JLR’s SVO boss says ‘there’s always a faster version’ in wake of new 467kW V8 Range Rover Sport SV
The boss of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), Jamal Hameedi, has revealed that he is already plotting a faster version of the wild new 2023 Range Rover Sport SV unveiled overnight – but it will have to offer more than ballistic straight-line acceleration.
When asked if an even faster take on the 467kW Range Rover Sport SV was feasible, Hameedi said: “Oh, there’s always a faster version. I’ve never made a car in my life where I couldn’t imagine a faster version.”
Speaking to carsales, the SVO director (and former chief engineer at Ford Performance in the US) said that simply turning up the wick of the Range Rover Sport SV wouldn’t be enough.
In the landscape of electrified cars, where a mid-3.0-second 0-100km/h acceleration time is common, Hameedi said you “need to bring something else to the conversation”.
“Customers are looking for something more than that, because everyone’s going to get numb to that kind of acceleration,” Hameedi told us.
This explains why SVO equipped the new Range Rover Sport SV with its pioneering (for SUVs) 6D Dynamic suspension that incorporates McLaren-style hydraulically interlinked suspension.
As well as being costly to develop, Hameedi said the new trick suspension was crucial to control both roll and pitch, allowing the big, heavy SUV to pull up to 1.1g in corners – a g-force reading normally associated with fast sports cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.
Another complication of the new suspension was tweaking the production process to allow it to be fitted on the factory floor – not an easy task considering the 6D Dynamic set-cup consists of 25 metres of hydraulic lines and 23 connectors, all of which have to be fitted on a moving assembly line.
Despite this, the same system is destined to be fitted to the incoming Land Rover Defender SV that has been spotted testing at the Nurburgring.
Speaking of which, despite the previous Land Rover Defender SVR setting a record lap at the Nurburgring back in 2014, Hameedi suggested a record lap was not needed to prove the super Range Rover Sport’s credentials.
“We do test a lot on Nurburgring and it’s still a great single stop to do dynamics development,” he said.
“[But] I think it’s kind of weird, just setting ’Ring times in an SUV.”
Instead of a car set up and developed specifically for fast lap times, Hameedi said he prefers people to look at the Range Rover Sport SV as a zero-compromise SUV.
“The great thing about this [Sport SV], is it’s not over-delivering in one particular area for the sake of others, one particular attribute for the sake of others,” he said.
The Rangie Sport SV is expected to not only corner harder than its rivals, but should be better off-road than the base car, with claims ride comfort has been enhanced too.
Issues with giving the Range Rover Sport more power is the current ZF-sourced eight-speed transmission is “maxed out” on the torque front and can’t handle more than the SV’s 750Nm peak.
Speaking of huge torque, Hameedi said an all-electric vehicle will get the SV treatment, paving the way for a high-performance version of the incoming Range Rover Sport EV.
But, again, the same principles used while developing with the twin-turbo V8 version would apply – with straight-line speed not enough to earn the ‘SV’ roundel.
“I believe that if electric vehicles are going to catch on in performance circles they have to expand the envelope,” he said.
When asked how an SV-developed electric car would take shape, the SVO boss shrugged before adding: “Maybe we’ll be up to 1.3g by then.”
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Keyword: Faster Range Rover Sport SV in the works