Then there is the Sport which is available with a six-cylinder diesel engine for those who worry about economy, or the familiar supercharged V8 for those who want to rule the road.
Well, Land Rover has decided that there is another Range Rover customer, one who wants a high performance, Nürburgring lap-time setting, hardcore version of the Sport. It’s called the Range Rover Sport SVR and I recently spent some time with this beast. I’m not quite sure what the purpose of this car is other than that it feels as if you are staring in your very own action movie from the moment you get behind the wheel.
It’s massive, it’s square and believe it or not, it has the brand’s Terrain Response System, which means it has a low-range gearbox for when you decide to go off-road. Developed by Jaguar-Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), the SVR, compared to a standard Sport, gets a more aggressive front bumper with big air intakes to cool that supercharged V8 engine, which spits out 405kW and 680Nm.
Now with all the off-road mechanicals as mentioned above, this behemoth weighs in at 2335kg, but thanks to that torque being sent to all four wheels, it will do the 0-100km/h sprint in around 4.7 seconds. At the rear, the SVR features a more purposeful rear bumper, which houses quad tailpipes instead of just one on each side like its more subtle siblings. From every angle, the SVR looks the business, and it needs to because it is up against some stiff competition.
I don’t know why but it seems as if South Africans just love these high performance SUVs. BMW has the X5M and X6M, Mercedes-AMG has a fire spitting bi-turbocharged V8 in just about every SUV it makes, and then there is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
Unfortunately, all these are faster than the SVR, yet the Brit has a big trump card. You see, the SVR can go off-road. I’m not talking about some short gravel road, but you get the full go-anywhere hardware including adjustable air suspension, 360 degree cameras and the aforementioned multi-mode Terrain Response system.
As for luxury, well it’s not all light weight and roll-cage as one might expect from a track bred performance machine. Instead, the SVR comes with sports seats and a lot of quality leather throughout the cabin.
Even the rear passengers get sport bucket seats. My test unit was finished in white with a white-and-black interior. As for entertainment, the car has a Meridian sound system which is a problem because it is so good and clear, even on its loudest setting, that it made me slightly tone deaf after I blasted my favourite tunes via the Bluetooth.
There are also a number of USB ports and the brand’s new infotainment system looks good on its new high definition screen. The system is not the quickest though when compared to that of it competitors, and I would have liked a toggle switch rather than using the touchscreen all the time.
All of this aside, I didn’t think I would like the Range Rover SVR. I’m a big believer in that an SUV must have a diesel engine because it makes sense. However, after spending time with the SVR, I realised that it is not supposed to make sense. It reminded me why I love cars and it makes one of the best noises I have ever heard. This car feels alive, it stirs up emotion and always leaves a huge huge smile on your face.
