Range Rover SV promises to be something special

The Range Rover Sport added a new dimension to the brand. No longer just a great luxury off-roader, it was dynamic too, an SUV that could be hurled through corners like a sports car if you felt so inclined. Then Land Rover gave it an even bigger adrenalin injection in the form of the SVR, which immediately became the SUV of choice for everyone from entrepreneurs to Premier League footballers.

No surprise then that after the launch of the latest generation Range Rover Sport last year, we now have a flagship version, but it doesn’t wear an SVR badge. Instead it is an SV or Special Vehicle, created by Jaguar Land Rover’s special vehicle operations division. It’s not as brash as the SVR, with styling that is slightly more subtle, unless you opt for the exposed carbon fibre bonnet.

Rather than pushing the performance aspect combined with luxury, the new SV is more luxury with performance. It has an enamel SV badge on the rear, the additional bodywork is more integrated to provide a sculpted look. The interior is more about luxury with thick materials and sumptuous seats, but it is the seats themselves that are a major talking point.

In a world first, the so-called body and soul seats feature transducers that create energy pulses in time with the audio. Think of it as being at a concert near the speakers where your body feels the vibrations. It makes for a completely immersive audio experience. We tried it out at a preview event for the new SV at JLR head office in Gaydon, England and it’s rather cool, though it might get a bit much on a longer journey. Alternatively, you could select one of a number of vibra-acoustic therapy tracks with names like Poise, Soothe, Serene, Cool, Tonic or Glow, all created to enhance your mood.

Another world first are the 23-inch carbon fibre wheels, while the SV is the first Range Rover with carbon ceramic brakes. It is also the first SUV to adopt 6D Dynamics from the world of supercars. Essentially this is a processing unit in the centre of the car that constantly monitors pitch, roll and suspension movements and instantaneously adjusted the active dampers to keep the vehicle as flat and composed as possible in all situations, particularly when driving it enthusiastically. Another feature taken from supercars is 1.1g of lateral acceleration — in an SUV.

The chassis and suspension have been extensively reworked for the SV, as has the steering, which Land Rover says has the fastest response ratio of any of its models to date.

We can tell you about the performance numbers though. The SV gets the BMW-sourced 4.4l twin-turbo V8 that pushes out 467kW and 750Nm and will take you from start to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. It also has a new SV Mode. Engaged via a selector on the steering wheel, it is fully customisable, and optimises the steering, eight-speed transmission, accelerator response and chassis dynamics. It can also lower the SV’s ride height by 15mm, which already sits significantly lower than regular Sport models.

The new Range Rover Sport SV has been over four years in the making and the team behind are very proud of their achievement. It definitely appears to tick the luxury box (as it should) and performance looks impressive on paper. For many the SV will simply be about bragging rights, but our first impression is that the SV is indeed special.