At first glance, this may appear to be just another box-on-wheels Range Rover, but this is actually supposed to be the 2009 Range Rover Sport. Look closely and you'll notice the front end has been subtly reshaped to feel a bit more like the recent Land Rover LRX Concept. Yawn. So they re-drew a few lines, what's the big deal? According to the spies, the 2009 model will be available with a new 5.0-liter V8.
This new powerplant from Land Rover will have direct injection, and on the Range Rover Sport it'll be fitted with a supercharger. That means the SUV will have 500 HP to go play in the mud with. Of course, most will never see anything more than a cobblestone street or a gravel driveway. The real challenge for the Range Rover Sport will be if it can out-pose those pesky Porsche Cayenne Turbos in the mall parking lot. What we're really excited for is to see if that new V8 makes its way into any Jaguars. Who doesn't want a 500 HP XKR?
[via MotorAuthority]