Range Rover SVR 2015 Review

Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
Road Test

The expansion of the Jaguar Land Rover group continues apace with the first model from its new Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division, the Range Rover Sport SVR. The fastest and most powerful Land Rover ever is aimed at the super SUVs from BMW M, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. It's tackling them with a 405kW supercharged V8 engine and a $224,110 price tag.

The best thing about the Range Rover Sport SVR? The induction and exhaust noise generated by its 5.0-litre 405kW supercharged V8 engine.

It starts with a basso rumble, like one of those dragons from Game of Thrones belching out a tremendous fart, then rolls on through a metallic mid-range to top out with a supercharged shriek as the two-stage active exhaust does its thing.

BBBLLLLLWWWWWWWRRRRREEEEAAAAAARGH with about a dozen exclamation points following on – as well as a couple of smiley faces because there's an extremely satisfying crackle-bang on the over-run.

To use the most over-employed adjective of our times. It's awesome.

By the time you hit the exclamations you're going way too fast, so enjoy it for only the briefest time before rolling off the throttle. Unless you are on a racetrack of course…

Then you're going to have other things to concentrate on if you are trying to punt the SVR round quick… like the fact it's not only fast but weighs 2335kg, is 4872mm long, 1780mm high and 2073mm wide. There's a lot going on on here.

This dynamic behaviour wouldn't be such a focus if the SVR was just another SUV. But it isn't.

It's the first product from Jaguar Land Rover's new SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division, which will eventually roll out a plethora of high performance JLR vehicles.

So the SVR lines up directly against the BMW X5/X6 Ms, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S and more than one Porsche Cayenne. At 405kW and 680Nm it is the most powerful Land Rover ever. At $224,110, it is also one of the most expensive hyper-SUVs you can buy.

The engine (which is similar spec to the fabulous Jaguar F-TYPE R), is obviously the centrepiece, with 30kW and 55Nm more than the Range Rover Sport V8 supercharged. SVO has optimised the Bosch management system, eked more boost pressure for the four-lobe Eaton supercharger and increased the size of the air intakes feeding the two charge air coolers.

Despite the extra poke Land Rover claims the same 13.7L/100km combined fuel economy rate as the rest of the supercharged V8 line-up. If you're cruising you can better that quite substantially, but use the SVR as it's intended and that figure will spiral north of 20.0L/100km.

The SVR's eight-speed ZF auto has had its upshift speed increased by up to 50 per cent; the cross-linked air spring suspension and adaptive dampers has been retuned and bushes firmed; the brakes are blue-painted six piston Brembos and the SVR rolls down the road on 275/45 R21 Continental SportContact 5 tyres.

On top of that there are a slew of digital aids to get this sucker around corners; torque vectoring by brake, electronic stability control, active-roll control and dynamic active rear locking differential (which now locks earlier to shift torque to the wheel with more grip). All are recalibrated for the SVR.

The four-wheel drive system, which includes a multi-plate clutch in the centre diff, is largely unchanged including the retention of low range gearing. In fact, Land Rover insists the SVR is perfectly good for going off-road. The furthest we went was gravel road to try some braking and acceleration exercises, throughout which it behaved with well-tuned grace.

But taking this thing any further from the black top would be a crime.

In part that's because the Sport looks so cool it would be a shame to muss it up. There are unique bumpers, air intakes on the bonnet, fender vents, a high-mounted rear spoiler and wheel arch extensions.

It's still identifiably a Range Rover Sport though. That's even more the case inside where the single-piece sports seats trimmed in Windsor leather and embossed SVR logos are the most obvious change. They offer terrific support. In the back the bench has been ditched for two individual reclining seats and a half-hearted attempt at a middle pew.

While that's a win for form over function, you can still split-fold the rear seat to eke out as much as 1761 litres of luggage space, accessible via a powered tailgate with gesture functionality.

Apart form the seats most of the rest of the interior is familiar; which is no bad thing because that includes the cool virtual instrument graphics, plentiful storage and good leg and headroom for passengers front and rear.

Standard features of note include three-zone climate control, configurable mood lighting, 19-speaker Meridian sound system, head-up display and quad tail pipes. Braked towing capacity is 3000kg (braked), the fuel tank is a decent 105 litres, the spare tyre is a space saver (although opt for the 5x2 seats and that is replaced by a tyre repair system). You will have to pay up to $4200 extra for metallic paint – unless you like solid white.

But that stuff is secondary in a vehicle that claims a 4.7 sec 0-100km/h time, a 260km/h top speed, peak cornering g-force of 1.3g and a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record for an SUV of 8min 14sec.

Well hats off to the bloke who record that time because he has got big … talent.

With the Terrain Response 2 drive mode system set to Dynamic (read attack), the SVR has razor sharp throttle and gearshift responses. But the electric-assist steering weighs up without really delivering more feel or accuracy. And despite the tied-down suspension there is a fair bit of dive under hard braking.

Despite those big Brembos, the brakes do start feeling stressed after a while. That's no surprise really because the 380mm disc size is unchanged from the standard Sport. More clamping area would be appreciated.

Engine braking is also problematic in tight stuff. Paddle shift down to the short second gear and the SVR almost pulls up on the spot, then requires a short shift to third to get rolling again.

It is all a bit clumsy. Fitting this thing into a tight corner feels like you're trying to stuff an elephant into a tutu. You could do it, but it's not easy or much fun for any one involved.

But it's also fair to say the more open the road the better the SVR likes it, able to hunker down in sweepers and flow, using its prodigious grip and booming engine to best effect.

And wind the dial back to 'General' and simply cruise and the SVR is more pleasant than you might expect. Considering the wheel size and the weight those magnetorheological dampers do a great job of ironing out the roads imperfection. The engine is civilised, relaxed and immensely tractable.

In fact immense is a great description for the SVR. It is immensely fast, big, expensive and even likeable. But like all those other hyper SUVs it tackles an almost impossible proposition – putting real sport into a sport utility vehicle.

But hey, they've definitely got the engine noise 100 per cent nailed!

2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR pricing and specifications:
Price: $224,110
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder supercharged-petrol
Output: 405kW/680Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 13.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 319g/km
Safety Rating: N/A

Also consider:
>> BMW X6 xDrive M (from $194,310 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz GLE 63 S 4Matic (from $198,900 plus ORCs)
>> Porsche Cayenne Turbo (from $232,900 plus ORCs)