SPY PICS: Range Rover Sport Coupe targets BMW X6

Range Rover's impending BMW X6/Mercedes-Benz GLE challenger, which is positioned as a lifestyle interpretation of the current Range Rover Sport, is moving closer to becoming a marketplace reality. And these spy photos provide an indication of the final form, if not the finer points, of its design.

With the all-embracing stick-on disguise worn by the test vehicle, the spy photos don't show any detail, although the lower, chopped roofline is easily picked, as is what appears to be a more laid-back windscreen angle.

But while there have been some suggestions of a trimming-off of some rear overhang, there's no real indication here – although it's certain that an imaginary stripping away of the roofline aft of the C-pillar would reveal a distinct taper to give the desired BMW X6-style coupe-like profile. Jaguar's new F-Pace crossover is being referenced by media sources as a mechanical donor.

A re-work of the rear-end graphics is an obvious requirement in the transformation from regular SUV to five-door "coupe" and the slivers of LED lens that can be seen extending from the tail lights onto the tailgate and peeking out from behind the stick-on cladding are likely real.

Some observers are suggesting the Range Rover's look may be a bit more balanced than that of, say, the aforementioned X6 and we'd tend to agree (it wouldn't be too difficult). At the front end, we'd imagine the styling team will work on providing some differentiation from the regular Range Rover Sport without straying too far from the existing design.

Hard to tell from the photos, but there's a suggestion the wheel arches will be bumped out a little more than the regular Rangie Sport to emphasise the coupe effect.

Size-wise, it's said the coupe will measure around 4.7m long, which is a tad shorter than the Range Rover Sport and longer than the Evoque. That puts it quite a bit shorter overall than its BMW and Mercedes-Benz rivals but still longer than, say, the BMW X4.

The cabin is expected to focus on the sumptuous, with four individual seats in an all-round cosier environment.

It would be sensible to suggest the coupe's driveline will essentially mirror that of the Range Rover Sport – that is, permanent 4WD, and a range of petrol and diesel turbo V6s and supercharged V8s. An up-powered, sports-chassis SVR variant would appear to be logical and there's also talk of an EV version related to the Jaguar I-Pace currently under development further down the track.

Pricing could be expected to follow the same approach as BMW and Mercedes: That is, the coupe will likely be seen as an exclusive, more luxurious and more expensive variant of the regular Range Rover Sport.

There's no indication yet of a launch date, but it has been suggested by some sources that, for Europe and other major markets, during 2017 is likely –indicating that either later that year, or early 2018 will be the likely timing for an Australian introduction.