Jaguar Land Rover’s answer to the likes of BMW X5 M Competition, Audi RS Q8, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lamborghini Urus and Mercedes-AMG G 63 4Matic is here. The Tata-owned company has just launched its new Range Rover Sport SVR to take on its German and Italian rivals. As a super-SUV, its credentials are impeccable. Its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine belts out a massive 567 horsepower and 700Nm of torque. The hulking, raging animal – the fastest, most powerful Range Rover ever produced – can accelerate from zero to 100kph in just 4.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 280kph.
Designed and engineered by Jaguar Land Rover’s special vehicle operations and hand-finished in Coventry in the UK, the Sport SVR is the Range Rover for 4×4 fans who covet luxury with extreme performance. ‘The Range Rover SVR elevates performance and luxury in an SUV by leveraging the best of bespoke British design and engineering. I’m sure enthusiasts and fans will simply love this,’ says Rohit Suri, President and MD, Jaguar Land Rover India.
The Sport SVR features an enhanced chassis and uprated suspension for higher levels of dynamic ability. Its handling characteristics have been optimised for hard acceleration, high-speed cornering and hard braking, with very high levels of grip and stability. The independent suspension, comprising a double-wishbone setup at the front and a multi-link layout at the back, allows for all-around performance on the road and off it. Then there are specialised driving modes and Land Rover’s ‘Terrain Response 2’ technology that enable the vehicle to do equally well on grass, gravel, snow and muddy surfaces.
The aggressive and sporty styling of the exterior is matched by the super-luxurious cabin, which can accommodate five people comfortably. Dual-tone Windsor leather upholstery, 19-speaker Meridian surround sound system, and the best in digital instrumentation, navigation, infotainment and connectivity, makes the Sport SVR a thoroughly modern SUV that is as good as anything from Germany or Japan.
Sport SVR, which is priced at Rs 2.19 crore (ex-showroom), is in many ways the piece de resistance in Land Rover impressive line-up of SUVs in India. These include the Range Rover Evoque (the ‘cheapest’ RR, starting at Rs 59 lakh) that’s much loved by cool, hip crowd, Range Rover Velar, which comes with a price tag of Rs 80 lakh, the Range Rover Sport at Rs 91 lakh, Range Rover at Rs 2.10 crore, Land Rover Discovery Sport at Rs 65 lakh, and the beautifully built, totally badass Land Rover Defender 110 that comes in at Rs 83 lakh.
Quite an extensive line-up and perhaps even a bit confusing for someone new to the brand, though long-term customers know that the Range Rover is unbeatable for sheer luxury, while the Land Rover is a better bet for hard-core off-road use.
