Envy of other rides

Think about a Range Rover SUV and the first two things that come to your mind are ‘luxury’ and ‘off-roading’. But, what about speed? This is what the performance-crazed engineers and designers at JLR’s recently launched Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division thought as well. Their answer is the Range Rover Sport SVR, which packs in a supercharged 550 bhp, 5.0 litre V8 petrol engine with all-wheel drive on an eight speed automatic gear box. The top speed is 261 km/hr. This mammoth goes from a standstill to 100 km/hr in 4.5 seconds, which is as quick as a Porsche 911. And yes, it’s an SUV that weighs 2.4 tonnes.

I drove the Sport SVR in Mumbai traffic, on empty and twisting overpasses and the ever-inviting tar laden NH-8. Never for a second did I feel like I was driving an SUV, with the torque vectoring and the intuitive gearbox programming. With the tons of other tweaks on the chassis and suspension, I felt like I was driving a performance coupe. The steering feels as if it were hardwired to your brain, there is no roll when cornering, braking is instantaneous and no matter what the speed you’re driving at, when you press the pedal, there is no hesitation — the car just roars ahead. For a moment I thought I was driving an F-Type. Speaking of the F-Type, the RR Sport SVR does have a maniacal exhaust note of its own. Turn on the active exhaust and every push of the accelerator will turn heads near, around and even a couple of blocks away.

I drove the car a lot, and I have no complaints. In fact I would call it a practical sports car. You don’t have to crawl over a pothole or over an asymmetrical speed breaker and pray that the underbelly is not scratched, storage is not just limited to a coffee cup holder and a box for your iPhone but there is enough luggage space for a three month overseas trip (792 litres to be precise), and lastly, why should only you and your loved one have all the fun, when the four of you can watch the scenery blur away as the car effortlessly dashes to the horizon?

Designed by SVO, the SVR has a commanding road presence as well. The intimidating air intakes on the front bumper feed air to the V8 engine and cool the brakes as well. The bumper on the other hand reduces front lift at high speeds. The quad exhausts with electronically controlled valves lets out a throaty and visceral sound that could even teach the Italians a thing or two.

Step inside, and you will have the familiar Range Rover feeling thanks to the plush leather interiors, aluminium trim details, carbon fibre inserts, a touch-screen infotainment system with 19 speakers. What’s unique are the bespoke SVR bucket seats that keep everyone planted as you push the pedal. Although the ride is a bit firmer than what you would get out of the standard Range Rover Sport, the adaptive air suspension does a fantastic job dynamically adjusting the dampers according to the terrain.

As fast, loud, thirsty and expensive the car is, it is also an engineering marvel. The blokes at SVO have done a fantastic job of putting together a car that handles brilliantly and looks great.

DHIRAM SHAH is the Mumbai-based founder of Luxurylaunches.com

COMMENT NOW