Big power output, huge chassis overhaul and a dizzying array of new tech for new Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT fighter
The new 2023 Range Rover Sport SV will be the fastest, best-driving and most capable Rangie Sport ever when it lands in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year.
Based on the new third-generation Range Rover Sport just released in Australia, the SV incorporates technologies never seen before on an SUV, according to its developer Land Rover SVO.
Headline numbers for the new Range Rover Sport SV include its mighty power output (467kW), top speed (290km/h), acceleration (0-100km/h in 3.6sec) and the fact that it can corner at up to 1.1g.
Recorded with its standard all-season tyres, the latter is a respectable figure for a thoroughbred track-focused sports car like the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and demonstrates just how advanced the chassis that lurks beneath the Sport SV is.
Priced from $360,800 plus on-road costs for the EDITION ONE P635 and built to rival the world’s quickest SUVs, the Range Rover Sport SV will need all the tech it can get to make an impression against the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT and more expensive opposition like the Aston Martin DBX707, Ferrari Purosangue and Lamborghini Urus Performante, all of which can hit 100km/h in 3.3sec.
But it’s the Cayenne Turbo GT ($366,200 plus ORCs) that SVO engineers admit they admired the most, although the fast Rangie Sport shares its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with the cheaper BMW X6 M Competition ($247,900 plus ORCs).
Engineers wouldn’t admit exactly which engine lurks beneath the Sport SV’s bonnet, but with the same 467kW and 750Nm (800Nm in launch control) outputs as the BMW M5 CS, it’s almost certain the SV gets the BMW M’s full-fat ‘S63’ V8.
Compared to the lesser BMW ‘N63’ twin-turbo V8 that powers the Range Rover Sport P530, which produces 44kW/50Nm less, it scores upgraded heads, turbos and forged internals.
Even so, the Rangie Sport SV remains 0.3sec slower to 100km/h than the Cayenne Turbo GT, but Land Rover insists you won’t care once you’ve driven it on and off road, because the jewel in its technological crown is the all-new 6D Dynamic hydraulically-linked suspension.
Going one step beyond the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control active stabiliser bar system, a similar set-up is employed by supercar-maker McLaren with its ProActive Chassis Control, and Land Rover appears to replicate the fellow British car-maker’s tech, except the Sport SV gets a new lateral link.
Doing without anti-roll bars, the new 6D Dynamic system allows engineers to dial out both body roll while cornering and pitch under acceleration and braking without ruining the dual-chamber air suspension’s cossetting ride comfort.
Off-road, the system can effectively disconnect, allowing for far greater axle articulation to make it even more capable in the mud. Expect the hard-core incoming Defender SV to also come equipped with 6D Dynamic.
Sitting 10mm lower than the core model, the SV favours a Porsche-style ‘staggered’ tyre arrangement with narrower 285/40 rubber up front and wider 305/35 tyres at the rear, all wrapped around huge 23-inch wheels.
Stab the new ‘SV’ paddle on the third spoke of the steering wheel and the ride height drops a further 15mm and adds extra wheel camber to counter higher cornering forces.
A faster fixed steering ratio and unique calibrations for the all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, torque vectoring and rear differential systems are designed to maximise agility for what remains a heavy SUV.
Other new innovations include the world-first application of 23-inch full carbon-fibre wheels developed by Victorian-based Carbon Revolution. The huge new optional rims shave 35.6kg from the kerb weight, have been developed for full off-road use and, as with all Land Rover wheels, were torture-tested by the British off-road brand.
We wouldn’t want to kerb them, but if you do Land Rover says dealers have been trained to spot whether their strength has been compromised and they need replacing.
New tech continues with Brembo carbon-ceramic brake discs with callipers in which, unusually, the pistons are mounted in an X-pattern for better heat dissipation, less fade and superior pedal feel on track. They’re said to bring a weight-saving of 34kg – even with the huge 440mm front rotors (390mm at the rear).
Steel stoppers are standard and are also claimed to better cope with abuse on track compared to rivals.
The new standard-fit Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tyres, meanwhile, are claimed to provide up to 22 per cent more cornering grip compared to the old Range Rover SVR on its summer tyre.
Thanks to the greater chassis balance of the new SUV, one executive told us you can drive eight flat-out laps of the Nurburgring before you need to junk the tyres. The old SVR could only manage two.
Designers have developed the Range Rover Sport SV to have a more mature look and feel compared to the loutish Sport SVR it replaces.
Up front, there’s still a full carbon-fibre bonnet, but the upper and lower grilles have been revised to provide better cooling. There are also new ducts that feature active vanes to direct jets of cool air to the hot brake discs.
There’s a new front splitter and side skirts, while at the rear there’s a redesigned diffuser that encases the quad exhaust outlets in carbon-fibre.
Inside, designers soon realised that with the performance on tap here the regular Rangie Sport’s comfort-biased front seats weren’t up to scratch for the SV, so they replaced them with a pair of more supportive pews featuring integrated head restraints, more contouring and more supportive upper and lower sections.
The SV Performance Seats also incorporate pioneering new technology named Body and Soul, which comprises four transducers embedded within their backrests and linked with the 29-speaker 1430W Meridian hi-fi sound system.
Combined with an amplifier and advanced processor that uses AI, the new system uses haptic audio tech that helps you ‘feel’ music through your skin and bones, giving you a more immersive experience than traditional speakers and allowing you crank up the thumping base without deafening yourself.
The other benefit is a wellness application with specially prepared tracks that are claimed to both relax and stimulate, and increase driver concentration.
A new SV steering wheel features neat clear paddles with illuminated graphics, while both the digital instrument cluster and huge 13.1-inch infotainment interface feature SV graphics.
A new Ultrafabrics PU interior trim is also available, featuring lightweight, seamless, ‘3D Knit to form’ textile that brings weight-savings over traditional leather and is said to be between 20 and 30 per cent lighter.
In total, with options including the carbon-fibre wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes, the Range Rover Sport SV is said to weigh 76kg less than the P530 variant.
Aside from releasing pricing for the Range Rover Sport SV EDITION ONE P635, Land Rover Australia is yet to confirm full local specification for its new high-performance SUV, nor has it locked in exact availability timing.
In other European markets the Range Rover Sport SV EDITION ONE P635 is almost entirely sold-out and was only offered to existing customers. It’s not known whether a similar strategy will be taken here, but first SV deliveries are expected to begin before the end of the year.
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Keyword: Wild 460kW Range Rover Sport SV unleashed