Range Rover Sport Electric revealed for Australia

Just four weeks after pulling the covers off the long-awaited Range Rover Electric, the British luxury SUV manufacturer has now revealed the EV version of its more athletic Range Rover Sport model.

Sharing its 405kW/850Nm dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain with the electrified full-fat Range Rover, the Sport differs in styling but also in tuning – while also packing more aggressive anti-roll hardware to make it a keener handler.

Two grades will be offered in Australia from March 2027, with prices kicking off from $226,518 plus on-road costs. Both pack a 118.5kWh battery promising 535km of “real-world” range and a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds with ‘Dynamic Launch’ engaged.

With 10 years of development poured into the Range Rover Electric family, it’s unsurprising that the Sport Electric shares its platform, and all of its dual-permanent synchronous motor powertrain, with the full-fat Range Rover we drove earlier this month.

Despite only two 405kW grades being offered at launch in Australia, it is a near-certainty that the Range Rover Sport Electric will gain additional trims and power levels in future, including a possible hi-po SVR to compete with the 850kW Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric.

Compared to the stately full-size Range Rover Electric, the Sport has a more aggressive brief. Software alterations mean its 850Nm of torque ramps up 50 per cent faster, and its body is some 61 per cent stiffer than today’s Sport plug-in hybrid.

But the Sport has been lavished with a few hardware changes under the skin. Like the full-size Range Rover, standard specification here includes two-axle air suspension with twin-valve dampers, but the Sport has its own tune – plus active anti-roll control and all-wheel steering.

“Electric was an opportunity for us to dial up the charisma… we see this car as a decathlete that can do everything. We are in the mix here with our V8 vehicles,” Lynfel Owen, chief architecture engineer, told carsales.

Changes are targeted at on-road handling, but the Sport Electric retains greater off-road ability than rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne EV. Standard equipment includes Terrain Response 2 off-road modes, substantial ground clearance and oil-pressure jets to stop components from thermally derating while climbing gradients of up to 45 degrees.

The Sport Electric edges today’s P530 V8 in the power stakes. The petrol V8, which will continue on sale, makes 390kW/750Nm – but both EV and V8 complete the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 4.5 seconds, despite the 2770kg Electric weighing about 190kg more.

There is a premium for fully electric propulsion in the Range Rover Sport. In Dynamic HSE specification, the EV is $7600 pricier than the P530 V8 and a whopping $38,000 dearer than the six-cylinder P460e plug-in hybrid, which has an EV-only range of 122km.

The Sport Electric Dynamic HSE is likely to match its siblings. Specification should include 22-inch wheels, semi-aniline leather upholstery with 20-way heated and cooled front seats, a Meridian 3D stereo, a 13.1-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a power tailgate and a power-deployable tow bar.

The higher-specification Sport Electric Autobiography will cost $244,800 and is expected to add ventilated rear seats, four-zone climate control, side-window blinds, deep-pile carpets, a digital rear-view mirror, solar glass and digital LED headlights.

In the EV world, the Sport Electric’s closest benchmarks are Porsche’s Cayenne Electric and the Polestar 3, both of which are less expensive, at least without options, when compared with like powertrains.

Assembly of the Range Rover Sport Electric for Australian buyers will commence shortly in Solihull, UK, ahead of the first cars landing next year. The battery is also British-made.

Good news for those who prefer combustion: while EV power is being added to the Range Rover Sport line-up, existing petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options are not going anywhere.

With all powertrains sharing the same core MLA platform, it will be up to Aussie buyers to select their fuel of choice.

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