Range Rover Sport SV packs 635PS V8 and carbon wheels

That’s because this new sporting pinnacle of the Range Rover line-up is being made available for the first year only in fully-loaded Edition One form on an invitation-only basis to “select clients” – and they already know who they are.

The suggestion is however that next year anyone and everyone will be able to grab one – given enough money. The previous top Range Rover Sport, the Ultimate Edition SVR of 2021, cost from £124,000 and the new one, now badged just SV, is sure to come with a meaty premium over that. For one thing, it will need to put plenty of distance between it and the next-best model of the latest generation, the P530 V8 which in top form already costs £120k.

For another, it might be a great deal of money but even at £130-140k, plus options, the Range Rover Sport is still relatively cheap for a contender in the top SUV echelon where heritage sporting brands like Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini dominate the price (and power) high ground. Lofty ambitions then, so what has JLR done to the already acclaimed new Range Rover Sport to access such new-found prowess? 

The closest thing yet to a Range Rover sports car

Launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard last summer, the new model is already stiffer and lighter than before and available with plenty of sophisticated technology. Height adjustable air suspension, an anti-roll control system, all-wheel steering, electronic torque vectoring, it would seem to have it all already.

All that hardware remains at the heart of the SV but with changes that see new interlinked hydraulic dampers now working in conjunction with the air springs. Called 6D Dynamics, JLR says it is a semi-active set-up that can maintain a near-level body in extreme acceleration, braking and cornering, and all without the need for ride-harming anti-roll bars. The claim is it’s the most sophisticated suspension in its class, though in reality claims like that are hard to quantify.

The quest for more cornering poise and driver engagement has resulted in other changes. There’s a new rear subframe with new suspension links and revised geometry to take into account that this is the first Range Rover ever with larger (305 section) rear boots than are fitted at the front (285). 

And the wheels? Would you believe 23-inch carbon-fibre rims? A world first on a production vehicle says JLR, the split five-spoke wheels save almost 9kg per corner in unsprung weight compared to the standard alloy wheels. Inevitably they are an (undoubtedly super-expensive) option.

Range Rover Sport SV: 635PS and 180mph

The SV is the first Range Rover to be available with carbon ceramic brakes. Again they are an option, and likely another wallet-busting one, but they do save another 34kg in unsprung weight. The eight-piston Brembo Octyma front callipers have been developed especially for the SV and are the largest ever fitted to a Range Rover. It’s the lowest-riding Range Rover Sport (by up to 25mm) and the most direct to steer thanks to a more high-geared rack.

All these various systems, including the four-wheel drive, of course, come together to full effect when you press the new SV button on the steering wheel. That’s when, says JLR, the Range Rover Sport SV goes maximum sports car and is able to generate 1.1g of cornering force – 22 per cent more than the superseded SVR – on its standard all-season Michelin tyres. 

Wanna drive it on a track? No, not an off-road track (think of those wheels!) but a race track. SV mode allows TracDSC stability control to be activated so you can explore the more rear-biased handling balance without so much electronic nannying. 

The engine, like the design, has been optimised rather than changed. It’s the mild hybrid twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 sourced from BMW – as is now available in the Range Rover Sport P530 – but here tweaked to deliver 635PS (474kW), enough to make this the most powerful Range Rover ever. It’s 60PS up on the old 5.0-litre V8 in the previous SVR. Torque is up too, at 750Nm (553 lb-ft) and CO2 emissions are down, by 15 per cent. The quoted top speed of the SV is 180mph with a standing start to 60mph in 3.6 seconds.

Design, still fresh on this latest version, has been smoothed a little with a reprofiled front bumper section and side sills, but there’s no big sporting makeover here, nothing to detract from the seamless shape and more planted stance. There are some cool details to look for though including air blades, vents and quad tailpipe finishers all in carbon, along with a weight-saving carbon bonnet which as an option can have a section of exposed carbon weave at its centre. A must-have surely.

There’s more carbon inside in the form of special seats with integrated headrests and illuminated SV logos. Another neat touch is the translucent edge-lit gear shift paddles. Another world first apparently.

If your heart is racing at the thought of that you can chill with the SV’s most unexpected feature: Body and Soul Wellness seats. The idea is you feel the sound from the 29-speaker, 1430-watt Meridian hi-fi via vibrations in the seats, thanks to a load of transducers and not a little of the increasingly ever-present AI. This “multi-dimensional audio experience” has apparently been shown to reduce anxiety and bring your heart rate down. Just the job them, to sit down after you hear the price…