In 2023, you don’t necessarily have to buy a BMW to enjoy the power of an engine produced by the Bavarian marque. Aside from the Ineos Grenadier rugged off-roader, some Land Rover models can also be had with an engine from the German luxury brand. Since Manhart has plenty of experience with BMW engines, it didn’t need a lot of time to work on the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 found inside the latest Range Rover Sport.
Mind you, it’s not the newly developed “S68” that goes into fresh products such as the 760i, XM, along with the M Performance and M versions of the facelifted X5 and X6. Instead, it’s the previous-generation “S58” that is likely to be gradually discontinued from BMW models in the following years to make room for the more efficient mild-hybrid engine. The German tuner worked its magic on the “old” V8 to give it a lot more oomph than the 530 hp and 750 Nm (551 lb-ft) you normally get in the 2023 Range Rover Sport.
A software optimization achieved via the MHtronik powerbox has bumped the output to 653 hp and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) for those who can’t wait for the new Range Rover Sport SV premiering at the end of the month. At an additional cost, Manhart can happily fit a custom exhaust system that comes along with remote-controlled valves to modify the soundtrack on the fly.
Aside from fiddling with the V8 engine, the aftermarket specialists have brought the British luxury SUV closer to the road by 40 millimeters by modifying the suspension. The tuner also installed massive 24-inch wheels wrapped around in 295/35 ZR24 tires to lend the Range Rover Sport a more aggressive stance. In typical Manhart fashion, the black body is contrasted by a plethora of gold accents we’ve seen on plenty of BMW projects.
The aforementioned Range Rover Sport SV is likely to use a BMW engine as well, possibly an uncorked version of the S58. We know for a fact that V8 is good for 635 hp in the limited-run M5 CS but it’s unclear whether Land Rover has been given access to the highest-specification version. Somewhere in the region of 600 hp seems like a safe bet as it wouldn’t step on BMW’s toes while providing a serious upgrade over the non-SV variant.
Source: Manhart
