Next Range Rover to chase Bentley's Bentayga

Land Rover is gunning for both the Bentley Bentayga and the Rolls-Royce Cullinan with its all-new fifth-generation Range Rover that's due in 2021, it has been revealed.

As well as going head-to-head with new more mainstream competition like the forthcoming BMW X8 and Audi's secret SUV Q9 flagship, Autocar reports the Brit SUV will offer unrivalled technology, efficient powertrains and advanced autonomous driver aids in a bid to tackle rivals higher up the food chain.

Key to Land Rover achieving its aims of creating a super luxury SUV is a switch from the current car's D7u architecture to the car-maker's next-gen Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) that all future models will be based on.

Like most modern platforms, the MLA structure is completely scalable and will underpin everything from the next Jag XE to the Range Rover.

Weighing significantly less than the D7u, the MLA has been created with both internal combustion, hybrid and pure-electric powertrains in mind.

With the flagship Range Rover, size-wise the dimensions of the next luxury flagship (codenamed L460) will match the current car.

Externally, Autocar anticipates evolution rather than revolution, as Land Rover is keen to cash-in on the luxury SUV's heritage.

Since it's engineered for a battery-powered version, a pure-electric Range Rover is in the pipeline but is expected to be offered with different styling as a standalone model, in a similar way to the I-PACE is in the Jaguar line-up.

According to the British mag the pure-electric Range Rover is set for a launch a year later after the core model in 2022.

Hybrid power is expected to dominate the regular Range Rover sales in 2021.

Again, the MLA has allowed engineers to advance the car maker's current plug-in powertrain that will soon combine an electrified back axle with a four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine.

That means, for the first time in its history, the large Range Rover could have no mechanical connection between front and rear axle.

Despite the radical change that will no doubt upset the brand's diehard off-road fans, Land Rover engineers are confident the Range Rover will be unbeatable off-road.

Like the current Range Rover P400e, the next large SUV will come with a pure-electric range but far greater than the current car's 50km.

According to sources close to the car maker, all-current V6 and V8 petrol and diesels will be axed.

Instead, the Range Rover will utilise the car maker's new straight-six Ingenium petrol and diesels that are likely to be combined with JLR's new 48-volt mild hybrid power that's set to boost power and torque and bring greater efficiencies.

Inside, as well as offering fit, finish and materials that will be a match for Rolls-Royce on the most expensive models, Land Rover will finally catch up and overtake the competition with its next-gen infotainment system, although it won't all be cold, glass touchscreens.

Rotary dials will still live on with the fifth-gen SUV and plenty of the current car's tactile controls will carry over allowing users to operate their car in freezing temperatures while wearing gloves.

The next-gen Range Rover will also get embedded artificial intelligence that learns your behaviour and adjusts the car to help it become more intuitive, from recognising you approach to adjusting seating, air con settings to guessing where you're going, or who you need to call when you're running late.

Connectivity will also play a role, with the Range Rover even capable of communicating with your home, operating lights or noticing you've run out of milk.

From launch it's unlikely the Range Rover will be fully autonomous but it won't be far off. Expect it to be able to handle a hands-off cruise on the highway and self-park in an urban environment.

Crucially, the Range Rover is expected to push the luxurious Brit SUV into a price bracket far higher than the current car.

Dipping a toe in the water for super luxurious SUV earlier this year was the Range Rover SV Coupe that will be made in a limited run of 999 cars priced at an astonishing $500,000.