The all-new, third-generation Range Rover Sport was introduced just last year riding on a new architecture and overhauling the brand’s styling approach into a cleaner, simpler, stacked design. The Sport now upgrades to the new Range Rover Sport SV, the higher performance model that’s now the fastest Range Rover Sport the British automaker has ever developed, with the help of weight savings from carbon fiber components.
Under the hood of the third-gen Sport SV is a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo, mild hybrid V-8 gas engine that makes 51 horsepower and 38 lb-ft of torque more than the previous generation Sport SVR model’s old supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, which means the new unit is good for 626 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. The land ship can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 mph. For those with a heavy throttle foot, a new SV Mode lowers the ride and tunes the Sport SV to be more “visceral,” with the further TracDSC stability control modes available for track days.
To help keep the car light enough to hit those figures, a new aerodynamically-enhanced carbon fiber hood is standard, 23-inch carbon fiber wheels are available (totaling 78 pounds in weight savings), as are carbon ceramic brakes (with 75 pounds in total weight savings) which are offered for the first time. Brake calipers are available in yellow, red, bronze, and black. There’s also carbon detailing on the badging script, front bumper blades, grille, and vents. A special version of the new Sport SV, dubbed the Edition One, gets exclusive branding on the front splitter, center console, treadplates, and puddle lights, along with being decked out with the best available features. All of the Edition Ones have already been accounted for, as they were sold by invite only.
The new Sport SV rides on the company’s 6D Dynamics semi-active suspension system, with hydraulic interlinked dampers, pitch control, and height-adjustable air springs. The SV rolls 10mm to 25mm lower than standard Sport models depending on drive mode, and the all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, torque vectoring by braking, and active rear locking differential have all been uniquely tuned for the SV. There’s also a new electronically power-assisted steering rack with a faster ratio for improved agility, and now the rear tires are 20mm wider than the 285-section front tires for enhanced grip.
Inside, the new SV gets satin carbon fiber-backed SV Performance Seats with sculpted bolsters and illuminated SV logos on the backrests. An “Ultrafabrics” interior is available in a 3D knit textile. There’s a 29-speaker, 1430-watt Meridian Signature sound system that works with seat-mounted transducers to let occupants feel the sounds they’re hearing with vibrations, called the Body and Soul Seat (BASS). There are six programmed tracks for the vibrations, dubbed “Relax,” “Calm,” Balance,” Focus, “Energize,” and “Wake Up.” Pricing for the SV has yet to be announced, but we anticipate it will go for closer to $150,000 given the overall increase in the Range Rover Sport’s pricing this generation.
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