Range Rover Sport and Evoque rumored to get RS versions

A report in Autocar claims that Jaguar's RS badge and its herd of extra horsepower is walking across the aisle to the Land Rover stable. Autocar sources say the Range Rover Sport and Evoque will get RS designations, the supercharged V8 in the Sport RS getting cranked up to "at least" 542 horsepower, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost in the Evoque RS getting 300.

The magazine has spy shots of an extra potent Sport testing at the Nürburgring, slight changes to the lower parts of the SUV giving it away as a ringer. Supposedly, with the same horsepower (or more) than the RS cars in the Jaguar fold, Land Rover wants it to get from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds; that would make it just 0.1 second shy of the same run in a Jaguar XJR. The Evoque RS is said to be arriving first, perhaps this year, with the Range Rover Sport RS coming next year.

Range Rover Evoque convertible unlikely to see production

From the time when all we had were rumors of a Range Rover Evoque convertible, to the grainy spy shots of said topless SUV in some English alley, to the time it rolled out on the floor of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, nothing could keep people from asking, "Is this really happening?"

To be fair, there were a number who asked in anticipation, enthused about the prospect of getting both a commanding driving position and wide open sky in a more toothsome package than the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Nevertheless, the number wasn't enough to recommend the concept for production: A report in Car and Driver says the prospects aren't "as bright as we were led to believe when the crossover cabrio debuted," and that instead an Evoque with a panoramic roof that opens is a better bet.

Elsewhere in the rapidly evolving Land Rover line-up, platform harmonization and more cowbell aluminum is the way forward. From the recent use of four platforms supporting six vehicles, there will soon be only two: the EUCD architecture for the LR2 and Evoque; all else will be built on a modified version of the D7 platform created for the new Range Rover. That puts not only variants like the Chinese-market long-wheelbase Range Rover in the aluminum game, but also models like the next Defender and LR4. That latter model is expected to bow next year, the Defender might need more time while the design department moves on from the DC100, which wasn't warmly received.