A fresh report out of the United Kingdom claims Land Rover is poised to kill off its (Ford-sourced) 4,4-litre turbodiesel V8 engine, replacing it with a mild-hybrid six-cylinder unit.

According to Autocar, the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport line-ups will welcome the new mild-hybrid diesel powerplants “in the coming months”, with the V8 thus falling away.

In South Africa, the oil-burning bent-eight engine generates 250 kW at 3 500 r/min and 740 N.m at 1 750 r/min, offered in SDV8 guise in the aforementioned Range Rover and Range Rover Sport line-ups. Jaguar Land Rover currently sources the V8 from Ford in Mexico.

Autocar’s report suggests the new 3,0-litre mild-hybrid arrangement will make 221 kW in D300 form and 257 kW in D350 guise. Compared with the V8, the new powertrain is expected to offer a “moderate efficiency boost” as well as a smoother stop-start system (thanks to its integrated starter-generator).

The publication points out the new powertrains are likely to be rolled out to the Jaguar range, too, with refreshed versions of the XF and F-Pace probably first in line.

In addition, Jaguar Land Rover is expected to move away from the supercharged 5,0-litre V8 petrol engine in the relatively near future, with BMW reportedly set to supply its twin-turbo 4,4-litre V8 under an extension of an existing agreement.

Original article from Car