Report: 2012 Range Rover will lose weight, may get up to 33 mpg

According to European media reports, a new lightweight Range Rover with a roomier, more luxurious interior is on its way in autumn 2012. The new Range Rover is also expected to average 40 mpg (33 mpg in U.S. terms).

Known as that all-alloy Range Rover, the model will also serve as the basis of the new Range Rover Sport, which for the first time will be offered with a seven-seat cabin. AutoCar reports that both models are currently in their final stages of engineering and will be signed off in the middle of this year.

While the new Range Rover will have a similar footprint as today’s model, it will grow by 25 mm and will get a lower roofline to reduce bulk and cut aerodynamic drag.

The UK will get two diesel engines at launch including a 300-hp TDV8 and a 260-hp TDV6. Both will be mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox with stop/start technology.

A diesel hybrid is also in the works.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoCar