Range Rover Sport SVR 2019 Review

Jaguar Land Rover launched its Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) performance sub-brand back in 2014, and just 12 months later the Range Rover Sport SVR was born. Claimed as the brand’s ‘fastest ever’ SUV – replete with its 405kW/680Nm supercharged 5.0-litre V8 – it was also the most expensive Sport model to date, asking $218,500 before on-road costs.

Fast forward to 2019 and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR (to use its official title) is still the brand’s quickest SUV and, thanks to a little extra ‘bling’, still the most expensive Sport in the range. Now priced from $238,200 (plus on-road costs) the Sport SVR makes a ball-tearing 423kW/700Nm (up 18kW/20Nm) its maker says will propel all of its 2310kg (-25kg) to 100km/h in just 4.5sec (-0.2sec). Top speed is listed at 283km/h.

Whichever way you look at it the numbers are pretty serious – especially for a five-seat SUV with off-road capabilities many ‘real’ four-wheel drives would struggle to match. Not that we imagine too many Sport SVR owners will be heading for the Oodnadatta Track any time soon…

Myriad options mean it’s not hard to inflate the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR’s $238,200 (plus ORCs) sticker price. As such, the example before us came to $296,280 with niceties including a Carbon Fibre Exterior Pack ($14,690), Signature Entertainment Pack ($11,240) and brilliant Pixel-Laser LED Headlights ($5170) to name but a few.

Land Rover backs the Range Rover Sport SVR with a three-year/100,000km warranty with included 24-Hour Roadside Assistance. Regular service intervals are set at 12 months or 26,000km (whichever comes first), Land Rover offering a number of Service Plans tailored to match an owner’s anticipated mileage or usage requirements.

But it’s the fuel consumption of the Sport SVR that’s certain to form one its highest operating costs. The official ADR numbers say 12.8L/100km on the Combined cycle and 18.0L/100km around town. With mostly freeway driving in heavy traffic we managed 27.3L/100km – and that’s with only a handful of full-throttle runs down the on-ramp.

The bragging rights mightn’t come cheaply in the Range Rover Sport SVR, but they certain come thick and fast. It’s a vehicle that’s as enjoyable and entertaining as it is ballistically quick; and although it’s ultimately compromised by its sheer mass where handling is concerned – in spite of revised spring and damper rates – it provides enough stability for all but the tightest of twisty bits.

A smaller supercharger pulley ensures quicker response from Land Rover’s howling 5.0-litre, which even in Comfort mode is devastatingly intense. Yes, it’s possible to drive the Sport SVR sedately, but the soundtrack and the push-in-the-back acceleration make the urge to open the taps hard to resist.

The Range Rover’s ZF-sourced eight-speed auto shifts intelligently depending on the position of your foot, and can even be ‘tickled’ to encourage downshifts under braking without the use of the paddles. Braking performance is epic thanks to thicker 380mm rotors, six-piston calipers and sintered pads, the pedal feedback as wonderfully well-metered as any luxury SUV on the market.

It could be argued the Range Rover Sport SVR lacks the third-row seating of some rivals (Audi SQ7 and Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 4MATIC, for example), and the omission of a remote seat release in the cargo area limits versatility. But really, these are small detractions from what is an otherwise outstanding package.

If you’re a prestige SUV fan, appreciate luxurious motoring, like going fast, love a menacing V8 soundtrack, or just have to get the kids to school really, really quickly, the Sport SVR is just the ticket.

In fact you could have all of those things at once in the Sport SVR and still find elements you enjoy for enjoyment’s sake. It really is a capable and comfortable cruiser one minute and a cruise missile the next.

The Sport SVR tops the Range Rover Sport line-up, which begins at $95,100 for the twin-turbocharged diesel SD4. Petrol and diesel engines are offered throughout the Sport portfolio, but like the Sport SVR, all are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and dual-range four-wheel drive.

The Rangie’s obvious competition is broad. The Sport SVR could easily be considered a rival to the Audi SQ7 (from $155,140), BMW X5 M (from $188,730), Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 4MATIC (from $219,950) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo (from $239,000), the tarmac-shredding Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (from $134,900), or even the not-much-dearer Bentley Bentayga V8 (from $334,700).

The Range Rover Sport SVR is hard not to love – and even harder to ignore on the road. Even when parked it commands a presence few of its rivals can match, the Evoque-esque grille treatment melding seamlessly with the muscular wheel arches and upright flanks to scream “I mean business”.

Of course, it isn’t cheap and it’s bloody thirsty. Considering the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk offers similar performance numbers for around half the price the Sport SVR is, for some, hard to justify. But it’s the experience, the prestige, and the cache that counts for as much as the numbers here – and when you factor that into the equation, the Range

Rover Sport SVR is truly something to behold.

How much does the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR cost?
Price: $238,200 (plus ORCs); $296,280 (as tested, plus ORCs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder supercharged-petrol
Output: 423kW/700Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.8L/100km (ADR Combined); 27.3L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 294g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2013)