New Range Rover Sport SV

Developed by JLR’s Special Vehicles Team, the new Range Rover Sport SV is the most powerful Range Rover ever, featuring a BMW-sourced 626bhp mild-hybrid twin-turbo V8 that propels the 180mph SUV from 0-60mph in as little as 3.6 seconds. But with the company’s new electric line-up coming on stream from 2024, this could also be the last of the V8 Range Rovers.

The new Range Rover Sport SV – it drops the ‘R’ suffix of the previous range-topping model – also showcases a raft of technical innovations, the most impressive of which is the 6D Dynamics air suspension. Hydraulically linking all four wheels front to rear, side to side, and diagonally, the system limits body roll and fore and aft pitch to maintain a near-level stance during extreme acceleration, braking and cornering, a world first for a production car. It also eliminates the need for mechanical anti-roll bars.

Available for the first time on a Range Rover are optional carbon-ceramic brake discs – clamped by eight-piston calipers – that should not only provide huge stopping performance but also slice 34kg from the car’s unsprung weight. A further 36kg is saved if you specify the optional 23-inch carbonfibre wheels, the first of their size offered by a mainstream car maker. A lightweight carbonfibre bonnet is also on the options list.

Another notable debut on the Range Rover Sport SV is the Body and Soul Seat. It features a ‘tactile’ audio system (from a company called SubPack) that uses optimising software and transducers in the front seats’ backrests to generate high fidelity audio vibrations aligned with the media you’re playing. Apparently this ‘multi-dimensional audio experience’ has wellness benefits by influencing your heart rate and thus lowering stress levels and boosting relaxation.

For the first year of production the new Range Rover Sport SV is available only in limited edition SV Edition One spec, with prices starting from £169,000, although that does include the carbon-ceramic brakes. And in a move that will be familiar to Ferrari and Porsche owners, the limited edition model will be offered solely to selected customers, who will be invited to place an order.

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