2018 Range Rover Sport PHEV spy pics

A FACELIFTED Range Rover Sport spotted testing this month is reportedly a plug-in hybrid model featuring Jaguar Land Rover’s new petrol-electric powertrain.

Featuring high-voltage warning stickers signifying it’s an electric vehicle, the 2018 Range Rover test mule has a new front bumper and grille which, according to British motoring website Autocar, houses the charging port.

The hybrid unit is believed to include a 220kW in-line four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine and a lithium-ion battery stored under the boot floor and is the same system expected to be used in hybrid versions of the Jaguar F-Pace, XF and XJ.

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In the Range Rover it’s expected to have an electric only range of up to 50kms.

The all-new powertrain is a significant improvement over the current Range Rover Autobiography SDV6 Hybrid’s diesel-electric system available since 2013, which has an all-electric range of 1.6Kms limited to 48km/h.

All other engines are expected to carry across to the updated model including the 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6, 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V6, 4.4-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 and the less-than frugal 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8.

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The camouflaged prototype features a couple of other slight differences to the current model including tweaked head and tail lights and a new wheel design.

Driver assist cameras and sensors also seem to take up more space at the top of windscreen which could mean more advanced autonomous driving tech.

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The interior was also disguised, which suggests the facelift will include more than just an exterior nip and tuck.

Other plug-in luxury SUVs include the BMW xDrive40e, Mercedes-Benz GLE550e, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, Volvo XC90 T8 and the upcoming Bentley Bentayga PHEV and Lamborghini Urus.