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Carsales Staff11 Aug 2014
NEWS

Range Rover Sport SVR revealed

Official Pebble Beach global public debut for performance flagship in a matter of days

Land Rover has officially unveiled its hard-charging Range Rover Sport SVR.

Boasting a 404kW supercharged V8, the Range Rover Sport SVR has already set a new benchmark lap time for SUVs around the Nurburgring's Nordschleife.

But the car hadn't been seen undisguised before now. The manufacturer has issued pictures of the production model just three days ahead of its formal introduction at the Pebble Beach Concours.

The first product of Jaguar Land Rover's new Special Operations division, the Range Rover Sport SVR is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that also delivers a ground-pounding torque figure of 680Nm.

Land Rover says that's enough to accelerate it to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 260km/h, making the most powerful production Range Rover also the quickest and fastest in the company's history.

Yet it remains as efficient as the vehicle upon which it's based, the 2.3-tonne Range Rover Sport Supercharged, which hits 100km/h in 5.3 seconds, consumes 13.8L/100km and emits 299g/km of CO2.

The blown all-alloy V8 – also seen in the F-TYPE R Coupe and XFR-S sedan, permanently drives all four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that's operated by steering wheel gearshift paddles, blips the throttle during high-speed downshifts and is claimed to deliver 50 per cent quicker shifts that are “shorter, more visceral and audibly crisper”, claims Land Rover.

The SVR also adds a two-stage active exhaust with electronically controlled valves, which Land Rover says creates a “racecar-like soundtrack” by opening the remaining two of four exhaust pipe valves under increased loads and engine speeds of around 3000rpm.

The revised exhaust system also delivers a crackle on the overrun and retains the Range Rover Sport’s 850mm wading depth, and the SVR is said to retain the standard Rangie Sport's off-road ability courtesy of a two-speed transfer case and electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the centre differential.

Jaguar Land Rover's first high-performance SVR model will be a direct rival for top-shelf super-SUVs including the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG and BMW X5 and X6 Ms.

As such, its on-road focus is boosted by stiffer, lighter suspension (comprising air springs and adaptive dampers), a recalibrated Dynamic Active Rear Locking Differential, which sends torque to the rear wheel with the most traction, and a Torque Vectoring by Braking function, while the stability control system is also retuned.

Cornering ability is further enhanced by Active-Roll Control, which replaces anti-roll bars with a hydraulic pump on each axle to control body roll and “deliver a progressive breakaway on the limit”.

The SVR's variable-ratio electric power steering system has also been retuned and six-piston Brembo brake callipers are fitted.

Standard wheel sizes are 21-inch with 275/45 R21 tyres. As an option, there will be even bigger 22-inch alloys with 295/40 R22 Continental SportContact 5 tyres.

Outside, the Rangie Sport SVR is immediately recognisable by a more aggressive front bumper with larger air intakes, a new grille finish, flared wheel-arches, a new rear bumper with integrated diffuser and quad exhaust outlets, and a rear spoiler.

Inside, there will be the choice of four colour combinations, each featuring sumptuously trimmed sports seats and the option of aluminium or carbon-fibre highlights.

Australian pricing for the Range Rover Sport SVR will be announced closer to its local release in the second quarter of next year.

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Written byCarsales Staff
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