The hot SVR-badged Range Rover Sport could gain BMW X5 M power
The third-generation Range Rover Sport has been revealed, and following shortly will be the most powerful variant – the SVR. The most expensive Range Rover Sport currently is the First Edition model at £102,685, and when the SVR launches in the coming months, we can expect it to comfortably eclipse that figure.
The SVR badge first appeared on the Range Rover Sport during the second-generation’s facelift in 2015. It introduced a number of visual tweaks and a more powerful engine – we can expect the same from the upcoming SVR.
We’ve caught the upcoming SVR model testing numerous times, still under camouflage. With the full reveal of the Range Rover Sport, we now have a good idea as to how the range-topper will look when it reaches production.
There will be a host of visual tweaks at the front, with a more aggressive bumper, redesigned grilles and potentially a new headlight signature. Elsewhere there are huge brake discs with what look like six-piston calipers at the front, while the large wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport SUV tyres.
More camouflage has been applied to the rear, but it’s possible to make out an even more imposing roof spoiler than the regular Sport’s. Quad exhausts featured on the old SVR, and this design has returned for the new one, sitting further apart – either side of a rear diffuser.
The previous Range Rover Sport SVR was powered by a 542bhp 5.0-litre Supercharged V8, but the new model will pump out more power, likely using the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 found in the BMW X5 M Competition.
That engine is available in the latest full-size Range Rover with 523bhp, but the SVR is more likely to match the X5 M’s 616bhp output. It’s unlikely the SVR will utilise the 644bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain on the upcoming XM, as it would detract too much from BMW’s super SUV.
We can also expect the new SVR to use the same eight-speed ZF automatic transmission found in the X5 M, and while we don’t get any clue from these spy shots, uprated suspension and larger brakes are a certainty.
The new Sport sits on JLR’s MLA-Flex platform, allowing for plug-in hybrid and even full electrification. The standard Sport will be available with a pure-electric powertrain and given the instantaneous acceleration afforded by EVs, it’s possible the new SVR won’t be the fastest model within the Range Rover Sport lineup from 0 to 62mph. The new model could well beat the old car’s 4.5 second 0-62mph time and its 176mph top speed, however.
JLR’s ‘Dynamic Air Suspension’ should feature on the new SVR, using twin air chambers to reduce pitch and roll. A ‘Stormer’ handling pack is an optional extra on the Sport, adding an electronic active differential with torque vectoring by braking and four-wheel steering – a feature that is likely to be standard on the SVR.
Keyword: New Range Rover Sport SVR to be fastest version yet