2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR

Every time I see a Land Rover, I think of Queen Elizabeth II behind the wheel of one of these British-made vehicles.

Just a couple of years ago, she was photographed driving a Land Rover while taking some of the Royal family on a grouse shoot in Scotland. She looked focused on what she was doing, but she had to enjoy her drive, right? She’s the queen, after all. She can do whatever she pleases.

If she liked that drive, I bet she’d have a blast behind the wheel of Land Rover’s 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR.

This SUV has all the luxury a queen might require: Leather everywhere, head-up display, Meridian surround-sound audio, all the latest safety technologies, heated seats with 14-way seat adjustment control and optional massage, and a perfectly composed ride – not too firm, not too soft. No road noise in the cabin, either.

All perfectly suited for someone regal.

To traverse the back roads of rural Scotland, this Range Rover also features permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and a low-range option when the going gets tough. An air suspension system allows the ride height of the SVR to be altered a total of 4.5 inches. It also has Terrain Response with six settings: general, dynamic, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand, and rock crawl. That will get the queen and her royal hunting party where they want to go and back.

Up to now, all the features I’ve described apply to most Land Rover models. This, however, is the SVR, and it is anything but typical.

Land Rover calls the SVR, developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operation, the “fastest and most powerful Land Rover ever produced.”

That’s not an exaggeration.

The SVR is powered by a 5-liter, 550-horsepower supercharged V-8 with 502 pound-feet of torque. It will sprint from 0-60 miles an hour in only 4.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 162 mph.

The first indication that this is an exceptional Land Rover comes when you push the start button. The big V-8 roars to life, and the sound is race-car inspiring. The SVR is equipped with a two-stage active exhaust with electronically controlled valves. The system optimizes the sound quality as the exhaust works its way through and out the quad exhaust pipes.

In some ways, the SVR is very Hulk-like in its performance personality. It’s very civilized and easy to drive in a neighborhood or in the city, although that wonderful exhaust note is present whenever you accelerate.

The SVR changes personality almost instantly under hard acceleration. The engine bellows, the vehicle leaps forward and you and the leather seats almost become one. It’s hard to believe that this big brute of an SUV can move like a top-of-the-line sports car, but it can.

For all that the SVR does at such a high level – race-car performance, luxury appointments, four-wheel drive/off-road, SUV passenger and cargo space – the one thing it doesn’t do is economy. The SVR’s sticker price was $127,920. Its gas mileage is predictably poor, too: 14 miles per gallon in the city and 19 highway.

Of course, none of that matters if you are the queen.

Warranty

Four years or 50,000 miles with 24-hour roadside assistance and emergency towing.

Pricing

The MSRP for the 2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged is $79,995. SVR model additions include the 5.0-liter, 550-horsepower supercharged engine; switchable active exhaust, quad tailpipes, unique 21-inch SVR 5 split spoke wheels, SVR badging, blue Brembo brake calipers, unique roof colored spoiler, SVR front and rear bumpers, 14-way front SVR sports seats with lumbar support, adjustable bolsters and memory; front and rear heated seats, Dark Engine Turned aluminum trim, Noble plated paddle shifters, split 60/40 folding rear SVR seats. Options include a driver assistance package with lane departure warning with traffic sign recognition, perpendicular and parallel park with park exit, and 360-degree park distance control. Meridian Signature Audio with 1,700-watt surround sound. Adaptive cruise control with queue assist, InControl Remote and Protect, InControl Secure, ebony headliner, premium metallic paint, SVR carbon fiber engine cover, Santorini black contrast roof, carbon fiber veneer and heated windscreen. Sticker price, including transportation, was $127,920.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 7:09 PM with the headline "2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR."