Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic 2019 Review - International

The Range Rover is a status symbol.

Driving this vehicle, which was on loan for the Best of British 2 features series, provided John Mahoney and my good self with a sense of confidence that few cars can match.

The combination of a bassy, crackly, agro supercharged V8, proportions that are bigger than Donald Trump's appetite for Twitter battles and the sort of heritage that's ingratiated it with the British Royal family, make it a vehicle like no other.

Of course that last point could be a pro or a con depending on your love for monarchies...

Not just a status symbol for ultra-wealthy old money, the Range Rover has cult status among the pop-cultural elite too, as celebrities from Hollywood to Sydney and London will attest. The Rock even drove one in the excellent TV series Ballers.

After spending a week in the UK with one of the fanciest Range Rover models ever made, it's not hard to see why the who's-who of planet earth favour the big Brit.

The double-glazed windows on the Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic make it incredibly quiet inside, the air suspension dialing out almost every bump and lump in the road, while the supercharged V8 gives it the sort of bully-boy belligerence that other road users hate – but drivers will love.

Smooth and quiet? Like a holiday in a secluded part of the Seychelles.

Indeed, the only sound heard when cruising along the motorway (apart from the V8 battle-cry when overtaking lorries) was the soft mewling of my co-driver as he dozed, with small gobbets of drool lolling down his navy blue carsales shirt.

As part of the Best of British 2 feature series, we aim to find the best automotive material that the British Isles can offer – and this car fits the bill rather nicely.

The Range Rover SV Autobiography accompanied us for half of the event -- a week in total -- and was pressed into active duty as a camera car, troop transport and even a last-minute pizza collection tool.

Suffice it to say, Queen Elizabeth would not condone such behaviour in a cultured motor vehicle like this, but everyone else sure will. No matter how it was pressed into service, the Range Rover made its occupants feel special.

For this particular test – and the accompanying video – it was cleaned, fueled up and primed for an epic trek across part of England and into Wales, through the stunning Snowdonia National Park in search of empty roads and muddy puddles.

Mercifully, the roads were empty, the puddles were muddy and the landscapes nothing less than breathtaking.

The Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic is a big mouthful -- far harder to swallow than, say, Audi RS 6.

But break it down and you're looking at an SV model (special vehicle), which means its got a rip-snorting engine that allows it to chase nimble hot hatches up barren slate-covered hillocks in North Wales.

Paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, the Rangie can switch between cruiser and bruiser at the touch of the button.

Punching out a meaty 416kW at 6500rpm, the SVAD (to use its military name) is absolutely hilarious to launch. Mash the throttle when the traffic lights flick to green and the blown V8's 700Nm of thrust provides the almost 2600kg behemoth with jet engine-like propulsion.

Range Rover reckons the SUV consumes fuel at a rate of 12.8L/100km, but by the end of our spirited driving – on road and off – that figure was closer to 18L/100km. That said, there is a plug-in hybrid version of this vehicle

The Autobiography part of the name? Well, that means this $346,170 leviathan is the top-of-the-line flagship model with more techno-doodads and luxury features than a business-class seat on a suborbital Virgin Galactic flight.

The seats are finished in ultra-supple quilted – and perforated – semi-aniline leather upholstery. Semi-aniline? The least refined of leathers, so the grain, the pores and even the colour are left as natural as possible. In other words, you can't use el-cheapo hide here because everything is exposed and unfiltered.

I won't harp on about the front seats, but it's safe to say 24-way power adjustability, heated and cooled cushions and several very relaxing massage functions – including 'hot-stone' – provide chief-executive comfort levels. It's a lovely place to spend your driving time.

Other elements of the top-shelf Range Rover Autobiography include a fixed panoramic roof (which offers great views of the surrounding hills when you're co-driver drops into a deep gully), a thumping Meridian surround sound system, premium plush-pile carpet mats, quad-zone automatic climate control and digital radio and TV functionality.

How about illuminated SV door-sill scuff plates and pixel-laser LED headlights too? Yep, they're part of the deal. The 10-inch dual-screen Touch Pro Duo infotainment system is aesthetically pleasing and brings what is an ageing vehicle into the modern era, and is intuitive to use. A digital instrument cluster and sharp head-up display provide plenty of useful, prettily-displayed telemetry too.

Even the rear seats are special with power adjustability and via 'executive class comfort-plus' pews. There's a split rear tailgate, which makes for a great bench seat perfect for impromptu picnics. Oh, and a full-sized spare wheel, thank heavens.

Finally, the Dynamic part of the vehicle's name revolves around the upgraded chassis. In other words, this British bruiser gets bigger brakes and specially tuned suspension designed to make it more agile.

We're talking adaptive air suspension and dampers, roll stability control and cornering brake control, all of which are specially calibrated for high-performance operations.

The Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic is a more dexterous beast than your 'standard' $274,210 Range Rover Autobiography. But unless you spend a lot of time in the event horizon of a gravitational singularity, you can't bend the laws of physics and this big beast's significant mass is not easily tamed.

When you throw a 2.6-tonne lump into a corner, it's a massive challenge to avoid body roll, and the large 4x4 struggles when you really give it the beans.

The high-performance SUV game has moved forward with the likes of the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga employing automatically adjustable anti-roll bars to reduce body roll – a feature that will almost certainly be offered on the next-gen 2022 Range Rover.

Fitted with big 21-inch alloy wheels, there was much discussion between John and I whether we should take the big rig off-road. At its heart, the five-metre-long Range Rover is a 4x4 designed for mud-plugging – so we decided to head deep within the Welsh highlands to find as many trails and bogs as possible.

Fitted as standard with Land Rover's Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control systems, the Rangie's air suspension adds more ground clearance and the gearing and full-time 4WD system prepare for off-road combat at the push of a button.

Despite the race-spec tyres on the car, it performed incredibly well, the 4WD system doing a slap-up job of climbing muddy embankments and crawling up sketchy slate hills.

After a week in the saddle, and an unforgettable blast through Old North Wales, it's fair to say we were somewhat crestfallen when the time came to hand the keys back to Land Rover.

During the original Best of British feature series in 2016, our mode of transport couldn’t have been more different – a highly-strung, super-stuff, race-seated Honda Civic Type R.

Suffice to say, Queen Lizzy made the right choice in choosing Range Rover over a hot hatch. While both vehicles are built in the UK, the Range Rover has a rich heritage (and way more luxury) that has cemented its place as a status symbol in the automotive world.

What's less clear is whether the luxury SUV landscape would look different if the original Range Rover didn't kick things off almost 50 years ago. I pondered this very question after our final – and extended – day of driving and shooting.

Upon arriving in London just before midnight, after a six-hour drive from Wales – sporadically nodding off as the hot stone massage worked its magic – I realised my curiosity for a hypothetical past had waned.

Instead, I hopped out of the car after an 18-hour stint feeling relaxed and refreshed. And that, dear readers, is the proof in the pudding.

How much does the Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic cost?
Price: $346,170 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder supercharged petrol
Output: 416kW/700Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 294g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2012)