If it looks as if six-figure SUVs have multiplied like springtime rabbits, you’d be proper. Aston Martin and Bentley provide upper-crust ‘utes now, together with Rolls Royce and Lamborghini. Hell, even Ferrari’s bought one. However moderately than crowd out the longtime stalwarts at Land Rover, this elevated competitors had the alternative impact.

Individuals need high-end Vary Rovers greater than ever.

The elevated demand for high-dollar Ranges has spurred a pair massive strikes, the primary of which is to streamline the road’s “SV” badging, as soon as utilized to many trims throughout the mannequin ranges, equivalent to “SV Autobiography.” It’s a symbolic gesture that speaks to the streamlining of manufacturing practices inside Land Rover’s Particular Car Operations division.

The “SV” badge now denotes absolutely the top-of-the-line Vary Rover merchandise. That’s it.

“Mainly all of our Vary Rover merchandise inside Particular Car Operations (SVO) may have the SV nomenclature. ‘SV’ is clear, it’s easy, it speaks to the reductive nature of the model and the design philosophy,” SVO director Jamal Hameedi mentioned. “Much less is extra; In just about all the pieces we do, that is our visible mantra.”

SVO’s studio, which was initially meant to accommodate the manufacturing of 60 automobiles per week, is now doing 200 automobiles inside the similar interval, Hameedi defined. Therefore the necessity to streamline all the pieces from easy nomenclature to SVO’s wildly complicated construct processes.

So Land Rover SVO invited Motor1 out to the pleasant English Cotswalds, the place we’d blitz the area’s pleasant countryside two-lanes within the new Vary Rover Sport with an “SV” badge on the “boot.”

This was partly an train in driving SVO’s latest providing, but additionally a showcase for the division’s new course. Specialists from SVO led the gathered, unwashed media lots by means of the “bespoke” construct course of SVO’s prospects expertise, and confirmed off supplies developments that embellish each nook of those bespoke autos.

Although SV represents the head of the Vary Rover lineup, it is truly extra like two pinnacles.

For the standard Vary Rover SUV, the SV badge means a little bit of grunt beneath the hood, however principally it denotes a give attention to absolute luxurious. With the Vary Rover Sport SV, which we drove within the Cotswolds, these two letters imply one thing solely completely different.

They imply haulin’ ass.

Hameedi—who it’s possible you’ll bear in mind as the previous Ford man chargeable for the 2013 Raptor and Shelby GT500—and his crew utilized their appreciable expertise to that finish. We’ve had quick Vary Rover Sports activities earlier than, however this one raises the stakes.

Our Sport SV tester got here outfitted with elective (and really costly) 23-inch carbon-fiber wheels and eight-piston Brembo calipers paired to suitably gigantic carbon ceramic rotors. If these appear extraneous for an SUV, Hameedi notes an insatiable urge for food amongst SVO’s prospects. They need the best possible, no matter whether or not or not they’ll use that tip-of-the-spear functionality.

“And if that ‘greatest’ is one thing that nobody else has within the trade, that’s much more particular,” Hameedi mentioned of the 23-inch carbon wheels.

These elective high-performance extras pair to a well-equipped “base” SUV—priced a smidge above $180,000—that’s already eminently succesful. The Sport SV’s hood harbors a 626-horsepower 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 that pumps out 553 pound-feet of torque. by means of an eight-speed computerized. Land Rover studies a 3.6-second 0-60 dash.

These standard elective carbon wheels reportedly save 20 kilos of curb weight per nook, and are available wrapped in 285-section rubber up entrance with 305s out again. It’s one helluva slab of rubber perched on every nook, upping the truck’s dealing with credentials past simply straight-line thrust.

We had been capable of goal these slabs on the Prescott Hill Climb, which one native mentioned was the second-oldest within the UK. The Hill Climb is an historical and sacred motoring custom within the UK, one unfamiliar to us Individuals, however deeply cool nonetheless.

Many mid-century British heroes first plied their commerce on a hill climb; It’s an inexpensive, pleasant, and accessible route into novice motorsport for Britons, whereby you merely drive a automotive up a hill on a street as quick as your braveness will carry you.

Hill Climbs should not essentially essential to the broader story of Land Rover, however to seek out your self within the charming British countryside in a British automotive aimed up one of many oldest hill climbs in Britain isn’t for nothing.

Particularly since these slim sinuous programs don’t favor autos like this, particularly SUVs approaching three Imperial tons with large physique roll and leather-based massaging sofas for seats.

But the Sport SV feels principally at residence right here.

Off the beginning line, it’s a missile. I’ll guess it’d put most trendy hill-climb contributors out to pasture right here with its mixture of all-wheel-drive grip and the suspension squatting to help these huge rear tires.

Even on a chilly damp observe, the SV rockets away from a cease.

The primary massive left-hander arrives shortly thereafter, a medium-long bend that opens into one other galloping straight. The SV handles it with ease, shouldering into the nook with one swift and managed heave from the cabin. The Sport SV’s magnetic dampers and air suspension work wonders right here, controlling mid-corner dips within the pavement, whereas additionally steadying the primary rebound movement with aplomb.

The second-longest straight comes a nook later, and produces the course’s largest braking second, when romping towards a left-hand uphill hairpin the place failure just isn’t an possibility except you need to suck down a wall alongside that morning’s Full-English.

The SV’s sports-car fast acceleration and keen tip-in betray its huge curb weight more often than not, so if you mush the brake pedal right here, there’s a brief second of panic if you surprise, “Ought to I’ve braked a second sooner?”

However if you happen to don’t rush the steering enter, and sq. off the nook a bit, the massive Rover’s entrance finish handles that vast compression admirably, with no trace of nervousness from the unloaded rear tires.

That solidity beneath braking means that you can wrestle the Rover’s nostril towards the apex a second or two after you’ve let its curb weight rock ahead to take an actual, significant set. Should you account for all that shifting weight, there’s an excellent quantity of accessible grip to use.

The rubber slabs work absolute miracles right here.

We had only some cracks on the course, and at far lower than full assault, but it surely was an excellent demonstration of the Vary Rover Sport SV’s conduct round its absolute limits. Most drivers of those rigs received’t go trying to find this model of thrills, however as ever, it’s at all times higher to have extra functionality than you’ll ever want.

Whereas this SV proves competent-enough up a hill climb, it’s higher than good on a slim rolling backroad. The adaptive suspension actually shines right here, snaking superbly over rural English two-lanes, particularly when set to the automobile’s “Sport” mode, moderately than its most-comfortable setting.

Sport tightens up suspension and steering response with out ever changing into burdensome to your bottom. The entire truck advantages from that further sharpness, in any scenario, with none considerable penalty in experience consolation or high quality.

The SV’s drivetrain responds in form, deciding on earlier shift factors and providing a extra keen engine calibration. That makes this massive SUV really feel lighter on its ft and extra keen to show, whether or not you’re launching out of a hairpin exit or simply rolling a fast right-hander by means of the packed metropolis heart.

If I owned considered one of this stuff, I’d by no means ever take it out of Sport mode.

My solely criticism, actually, is how street noise washes by means of the cabin on backroads with tough pavement. The inside is freed from clunks and judders from massive suspension moments and street impacts, however there’s extra street and tire noise than you’d wish to have.

A few of it, you’d suspect, is right down to efficiency tradeoffs. In constructing an SUV that may dash to sixty as quick as a Porsche 911, you’ll inevitably forego the thickest and sturdiest supplies, like sound deadening and acoustic glass and a tire compound that isolates noise higher than the remaining. To save lots of weight and meet these efficiency targets, you possibly can’t have final consolation.

The remainder of this street noise difficulty is right down to form, I’d wager: this SUV’s cabin is basically a large speaker field, so there are at all times going to be some challenges when taming engine drone and street frequencies. (4Runner and Tahoe homeowners will nod alongside in settlement).

Should you’re bothered sufficient by some drone from grainy street surfaces, simply drop the Sport factor altogether; There’s a Vary Rover SV along with your title on the title.

Total, this Vary Rover Sport SV affords a surpassingly snug and civilized place to spend time. Inside high quality feels second-to-none, with none of the garish, over-designed faff you see from different automakers.

For as soon as, I’m glad there’s a giant central display in entrance of me. It fits the automotive’s—and the model’s—adherence to visible minimalism. The UI responds in a handy guide a rough and easy means. It’s laid out logically and with out an extra of sub-menus to pick out your most-used options.

I’ve thought for years {that a} massive slab-of-a-screen perched within the heart console was a sin, but it surely seems it’s simply a problem of execution.

The system’s navigation operate is definitely adequate to compete with Google Maps and appears higher doing it. (If you take a look at a whole lot of automobiles, you learn the way uncommon that truly is). In the course of the hours we spent on the street, I got here to depend on the navigation system’s voice instructions, which don’t interrupt music extra typically than they must (Google Maps, for instance, will interrupt you seven instances per roundabout). Once more, one other breakthrough.

Music of every kind sounds nice within the cabin, I’ll add. There’s a pair of audio system in every entrance bucket seat that increase throughout sure low frequencies, sending tingles and vibrations up your backbone. It’s a novel factor to expertise in a manufacturing automotive, however if you happen to’ve ever been 16 and plugged a large sub into your VW Jetta, you’ll be deeply conversant in the connection between your backbone and bass.

The system labored significantly nicely with digital music, the place there’s a punchy fixed thrumming underpinning each second, however fell wanting brilliance with practically each different style. I’d flip the characteristic off except I had an extended drive down the autobahn and the correct mix of dnb-tinged EDM lined up.

To cap the drive, we took a meander throughout some muddy English countryside and down some very slick dust two-tracks. All of the Land Rover credentials had been accounted for on this sporty Vary Rover. Hill-descent management labored flawlessly; I’m astonished on the tire expertise on this truck; How these slabs can present sufficient grip to beat again the Sport SV’s curb weight on a brief race observe but additionally maintain agency down ultra-slick hillsides, regardless of the tires’ cross-sections being so damned large.

It’s unbelievable stuff, actually. We’re within the golden period for tires, and the period retains getting higher.

All instructed, the $180,000 entry value buys you a really well-equipped automobile. I’d really feel no must spring for the carbon wheels and gigantic brakes, but it surely appears like many patrons received’t be dissuaded.

From there, Land Rover opens up its portfolio of bespoke ending choices. Paint colours, accent colours, inside coverings and fittings and finishings. It’s a dizzying array, however not with so many choices you’ll undergo selection paralysis.

Land Rover’s employees mentioned it’s simply the correct amount of selection for purchasers who need one thing bespoke, however nonetheless quiet and understated in its personal means.

“Our providing could be very refined, it is very reductive, it is not blingy,” Hameedi mentioned. “There’s lots of different corporations you can go to and get a really extroverted, shouty sort of product that’s not actually our model. And that appears to have actually resonated in that with Vary Rovers and a Vary Rover SV, we will completely obtain value factors of perhaps a Bentley or a Rolls Royce.”

However with an SUV as handsome and good to drive because the Sport SV, you actually don’t must spring for the competitors to feel and look particular.