The range-topping Ranger Rover SV will be revealed on 31 May
Fastest, most expensive Range Rover will introduce game-changing tech and be sold by invitation only
The hottest version of the new Range Rover will use a 607bhp, 553lb ft twin-turbocharged hybrid V8 to become “the fastest, most dynamic and technologically advanced” version of Solihull’s sports SUV yet.
Called the Range Rover SV, dropping the ‘R’ suffix of the previous car, it uses a hybrid powertrain for the first time, with all new Range Rovers going hybrid-only from next year.
Further details will emerge as the 31 May launch date approaches, but it’s already been confirmed the new car will be a “highly limited” proposition, offered by invitation only – and will pioneer a number of ‘world-first’ technologies to reach new performance heights. A new video from the firm (below) gives a first taste of its striking exhaust note and track-honed handling.
The SV uses a highly tuned version of the Range Rover’s BMW-derived 4.4-litre V8, pushing power well above the 567bhp of its predecessor in a bid to rival the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX 707 for super-SUV supremacy.
The Range Rover Sport SV – also offered with a non-turbocharged hybrid V8 in long-wheelbase form – will be one of Land Rover’s final new combustion cars. Earlier this week, Jaguar Land Rover gave a wide-reaching update on the progress of its Reimagine transformation plan, which will see an electric Range Rover arrive next year, before the Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Evoque and Velar go electric from 2025.
In line with a radical shift in its corporate image, Jaguar Land Rover has officially rebranded to JLR, and will organise its cars into four distinct model families: Jaguar, Discovery, Defender and Range Rover.
The new SV will be the halo model for the new-look Range Rover brand when it is launched, roughly a year after the standard car – which, from the 2024 model year, will be available with only hybrid powertrains and feature an overhauled interior with JLR’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment.
The latest Range Rover Sport was developed alongside the fifth-generation Range Rover, revealed in 2021, to ensure consistency within the Range Rover family but also, crucially, enough distinction between the two models.
JLR design chief Gerry McGovern said the latest model “redefines sporting luxury” and described it as “modern, relevant and progressive”.
Reflecting on the model’s impact, McGovern called the Range Rover Sport “the first of its breed in 2005, heralding a new vehicle with Range Rover luxury and sporting character”. He added: “It created a new vehicle segment and was the first model in an extended Range Rover family which paved the way for Evoque and Velar.”
Additional reporting from Rachel Burgess
Source: Autocar
