10 Things You Need To Know About The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR

land rover range rover PB SVR

For those of you not satisfied with the 500+ horsepower models offered by Land Rover across its SUV line-up, there is now a solution: the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR.  The end result of the engineering and design efforts of Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR is intended to take on models like the BMW X6M, the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, SUVs that have been designed to haul ass along with their passengers and cargo.  Land Rover continues to make fantastic in-roads in the luxury sport-utility market and it was only logical for the brand to tackle these ultra-high end monster trucks on their own turf with a model like the Range Rover Sport SVR.

Let's take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR.

01. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Represents The First Of Its Breed

The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR isn't intended to be a one-off model.  Rather, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR is the leading edge of the spear of what will become a performance-focused sub-brand from the British SUV-builder.  The brainchild of Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations unit, the SVR credo will be to sharpen the reflexes and enhance the power of any model that might be tapped to take the next step forward and wear the SVR badge.  In this way SVR can be likened to BMW's M and the Mercedes-Benz's AMG in-house tuning divisions, which not only turn up the wick on performance but also deliver substantial profits for their corporate masters.

02. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Is The Quickest Land Rover Ever

Just how fast is the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR?  It's actually quite impressive what has been accomplished in spite of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR's substantial bulk.  Thanks in part to its excessively powerful engine and its relatively lightweight all-aluminum body and aluminum-intensive chassis, the Range Rover Sport SVR is capable of eclipsing the 60-mph mark in just 4.5 seconds.  Although this is only 0.1 seconds faster than the quickest 2014 Range Rover Sport model - the Supercharged - the SVR edition ups the top speed of the SUV from 155-mph to 162-mph.

03. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Offers A Supercharged V-8 Engine

An important part of the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR's performance magic is its 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine.  This isn't quite the same mill found under the hood of the Range Rover Supercharged: rather, it has far more in common with the similarly-sized engine found under the hood of limited-edition sister vehicles like the Jaguar XKR-S.  With 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque on tap, it represents not only the mightiest Range Rover Sport model available (with an increase of 40 horses and 41 lb-ft of twist over the Supercharged), but it also stands tall as the most powerful Land Rover ever built.  An eight-speed automatic transmission handles the shifting duties for the SUV.

04. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Features A Two-Stage Exhaust

If you've got 550 horses living underneath your right foot, as you do with the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR, then chances are you are going to want to hear them roar every chance you get.  The Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR takes this desire to heart by way of its two-stage active exhaust system, a design that adds 0.2 inches of diameter to the SUV's tubing as compared to the Range Rover Sport Supercharged.  The system operates automatically, keeping the vehicle's growl menacing, but muted when puttering around town at city-friendly speeds while opening up additional valves to enhance its malevolent character once the engine has been pushed past 3,000 rpm.

05. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Delivers Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive

Helping the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR provide such startling acceleration is its standard four-wheel drive system.  Offering a two-speed transfer case that pairs low-range gearing along with its more performance-minded setup, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR's four-wheel drive system can send one hundred percent of engine torque to either axle in order to achieve optimum traction.  Nominally, power is split 50/50 between the front and rear wheels, and low-range gearing is accessible at the touch of a button when traveling at speeds of up to 37-mph.

06. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Will Out-Handle Most Other Trucks

There are a number of technologies working hand in hand with the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR's four-wheel drive system to enhance the SUV's handling capabilities.  A 'dynamic active' rear locking differential in the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR has seen its performance sharpened by way of an earlier locking point to help preserve traction through a corner as well as when launching from a stop, and Land Rover has also increased the vigilance of the sport-utility vehicle's brake-based torque vectoring system.  The Range Rover Sport SVR's air suspension system is linked with the Adaptive Dynamics active damping feature to keep the Land Rover stable during abrupt maneuvers, its Active Roll control system now intervenes more aggressively, and the SUV's rear subframe bushings are 20 percent stronger than those found in the standard Range Rover Sport.

07. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Maintains Its Off-Road Chops

The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR is clearly oriented towards on-road performance, but the brand has not turned its back on the off-road cred that has served it so well over the years.  For example, even though the vehicle's exhaust is larger on the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR it doesn't impede with the model's ground clearance, which remains an impressive 9.3 inches when its air suspension has been fully raised.  The vehicle can wade in up to 33.5 inches of water, features over 10 inches of wheel travel front and rear, and offers the Terrain Response 2 system that configures the SUV's various systems (electronic aides, four-wheel drive, throttle response) to handle surfaces such as grass, gravel, snow, mud and ruts, sand, and rocks.

08. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Wears A Sleek Body Kit

In addition to its SVR badging there are a number of visual cues worn by the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR that set it apart from the standard Range Rover Sport.  Most obvious are the more massive air intakes that have been carved into the front bumper of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR, along with a dark-hued grilled and larger fender vents on either side of the vehicle.  A special bumper at the back of the SVR incorporates a diffuser and also houses the Land Rover's quad exhaust tips.  Sharp eyes will spot 6-piston Brembo brake calipers hiding behind the Range Rover Sport SVR's 21-inch rimes, and there's also a rear spoiler that reduces lift when traveling at high speeds sits at the top of the SUV's deck.

09. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Costs $110,475

How much would you pay to take home the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR?  Land Rover is asking $110,475 for this steroidal beast, on top of which you'll also have to fork over a $925 delivery fee.  While this might sound like a lot of money - and it certainly is - as compared to several of its direct competitors the Range Rover Sport offers excellent value.  Unlike most of its high performance luxury SUV rivals the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR comes very well equipped, which means that although you might be able to undercut the SVR's price by ordering a base BMW X6 M (MSRP $93,900), once you've loaded up the options you are clearly in Land Rover territory.  The Porsche Cayenne Turbo, on the other hand, starts at $113,600, with plenty of headroom left over for adding all of the necessities required to catch it up to the SVR's level of standard gear.

10. The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Actually Set A 'Ring Time

Lapping Germany's famed Nurburgring race track as part of a vehicle's tuning process has become de rigueur for sport sedans and sports car, but to take a large luxury SUV like the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR there for testing is out of the ordinary.  Nevertheless, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR was flogged around the 13 mile Nurburgring circuit for over 1,000 laps as part of its development, setting a best time of 8 minutes and 14 seconds.  This makes the SVR quicker around the 'Ring than such luminaries as the first-generation Acura NSX, the current Lexus IS-F sport sedan, and corporate stablemate Jaguar's own XKR coupe.