Spy shots and video of the 2023 Land Rover Range Rover: familiar look despite new platform

Land Rover was spotted testing a prototype of the new Range Rover, the fifth generation of the Range Rover lineup.

The new mid-size luxury SUV will be unveiled on October 26 and will go on sale along with a redesigned version of the Range Rover Long Wheelbase stretched to 2022. The new Range Rover Sport is also likely to appear a year after the Range Rover.

Land Rover updated the current Range Rover for 2020, and the update introduced a new inline-six engine and mild hybrid system as the base powertrain. However, the current generation dates back to 2013, so it makes sense that a redesigned fifth-generation model will be coming soon.

Compared to the current Range Rover, Land Rover's design team seems to have kept the shape of the redesigned cabin slightly boxy. The wheel arches also appear to be slightly more pronounced, and the new grille design is clearly visible in the latest shots.

Underpinning the vehicle is Land Rover's new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform, which will debut on the new Range Rover. The platform was scheduled to debut on the battery-powered Jaguar XJ last year, but a new strategy announced in February will see Jaguar use the platform exclusively for its own brand in future models. Future Jaguar models will also be battery-electric only under the new strategy.

The MLA platform is designed to be compatible with both internal combustion and electric powertrains and will eventually underpin most Land Rover models (a second platform, named EMA, will be available for Land Rover's small SUVs) The MLA platform is lighter than the aluminum-heavy D7 platform that underpins the current Range Rover.

As for the powertrain, the mild hybrid setup will likely remain the base option, but will replace the current Range Rover Plug-in Hybrid's single electric motor setup with an electric motor on the front axle combined with an engine, and a new plug-in hybrid setup with a second electric motor powering the rear axle. An electric powertrain will likely be offered at some point, targeting urban buyers.

It is not clear if the V-8 engine will continue to be offered, but Jaguar Land Rover moved production of its current 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine in-house last year. It is also possible that BMW will offer its latest V-8. Jaguar Land Rover and BMW are already poised to share some engines and electric powertrains, and we expect a V-8 to appear.