Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2 First Drive Review

The Range Rover Sport is special in more ways than one, depending on what floats your boat. As if the standard versions with a retail tag starting at just a shade below 1.40 crore (before taxes) wasn’t enough, the folks at the British-born, Indian owned marquee have gone a few steps ahead and given it the SV treatment. The latter stands for Special Vehicle and is built by the brand’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team, a division that will customize the SUV to your taste and preferences. It’s not just the exterior or the interior, though; the company has thrown in the hairy-chested V8 sourced from BMW into the mix too, thus adding even more drama. But does it justify the Rs. 2.78 crore (on-road) price it commands? Let’s find out.

The Range Rover Sport, in this generation, takes many design cues from its elder sibling, the flagship Range Rover, be it the headlamps, shoulder line, or the clean side profile. What makes this more appealing is the SV touch. Courtesy of the SVO team, the Sunrise Copper paint, coupled with a matte finish, looks a million bucks! This SV Edition Two is bathed in carbon-fibre, courtesy of the optional carbon pack. The front bumper has minor tweaks but is more functional in nature, with an aim to allow more air to pass. Then there’s the front splitter, with the rather elusive ‘SV Edition Two’ detailing. Full points for subtlety and attention to detail.

The side profile remains clean yet dashing, and this is further complemented by the dual-tone paint, something that we usually take for granted in today’s age. The flush-fitting door handles lend another subtle yet classy touch to the overall design, and if you thought the car lacks drama, just watch these pop out; it’s really a treat for the eyes. Then there are the multi-spoke dual-tone alloy wheels measuring 22-inches, and they can be up-sized to 23-inch units and even lighter ones if that’s what you’d want to go for.

Changes to the rear are a little more detailed, and include new air vents on the bumper, a fresh skid plate, and, to denote the higher output engine, a quad exhaust setup. Then there’s the unusual white finish for the SV logo, which is another neat touch that grabs attention when you look closer. While the overall design of the Sport Edition Two is noticeable thanks to the paint, we would’ve certainly appreciated a little more effort for the car to stand out compared to the vanilla version.

The sportier intentions are visible inside too, as the car gets an all-black theme with a heavy dosage of carbon-fibre, the latter being visible the most at the back of the front seats. But that’s not where it ends, it's present on the door pads, front sport seats, and even the cup holder cover in the centre console.

The overall quality of materials is almost exemplary, be it any place you touch inside the car, heck, even the felt lining in the glovebox or the armrest storage. I say almost, as the top part of the doors looks and feels grainy and is very much out of place for a car of this stature.

There are barely any buttons, and that means most of your functions will be controlled via the touchscreen system. That said, the steering wheel does boast the ‘SV’ button, which changes to a dedicated mode and alters many functions, be it the suspension, gearbox, or the power on tap. Then there’s the glass top for the paddle shifters, which illuminate in red, similar to the SV button, when said mode is engaged. I’m certainly liking the attention to the smaller things, as this is what makes a product all the more special, more so when it’s already arriving with a different mindset at hand.

Trust me when I say this, JLR India has thrown almost every feature into this car, including the kitchen sink. Well, not literally, but figuratively at least. There’s a panoramic sunroof to let light in on a pleasant winter morning, front seats with cooling, heating, and massaging, ensuring you’re pampered when your attention isn’t behind burying the throttle. Setting the bar higher is the Body and Soul seat system that syncs up with the music and vibrates the front seats to mimic the bass. The guys at Range Rover have most certainly outdone themselves with this one. What caught us off-guard was the laggy infotainment screen. It isn’t intuitive to begin with, and the lag is evident once you get used to it.

For the days you choose to be a passenger in the rear seats, which will be a rare occasion, there is a dual-zone climate control system with those uber cool knobs that need to be pulled or pushed in order to access certain functions, multi-step reclining function for the seats, which, by the way, are also electronically controlled, sun blinds, and type-C charging ports to name a few. The Meridian music system is a hoot and will be loved by audiophiles and others alike.

The boot is no less either, having a foldable section that pops out into what reminds you of a viewing suite from another premium British brand. Then there are electrically foldable rear seats controlled via the touch of a button, foldable parcel tray, hooks to segregate or tie up certain stuff you might want to carry for camping, and a small cubby hole to store a little more than the first aid kit.

There is plenty of space inside the Range Rover Sport, no matter where you look. Finding the right position is a breeze, courtesy of the electric adjustment, and you don’t feel that the ergonomics are off by even a minor bit at any point.

Move onto the second row, and there is an abundance of space. Setting the front seat to my comfort, there is ample legroom, and even satisfactory space for three average humans to sit abreast without having to juggle for shoulder room. There is room for improvement when it comes to the under-thigh support. Even the headroom is sufficient for a 5’8 guy with an above-average build, and this is considering that the sunroof blind is in place.

The bootspace is healthy too, and can accommodate a variety of luggage in different permutations and combinations. And if that isn’t enough, the rear seats (in a 40:20:40 split) can be folded based on one’s requirement. Interestingly enough, there’s even a full-size spare wheel, although the tyre size is a fair bit lower.

Upfront, there is not one, but two gloveboxes to accommodate the knick-knacks and documents, followed by multiple spaces in the centre console. The armrest storage is cooled too, and can fit a few smaller quantity bottles of water or a few cans of your favourite drink. The door pockets, although not long enough, can accommodate a water bottle alongside a cleaning cloth, and a smaller item like a wallet or two phones.

At the heart of this Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two is a 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine, essentially the same powertrain doing duties on the M5. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, the power output is rated at a mind-blowing 626bhp and 750Nm. The brand claims a 0-100kmph sprint in 3.9 seconds, and based on our experience with the car, the real-life number shouldn’t be far off. Power is sent to all four wheels via an AWD system.

Start up the Sport SV, and the massive powertrain makes its presence felt before eventually settling into a lower pitch. There is a generous amount of power and torque available at the lower end, building up right from the 1,500rpm mark. Smash the accelerator pedal, and the SUV attains speed like there’s no tomorrow, with the speedometer climbing up before turning into a blur as you increase your focus on the road.

The gear shifts are smooth, and NVH is much more than just well contained, but brings the SV mode to life, and the feeling of snapping your neck doesn’t feel as much of a distant reality as it did before, rather fairly closer, if I may.

The individual drive mode allows you to customize between a plethora of settings like engine, suspension, steering, and sound, all of which include three options to choose from – Comfort, Dynamic, and SV mode. There are very few things in the world that could match the adrenaline of changing to SV mode and blasting into oblivion.

The large wheels and the sportier setup on the suspension mean that the Sport SV is anything but comfortable. Yes, even in the Comfort drive mode. While carving corners is what it eats for breakfast, there is a fair bit of practicality you might have to give away in order to retain the package in the larger scheme of things.

Body roll is absent, nada, zilch. The way the SUV masks its 2.5-tonne weight makes you wonder what kind of deal the folks back at the company cut in order to attain this feat. Push it into a corner, and you’d be left flabbergasted at the way it handles itself, not giving you the slightest iota of doubt when it comes to dancing away, even at higher speeds. The steering feels light but weighs up as the dials on the instrument cluster go the right way (pun intended).

There are very few cars that come close to being perfect, as that definition changes with each person and car. And just when you’ve thought that the Range Rover Sport SV is impressive enough, the standard has been elevated in yet another department.

The Range Rover Sport SV combines the adrenaline of a sports car paired with the SUV bodystyle, thus coming near to the fine balance of an everyday car. It has a lot going for it, be it the outright performance, the mind-blowing handling, or the feature list that is probably hard to beat at this price and in this segment.

Sure, it may not be practical as a daily, and yes, it could also do with a little more flavour in terms of visual appeal, even considering this is the Edition Two version. But all said and done, it does present a compelling case for itself. With what could be the final hurrah for the V8 in this form, it certainly does bow out in style. And for me, if I had around Rs. 3 crore to splurge on a vehicle that can do it all, it would be really tough to refuse this temptation called the Sport SV.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi