New Range Rover Sport SVR revealed – 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds for £93,450

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The fastest Land Rover ever to go in to production – the new Range Rover Sport SVR – has been revealed with 542bhp, 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and costs £93,450.

Land Rover has been trailing the new Range Rover SVR with camouflaged prototypes making regular appearances ahead of an official debut at Pebble Beach this month. But now the Range Rover Sport SVR has been officially revealed.

Conceived and developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Operations Division, the Sport SVR has been honed at the Nurburgring (which won’t please James May) to take on monster on-road SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and yet still offer most of the Land Rover off-road magic.

It comes with its 5.0 litre supercharged V8 producing 542bhp and 501lb/ft of torque – despite which it also comes with official economy of 22.1mpg (you’ll be lucky to get 15mpg) – enough to propel the still far from lightweight Sport SVR to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and on to 162mph.

The power goes to all four wheels through a tweaked 8-speed ZF auto ‘box – controllable through the gearstick or flappy paddles – which has been tuned to deliver shift that are 50 per cent quicker than a standard RRS and even ‘blips’ on downshifts.

Off-road ability isn’t compromised, with the RRS SVR boasting permanent 4WD, a two-speed transfer box and retuned Dynamic Active Rear Locking Diff, with balance on-road aided by Torque Vectoring by Braking and retuned DSC.

There’s a two-stage active exhaust with electronic valves to deliver a meaty exhaust note that fully opens above 3000rpm that even manages to crackle on the overrun. Not what you’d expect and SUV to do, but if you’re buying in to Land Rover’s performance range-topper it’s a nice touch.

The steering comes with more feel, there’s an active roll control system that does away with anti-roll bars and uses a pump on each axle to keep the RRS stable, adaptive dampers, stiffer and lighter components and a set of 21″ alloys with road-gripping 275/45 R21 tyres (22″ with 295/40s are optional) and a set of six-piston Brembos.

Cosmetic titivation amounts to a new front bumper with bigger air intakes, new finish for the grill, new back bumper and diffuser, flared wheelarches, quad exhausts and a rear spoiler, with the interior getting unique sports seats and trim.

John Edwards, JLR’s Special Operation MD, said:

The Range Rover Sport SVR is a natural progression beyond the core vehicle’s outstanding on- and off-road capabilities and leading-edge design. Its exhilarating performance will satisfy a particularly demanding customer set.

A thorough range of revisions specially developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations combine to make this premium derivative even more distinctive both inside and out, as well as taking its dynamic capabilities to the next level without impacting on comfort, refinement or all-terrain versatility. The Range Rover Sport SVR is truly the world’s most capable performance SUV.

The new Range Rover Sport SVR gets its public debut at Pebble Beach this week and go on sale in the UK in October. It will cost from £93,450 and first deliveries are expected in early 2015.