The incoming Range Rover GT takes a leaf out of Jaguar’s book
The Range Rover lineup is getting a new addition with the sleek GT, and this teaser offer our first look
It’s not long before Range Rover enters its new electrified era, but before the EV variants of the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover hit the road, an all-new model has already been teased. Called the ‘GT’, it will launch as the fifth model in the Range Rover lineup, built in the UK and with all-electric power only at launch.
Details on its powertrain and pricing are still to come but it’s clear that it adopts a much more sleek, coupe-style aesthetic in-line with its GT badge. Lower than a Porsche Macan and with a similar wheelbase to the Range Rover Sport, it retains four doors like the rest of the range to make it just as practical as a Range Rover should be.
> The Range Rover Electric is the quietest, most refined version ever – and we’ve driven it
The Range Rover GT is said to excel in ‘long-haul comfort’ which is precisely what we’ve come to expect from any of its products, but perhaps not something typically associated with an EV given range limitations. Its fully fledged Range Rover Electric sibling is said to extract 300 miles WLTP from its huge 118kWh battery pack, which isn’t particularly groundbreaking – whether or not the GT’s more slippery design will make for an improvement is yet to be seen.
Martin Limpert, managing director, Range Rover, said: ‘We have spent the last few years working obsessively on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated, uniquely Range Rover way. The result is the most car-like, yet unmistakably capable, Range Rover ever created, now possible on our electrified EMA architecture – complementing our existing powertrain portfolio to deliver a complete set of options for every customer need.’
This will be the first Range Rover launched on the EMA platform, setting it apart from its MLA-based relative and the JEA-based Jaguar GT. While this was a platform initially designed solely for electric power, JLR since made it compatible with hybrid powertrains to add much more flexibility further down the line. Range Rover has already confirmed that while the GT will launch as an EV, a full-hybrid alternative will be added to the range at a later date.
We’ll have to wait a little longer for a look at its exterior free of camouflage, but this initial teaser gives us a good look at the radical new design of its cabin. Range Rover calls it ‘warm’ and ‘reductive’, with a focus on woven textiles, discreet hidden air vents along the width of the dashboard and a pair of displays for infotainment and the digital dash. Not only does it focus on a reduction in acoustic noise inside, but visual noise has been reduced too, with elements like the speakers nestled behind fabric coverings for a flush finish.
The Range Rover GT is said to be the ‘most technologically sophisticated’ model in the range, and with prototypes currently completing final testing, it won’t be too long before we find out what that means.
