Thread Starter
#1
Land Rover has revealed its new Range Rover Sport SV, a high performance flagship that will replace the previous SVR and rival top-end high performance SUVs from Bentley, BMW and even Lamborghini. This new SV (note, not SVR) will be priced quite a bit higher than its predecessor, which used to kick off at around £100,000, but comes with lots of new tech, luxury and performance to justify its ambitious new price tag. Initially launching in a loaded Edition One specification, it will cost an astounding £171,460 when deliveries commence in early 2024.
Key to the new Range Rover Sport SV’s deliverables is its performance. Like all new V8-powered Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, the new SV features a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged engine that in this specification produces 626bhp. This is equal to BMW M’s most potent (non-hybrid assisted) application of this engine as found in the previous M5 CS, and a 59bhp rise compared to the SVR’s supercharged V8. Torque is also up 50Nm to 750Nm.
On-paper performance is significantly improved, with the 0-62mph time dropping to just 3.8 seconds, 0.7 quicker than before. The quoted top speed is 180mph, and it’s worth noting that these figures are all produced on an All Season Michelin Pilot Sport
The transmission has been given a makeover, with the eight-speed auto now featuring a bespoke SV calibration, and there’s a locking rear differential on the rear axle and a centre-locking differential for off-road applications too. The steering ratio has been sped up compared to the standard Range Rover Sport, further augmented by the rear-wheel steering system.
But these elements are just the tip of a technical iceberg that goes to show how much emphasis Land Rover is putting on engineering excellence in its new era of SV models. The chassis and its overall dimensions are the same as the standard Range Rover Sport, but fitted underneath in combination with its existing air suspension is a brand new hydraulically cross-linked damper system, similar to the one you’ll find on a McLaren 720S.
With this system fitted, Land Rover’s engineers have been able to remove the anti-roll bars altogether, making each wheel truly independent which has yielded significant advantages in handling, body control and, as a side effect, off-road ability. This is also the first time a hydraulically cross-linked damper system has been combined with air-springs (ignoring American start-up Rivian). What this system does is completely control body roll and pitch, reducing it to almost nil under hard cornering, accelerating and braking. At the other end of the spectrum, when cruising the system is also able to ‘freevalve’, giving each wheel incredible reach into the road surface and therefore improving the ride quality.
In its standard driver mode, the SV sits 10mm lower than a standard Range Rover Sport, dropping a further 15mm in its ‘SV’ mode. Fitted as standard on the Edition One models, and optional thereafter, are a set of 23-inch carbon fibre wheels sourced from Carbon Revolution, the company that also supplies cars like the Ford GT and Ferrari SF90 Stradale. These are 35.6kg lighter than the 23-inch forged aluminium wheels all-in, and have been meticulously developed to handle the SV’s extreme weight and load requirements.
Autoexpress