Range Rover SVR is a bully of an SUV

Johannesburg - Blue-light brigades are known for fast-moving SUVs that bully aside other traffic in the noble cause of whisking fatcat politicians to their expensive lunch meetings.

One often feels the temptation to bully these blue-light brigades right back, and the Range Rover Sport SVR would make a fine choice for the task. A product of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, this mega SUV has an extra 29kW and 56Nm over the current range-topping Range Rover Sport V8 derivative, giving the 5-litre V8 engine big-hitting outputs of 405kW and 680Nm.

That makes the SVR the most powerful Land Rover yet, right up there in the league of super-SUVs like BMW’s X5 M and Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo S.

It also has the necessary brutal appearance with its large and boxy visage, and combined with its lusty V8 roar this is a vehicle that announces itself rather forcibly in someone’s rear-view mirrors. The sound is enhanced by a two-stage active exhaust with electronically controlled valves, and with the help of a symposer which filters the noise into the cabin, the SVR really makes an appealingly vocal growl.

IT’S PROPERLY QUICK

In our Vbox tests at Gauteng altitude this big SUV bolted to 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds (at sea level it takes a claimed 4.7 seconds), while top speed is an electronically governed 260km/h – which is notably 10km/h faster than the top speed of the average blue-light brigade vehicle.

The supercharged V8 quaffs petrol with no regard for fuel budgets, however, and our test vehicle averaged 16.3 litres on a combination of town and freeway driving. That’s way off the 12.8 litres claimed by the factory, though we did manage to achieve 14.5 litres on a long weekend trip on mostly open roads.

The last few kilometres of the trip was a rough gravel road, and while higher-profile tyres would have felt more comfortable on the corrugations, the 21-inch tyres handled it without too much fuss. It’s unlikely that gravel will be the favoured playground for most SVR owners, however, but this high-performance SUV does have proper offroad ability.

PROPER OFFROADER TOO

The SVR’s a fully-fledged offroader with air-suspension and a Terrain Response system that, with one twist of a dial, sets up the vehicle to tackle different obstacles like rocks, mud and soft sand. The tyres are perhaps too low-profile for serious rock climbing but there’s plenty of ground clearance (272mm of it), and all the traction you need for taking it off the beaten path. It can also wade through water up to 850mm deep, and has a towing capacity up to 3 000kg – making it a true workhorse.

Like all Range Rover Sport derivatives the SVR has a lightweight aluminium body that’s 39% lighter than its steel-bodied predecessor, making it feel more fleet-footed than the average large SUV.

Earlier this year I drove the SVR for a few hot laps around the Monticello circuit in the USA at its world media launch, and this big barge felt very composed being thrashed around a track built for low-slung racing cars.

DECENT CHASSIS, BRAKES

The chassis is well up to the task of handling that mega engine power, and the the SVR’s suspension and brakes have been upgraded to deal with the extra muscle. Notably, the brakes didn’t fade unlike some high-performance vehicles when set loose around a racing circuit.

The eight-speed auto transmission is a quick-shifting delight, and has a corner recognition function that prevents gearchanges during a bend.

Beneath the aggressive facade is a luxury interior, whipped into sporty shape with decorative carbonfibre inserts and among the smartest-looking two-tone leather bucket seats we’ve seen. The high-tech cabin features an all-digital instrument panel and a touchscreen infotainment system.

Externally the SVR is identified from other Range Rover Sports by its larger air intakes, dark-finish grille and quad exhaust pipes. As a party trick at night, the vehicle logo is projected onto the ground by a spotlight when you press the unlock button on the key fob.

VERDICT

This sportscar on stilts has the performance to keep up with exotic supercars, but isn’t shy to tackle the great outdoors when the road ends.

It’s a bully of an SUV. If it were a person it would steal your lunch and have sex with your girlfriend. And it doesn’t need a blue light.

FACTS

Range Rover Sport SVR

Engine: 5-litre, V8 supercharged petrol

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic

Power: 405kW @ 6000-6500rpm

Torque: 680Nm @ 3500-4500rpm

0-100km/h (tested, Gauteng): 5.4 seconds

Top speed (claimed): 260km/h

Consumption (claimed): 12.8 litres per 100km