Words by: Adam Allen
Who doesn’t like a good surprise?
IF that describes you, and you have a penchant for absurdly powerful and track capable SUVs, you’ll love the Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two. OK, maybe the vehicle’s name won’t get you all hot and bothered, but introduce the throttle to the plushy carpeted firewall and you may need a cigarette when you bring this impeccably finished piece of kinetic energy back to a stop, courtesy of some seriously massive braking hardware. Once the heavy breathing (from the driver, not the Rangie) returns to normal, it would be ideal to delve deeper into the litany of surprises you’ll be treated to while spending time in the very top of the Range Rover Sport model range.
For those that might need a quick refresher, SV stands for Special Vehicles and is the in-house skunkworks that Range Rover taps to give their SUV lineup an astonishing turn of speed and handling to match. If you’re familiar with BMW’s M division and the Mercedes Benz AMG program, you know what to expect here.
Since we’ve already spoiled the surprise somewhat by telling you the SV is fast, perhaps we should start under the carbon fiber hood, an SV exclusive. Range Rover has been a BMW engine customer for a while now, and when they needed something steroidal to power their newest missile they asked if there were any more powertrains left over from the past generation BMW M5 CS. After a quick scan of their likely impeccably organized inventories, the response was a jovial Ja from the Bimmer folks, and so the beating heart of BMW’s last generation super sedan is hard at work under the bonnet.
Making 626 horsepower and 553 pounds feet of torque, the 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 is an absolute unit. It’s bellows its presence through a sport exhaust and it sure sounds vicious when you fire it up on a chilly morning. And yet, this powerplant is demure around town and is happy to keep things hushed until you want to awaken the beast within. Once you do that, it’ll still launch itself towards the horizon with breathtaking urgency- Range Rover says the trip to 100 km/h take 3.6 seconds but if feels much faster than that. The explosive power of the 4.4 is dulled somewhat against the Sport SV’s prodigious weight- a much lighter M5 CS is significantly more rapid- but it is still incredibly quick. Only the Porsche Cayenne Tubo GT is fleeter in the super SUV segment.
Reigning in all that muscle are the biggest brakes we’ve ever seen fitted to a production car this side of a Bugatti Bolide. At the front, 440 millimeter (!!!) sized carbon ceramic rotors are clamped by 8 piston calipers the size of a toddler’s arm. The rears are generously sized as well, but we couldn’t stop gawking at the brake hardware peeking out from behind the 23” wheels. A note about that rolling stock- Range Rover will allow you to upgrade to carbon fiber wheels designed save a hefty amount of unsprung weight at each corner, a subtle underlining of the SV’s capabilities and just how serious the Range Rover SV engineering team is at making this thing at home on a track. Range Rover’s press materials have a lot to say on the subject of brakes and wheels, but one tidbit resonated with us as a means to underscore the braking prowess of the Sport- it turned over 800 laps at Portugal’s Portimão racetrack before the pads needed replacing. Serious stuff indeed.
Yeah, we think the idea of a nearly three-ton SUV slaying apexes on a track is somewhat of a comical notion; aren’t’ these things supposed to tow and go off-road? Naturally, Range Rover’s legendary off-road prowess is hampered by its quest for the lowest lap times possible and you can forget about hauling the king-sized family RV up to the campsite (although it can manage to lug an impressive 3,500 kilos, so there’s that). Once you accept those realities and throw the Sport SV into a corner, all is forgiven. Most of its otherworldly handling chops can be traced back to its so-called 6D Dynamic suspension. Basically, it’s a hydraulically interlinked suspension that factors in pitch and roll while attempting to maintain a near‑level stance during extreme acceleration, braking and cornering. You can feel it working, and we admit to feeling exasperated at how well the SV team made this thing dance from corner to corner, and that’s just on the street. The tradeoff of such crisp handling is almost always a suspension tune that feels more like granite than plush, yet the Range Rover still has that unmistakable feeling of wafting along comfortably. Sure, it’s going to be firmer, but we think it rides vastly better than the underwhelming Audi RSQ8 it competes alongside. Fun fact: The SV has the largest and most uniqly sized performance all-season rubber we’ve ever seen installed on an SUV; they measure up at a massive 305/30/23. Wow.
Like any uber-SUV for sale these days, there’s a dizzying array of customization available to the driver to custom tailor their own driving experience. The sheer bandwidth of capabilities the SV possesses are frankly astounding- it can go from a boulevard cruiser to remote campsite seeker to canyon carver with the touch of a few buttons. Impressive, yes, but the button you’ll want to be pressing often is the one marked SV at the bottom of the steering wheel. Do that and the Rangie will go straight to full attack mode, suspension tightening down and the exhaust speaking at its fullest volume. If Range Rover is going to build a tantalizing SUV for the speed junkie, then we’re going to oblige them and press it into service every chance we get. The best part of SV mode is that it doesn’t get too nervous or frenetic to be driven in even on commutes, something so many of its rivals can’t seem to get right.
Range Rover competitors have always used the interior of their cars as their bogey when designing their own. This time will not be any different as our tester expertly managed to walk the fine line between minimalist luxury and sumptuous details. Sure, we would pay a hefty price to have a good ol’ volume knob and physical buttons and switches for stuff like adjusting the volume and climate control. The fact is that the Pivi Pro infotainment system gets better with each generation to the point where its actually enjoyable to interact with once you get over the slight learning curve. Speaking of volume knobs conjures up fond memories of the Meridian sound system on board. It is nothing short of sensational, and it sounds like it’s a one-off custom job rather than a factory fitment. The sound is rich and full and can even be felt thanks to the standard BASS (Body And Soul Seats) thrones which vibrate along to the music of whatever you happen to be listening to. Is it a gimmick that instantly reminded us of Panasonic’s ShockWave headphones from the ‘90s that predates the SV by several decades? Undoubtedly yes. But hey, they are fun, and you’d never find anything like this in a straight-laced Audi or BMW. Perhaps the BASS seats best trick isn’t while listening to tunes on road trips but rather as turning the Rangie into a mobile IMAX theater. While parked, one of the little ones wanted to watch Disney’s WALL-E on an iPad and the sound and experience heightened by the trick seats via Bluetooth was admittedly pretty awesome.
Yes, you’ll get supple leather and other expensive materials covering every square millimeter on board and look pretty great while doing it. Other than the obvious tells that speak to luxury, there are little details that we noticed like the subtle illumination of the seatbelt buckles so they’re more easily located at night. Similarly, we loved the way the translucent shift paddles lit up with just the right amount of red when SV mode was summoned. No one is going to complain about riding along in this thing and it has just the right amount of theater to keep things interesting.
Outside, there are clues that this Sport is not ‘just’ the P530 model. Cannon sized quad exhaust tips out back and massive chin spoiler with SV badging up front are small indicators that this is the top dog Sport model- Range Rover happily resisted the temptation to festoon the thing with umpteen badges or an overwrought exhaust note that wakes the neighbor’s three blocks over like the old SVR. Our favorite exterior detail was the Blue Nebula matte paintjob that nearly everyone mistook for a wrap until they had a closer look- Maaco ain’t got nuthin’ on this. It’s simply gorgeous, and it’s the spec we’d pick hands down if we ever find nearly a quarter mil in the sofa cushions. You didn’t think this baby would come cheap, did you?
It’s rare that someone shopping for a vehicle like the Sport SV would worry about the huge fuel bills courtesy of the nuclear turbo V8, or likewise consider the operating costs once the warranty coverage expires-Range Rovers do not enjoy the same reliability as Toyota Camrys, after all. They may not even bat an eyelash when the crisp white leather trimmed racing buckets need a deep cleaning to exorcise the blue denim stains from butts sliding over their surfaces when climbing aboard and getting out. They’ll note that the price of admission is higher than their buddy’s BMW X5 M, but not as crazy expensive as a Mercedes Benz G- Wagen. Life is all about balance, after all; and, of course, enjoying surprises.
2026 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two - Specifications
- Price as tested: $226,770
- Body Type: 4-door, 5 passenger SUV
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/rear wheel drive
- Engine: 4.4-litre twin turbo V8, DOHC, 32 valves
- Horsepower: 626 @ 7,000 rpm
- Torque (lb-ft.): 553 @ 1,800 rpm
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Curb weight: 2,550 kg (5,622 lbs)
- Observed Fuel consumption: 13.5L/100km (17 mpg)