The new Range Rover Sport will get a four-cylinder diesel engine, according to senior sources, although details are scarce.

The engine, which will be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s Wolverhampton engine plant, is likely to produce around 200bhp and around 139g/km of CO2 emissions

“You’ve seen where our competitors have gone, and we really didn’t have much choice,” Fleet News was told by the source.

At launch, the Range Rover Sport is available in the UK with the SDV6 diesel engine and a supercharged V8 petrol. As the V6 petrol engine is produced exclusively for export markets, UK buyers have a very limited choice.

However, the domestic offer will expand with the addition a hybrid SDV6 diesel later in the year said to produce 169g/km of CO2 yet endowing the car with "V8-diesel levels of performance".

For a real V8 diesel engine customers will be able to have one of those early in 2014 too as well as the option of a TDV6, with lwss power than the SDV6.  A four-cylinder petrol engine will follow later.

This wide range of engine options is made possible by the flexibility of the new Range Rover Sport’s platform, which has been engineered to incorporate these configurations from the beginning with no compromises.

The hybrid model, for example, will still feature a full-size boot and the option of the 5+2 seating arrangement despite the installation of a battery pack under the car and its dynamic ability, both on- and off-road, is also said to be unaffected.

Author: Carlton Boyce