Range Rover Sport Electric previewed at Goodwood Festival of Speed

JLR previewed the all-new Range Rover Sport Electric at a private event at the recently concluded Goodwood Festival of Speed.  It will go on sale globally in September this year, and is expected to arrive at Indian showrooms by March 2027. Save for the powertrain, the Range Rover Sport Electric is largely identical to its ICE-powered sibling inside and out. This will be the brand’s second EV following the flagship Range Rover Electric. 

1. Range Rover Sport Electric is powered by a 118.5kWh battery and two electric motors 
2. It’s estimated to have a real-world driving range of around 530km 
3. Will rival Porsche Cayenne Electric, BMW iX5 upon launch 

Range Rover Sport Electric: key specifications 

The Sport's technical details are largely the same as those of the the full-size Range Rover. It’s underpinned by JLR’s MLA platform, which was already designed with electrification in mind, and uses an 800V architecture. The 118.5kWh battery pack is estimated to return a real-world driving range of around 530km. There are two in-house developed electric motors (one on each axle), thereby enabling all-wheel drive, and total system output is rated at 550hp and 850Nm. Nought to 100kph is estimated to take about 4.4 seconds, which is quite brisk for an SUV that weighs about 2700kgs. 

It also gets regenerative braking, although there are no paddles for manual control, just D (which can be configured on the central display as 'light' or 'standard') and S (one-pedal) on the drive selector. 

As for the design, other than the closed-off front grille and the EV badges on the slightly more aerodynamically optimised wheels, it looks the same as any other Sport. The interior is the same as other Sports, too, which means it’s a tech-laden and premium cabin. 

We’ve already sampled a prototype of the Range Rover Sport Electric at Goodwood, and first impressions are that it has an exceptional ride quality, perhaps even better than the ICE-powered version. Performance is smooth and expectedly brisk, although there is a hint of torque steer from the front axle under hard acceleration. It also gets a single pedal mode which is particularly handy when off-roading. 

The company says it has not only tried to retain all the qualities of the ICE-powered Range Rover Sport in this EV version, but also improve upon them. As such, the electric Sport isn't meant to be an EV statement, but rather just another powertrain option. 

Upon launch, the new Range Rover Sport Electric will rival the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Electric and BMW iX5. When it arrives in India next year, expect it to be more expensive than the locally assembled combustion-powered variants.