performance model, with the same 550 hp, 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that appears in the Range Rover Sport SVR.
As for the XE, the more powerful engine configuration in the XE-S offers 340 hp and 332 pound-feet of torque from a 3.0 liter supercharged V6. With the SVR rumored to make 488 horsepower from the F-Type Roadster’s V8, an SV model could conceivably offer somewhere in the low-400 horsepower range.
Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport comes in supercharged 3.0 liter V6 (340 hp) and supercharged 5.0 liter V8 (510 hp) trims, leaving room for a mildly more powerful SV to slot between the standard Sport Supercharged and the SVR, while incorporating some of the SVR’s more aggressive design characteristics.
Expect to see SV models coming available sometime early next year.
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