Range Rover Sport SV scores BMW V8 hit

RANGE ROVER has this week unveiled its Range Rover Sport SV ahead of the model’s fourth quarter showroom debut.

The Sport ‘SV’ replaces the SVR in the Range Rover Sport line-up, and in doing so does away with the supercharged Land Rover-sourced 5.0-litre V8 in favour of a twin-turbocharged BMW M5-sourced 4.4-litre unit.

In flagship Edition One guise, the Sport SV will retail from $360,800 plus on-road costs, making it the most expensive Sport yet – and a cool $107K dearer than the final edition SVR.

Under the bonnet, the German-made S63-series V8 endows the Sport SV with a massive 467kW and 750Nm. The unit drives all four wheels permanently via an eight-speed automatic transmission, providing a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds (-0.7 seconds) and a top speed of 290km/h (+7km/h). Not bad for a 2560kg behemoth…

Land Rover offers the Sport SV as standard with its new 6D Dynamics air suspension arrangement, which does away with traditional anti-roll bars, a 25mm reduction in ride height, rear-wheel steering with torque vectoring by brake (TVBB), an active locking rear differential, short-ratio electric steering rack and multi-mode exhaust.

Options include 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels – which cut 35.6kg from the vehicle’s unsprung mass – and are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tyres, and Brembo-sourced eight-piston carbon-ceramic brakes – which reduce unsprung mass by a further 34.0kg.

Land Rover says the Sport SV can generate up to 1.1G of lateral force on its all-season rubber.

The Sport SV is outwardly characterised by a new front bumper with larger air intakes, remoulded side skirts, and quad-tipped carbon-fibre exhaust outlets. The bonnet is also manufactured from carbon-fibre, which is further found on the vehicle’s grille frame, bonnet and wing vents, and the Range Rover’s badges.

Of course, the cabin of the Sport SV is not without its own sense of occasion. The front seats have built-in transducers to vibrate in time with the music being played through the 29-speaker / 1430-watt Meridian Signature sound system.

The seats may be upholstered in Ultrafabrics synthetic suede, joining other cool touches like see-through shift paddles, a black ceramic gear shift knob, and a flourish of carbon-fibre garnishing.

“(The) new Range Rover Sport SV exemplifies Range Rover’s philosophy, not just as a bold evolution beyond its Range Rover Sport SVR predecessor, but also in the personalised approach we are taking with our most discerning clients,” said Range Rover managing director, Geraldine Ingham.

For the first year of production, the Sport SV will be offered in an Edition One trim the brand will offer only to “select clients to order by invitation”.

The 2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SV joins an updated Range Rover Sport line-up which is likewise expected in local showrooms towards the end of the year. All ‘regular’ variants will offer petrol- or diesel-electric hybrid drivelines with pricing as detailed below.

Highlights of the updated line-up include new infotainment software, updated voice recognition technology, and a Country Road Assist feature which uses satellite navigation data to automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed on winding roads.

2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs. ^Pricing over outgoing P400 variant. ~Pricing over outgoing SVR variant.