What is it?
A Lamborghini-hunting SUV for a brand more famous for hunting foxes.
Range Rover is the brand that created the luxury SUV segment and in doing so became a favourite for British aristocrats and then celebrities around the world, thanks to its combination of style and capability. The Range Rover Sport arrived in 2005 as a smaller model, which was technically sportier but never really lived up to the name… until now.
The all-new Range Rover Sport SV is the most dynamic vehicle the brand has ever made, using state-of-the-art suspension technology and an all-new powertrain to push it to a new level of performance.
Torquecafe was one of very few Australian media outlets to recently test drive the new Sport SV in Portugal, driving it across a variety of conditions, including the excellent Portimao race circuit.
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Does it have any racing pedigree?
No! Of course not. Range Rover’s only racing pedigree to now is driving owners to horse racing.
Obviously the brand is trying to expand its appeal, as it becomes clear that more and more buyers want high-performance, luxury SUVs. Which is why Range Rover has decided to take on the likes of Lamborghini (Urus), Aston Martin (DBX) and Porsche (Cayenne Turbo GT), all brands with much deeper racing histories.
What’s under the bonnet?
In a bid for more performance and greater efficiency, Range Rover turned to BMW for help in this department. The result is the Sport SV is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance, which is actually based on the same engine you’ll find in the BMW M5 (albeit without the hybrid tech).
This isn’t just an ‘off the shelf’ solution though, Range Rover’s engineers worked with BMW to modify the engine to best suit its needs, improving its off-road capability in the process. It’s also slightly more powerful that what you’ll find in the M5, punching out 467kW of power and 750Nm of torque.
The mild-hybrid system uses a crank-integrated starter generator instead of a conventional alternator, providing a boost of up to 20kw and 175Nm of electrical power when needed, with the energy captured during braking and stored in a 48-volt lithium-ion battery. It also helps reduce fuel economy and emissions, but it’s still a two-tonne, twin-turbo V8 so the fuel economy is rated at 12.5L/100km.
The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with a unique calibration for the SV model to further improve performance.
As you’d expect from a Range Rover (it’s still got a Land Rover badge on the front), it’s also got a four-wheel drive system with the brand’s Terrain Response 2 off-road systems as well as an active locking differential.
How does it handle?
The word that springs to mind with the Sport SV is bandwidth. It can perform across an incredibly diverse range of conditions, from racetrack to off-road.
At the heart of this broad range of ability is its highly advanced suspension system as well as a raft of other technologies, including rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring. Range Rover calls it a ‘6D’ active suspension set-up, with a combination of hydraulic interlinked dampers, height-adjustable air springs and pitch control, which allows the car’s computer to control the way it dives and rolls through corners. The idea is it’s able to keep the car flatter when cornering at high speeds.
The drive to the Portimao circuit gave us a chance to appreciate its on-road capabilities, effortlessly cruising down the freeway thanks to the big V8 and then shining on winding country roads. Thanks to the clever suspension and the rear-wheel steering it turns with a poise and precision that few other SUVs this size can match. While it still feels like a big car, the technology helps it feel more responsive and direct than it should have any right to feel.
Once we reach Portimao we’re unleashed on the roller-coaster track and again the Sport SV shines. The V8 feels every bit as strong as Range Rover claims, with 0-100km/h coming in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 290km/h – which we gave a shot, reaching 233km/h by the end of the front straight.
Braking from that speed in a two-tonne SUV would normally be a frightening prospect, but the optional carbon ceramic brakes had no trouble pulling the big Range Rover up. But it’s the cornering that really stands out, with the 6D suspension doing a good job of keeping the car relatively flat and the steering allowing it to rotate into corners with sometimes surprisingly impressive results.
Then, seemingly just to show off, Range Rover let us take the Sport SV off-road (albeit with the front carbon fibre splitter removed and on ‘All Season’ Michelin tyres). We tackled muddy ruts, a water splash and a series of articulation exercises with ease.
Like I said, the bandwidth, the breadth of capability as Range Rover calls it, is what makes the Sport SV really stand out.
Where would you most like to drive it?
Honestly, it was great fun to drive on the racetrack – something that’s never previously been said about a Range Rover. The Portimao circuit was a challenging test for it too, with the circuit rising and falling around its 4.6km layout and boasting some challenging corners, like the off-camber, long-radius final bend onto the straight.
It’s the kind of circuit that would be amazing in a sports car like a Porsche 911 or Mercedes-AMG, but the Sport SV felt totally at home.
What’s the interior like?
It’s what you’d expect from a Range Rover, plush and incredibly comfortable but for the Sport SV there’s some unique touches. The thick-rimmed steering wheel features a big ‘SV’ button to dial up the most dynamic settings, as well as illuminated gear-shift paddles when you want to choose your own gear.
However, the star attraction of the cabin are the seats, which feature music-industry technology and have been developed in collaboration with Coventry University to enhance the audio experience.
Dubbed ‘Body and Soul Seats’ they feature four audio transducers integrated into the seat back, which can detect low frequencies in the music you’re listening to and then vibrate to the beat of the track. The idea is to help you feel the music better, it’s an idea taken from the music business, where singers like Coldplay’s Chris Martin will wear a vest with transducers built into it so he can hear the beat better.
It’s most definitely clever and there’s a clear difference between the tracks you’re listening to, but how often owners will actually use it (unless they’re really into ‘drum and bass’) is open to debate.
How much does the Range Rover Sport SV cost?
Range Rover has launched the car in a single specification, Sport SV EDITION ONE, and will only produce this higher grade model for the first year. It costs $360,800 (plus on-road costs) but if you want to buy one you’re already out of luck.
Range Rover Australia only secured “less than 100” examples of this first edition and loyal owners were offered first option – and all were subsequently snapped up before the first car has even reached the country.
Would I buy one?
I would if I could. The Range Rover Sport SV truly is like nothing the company has ever built before. More dynamic and capable in the corners than the previous supercharged Sport SVR, from a performance perspective it really does hold its own against its rivals from Aston Martin, Porsche and Lamborghini.
But what really separates it from its rivals is its ability to still handle itself off-road. It’s obviously not the kind of car you’d take on your next outback adventure, but it can handle itself when the going gets slippery.
Still, personally I’d prefer to hit the racetrack in it, rather than the off-road trails…
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