The latest car to come from JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations department is unlike any Range Rover that has gone before. More power, a trick new suspension and an options list that includes the world’s first set of carbon fibre wheels are among the upgrades that make the new Sport SV the highest-performance Range Rover yet.
Available by invitation only, the Range Rover Sport SV is the most powerful Land Rover product ever made, with its 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged, mild-hybrid V8 engine producing 626 horsepower and accelerating the SUV to 60 mph in a supercar-like 3.6 seconds.
But what’s more interesting than outright power and straight-line performance is how the Sport SV promises to go around corners. This is because the car is fitted with what JLR describes as a world-first “hydraulic interlinked 6D Dynamics air suspension” with pitch and roll control that claims to keep the car almost completely level, no matter what the driver does.
JLR goes so far as to say the 180mph car can achieve 1.1g of lateral g-force while cornering, yet lean by no more than 4.0 degrees. The trick suspension, with its 48v active anti-roll bar system, can summon up to 2,300 Nm (1,700 lb-ft) of torque to prevent roll in the corners, and up to 4,000 Nm (2,950 lb-ft) to stop the car from pitching forwards while braking and rearwards when accelerating. JLR claims that cornering force can be achieved using all-season Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires.
Subtle design changes to separate the SV from a regular RR Sport include a 15mm drop in ride height, wider front and rear track, increased camber and a new front bumper and grille with carbon detailing, plus new side skirts and a rear bumper housing four tailpipes. The front splitter can be removed by customers if they want to take their car off-roading, and the car has the same Terrain Response system as other members of the Land Rover and Range Rover families.
As you might well expect from the fastest-ever Range Rover, the options list includes lots of carbon fibre, both inside and out. This includes an optional carbon hood, carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo (a first for any Range Rover) and even the world’s first set of 23-inch carbon wheels. JLR says the wheels save almost 80 lbs over the standard forged alloys, while the ceramic brakes take away another 75 lbs.
The new car also benefits from a quicker steering ratio than the regular RR Sport, a smaller circumference steering wheel with a thicker rim, seats with integrated headrests and transducers that claim to transmit music directly to the bodies of the car’s occupants. This is intended to produce the sensation of loud music with thumping bass, but without harming anyone’s hearing.
JLR says the first year of Sport SV production, exclusively made up of the Edition 1 variant pictured above, is already sold. The company says 550 examples have been sold in the UK, but has not disclosed how many will be available in other markets. Tick all the carbon options and you’re looking at a bill of around £190,000 (AU$353,000) in the UK, with international prices yet to be announced. Deliveries will begin later in 2023.
This article was first published on forbes.com.
