businesstravelerusa.com SEPTEMBER 2019
33Stability Control and an overall Adaptive
Dynamics system that monitors and adjusts
the suspension and other components 500
times a second.
POWER
The power is seamless and seemingly endless.
The 5.0L V8 alone gives you tremendous
low-end torque and power, but when the
supercharger kicks in it really throws you
back in your seat. The supercharger also
delivers a very even power band without
the initial lag of a turbo. The power is
accompanied by a very angry-sounding active
quad-exhaust system that can scare small
children and animals when revved.
You’ve got 575 horsepower and 516
ft-lbs of torque to play with, transferred to
the full-time AWD system via an 8-speed
automatic transmission and a twin-speed
transfer box. You can put that transmission
into Sport mode and shift manually with the
gear selector or the steering wheel-mounted
paddle shifters.
TECHNOLOGY
The essence of the Range Rover Sport
experience is that you can access and use
that power regardless of the road surface
or terrain. If desired, all off-road functions
are automated via the Terrain Response
system. No need to select between dirt,
sand, snow or mud; the Range Rover does
it automatically and adjusts its all-wheel-
drive system accordingly. (You can also
do it manually and there are presets for
various terrain types.) The vehicle also has
All-Terrain Progress Control, kind of like
off-road cruise control. Set it for 1-18 mph
and focus on steering and the terrain while
the Range Rover maintains the set speed
regardless of incline.
Driver aid technolog y (some of which
was included in the optional, $3,185
Driver Assist Pack), includes Adaptive
Cruise Control with Steering Assist. You
also get blind spot monitoring, automatic
braking and lane keep assist. There's even
an automated parking system which will
park the vehicle (forwards or backwards)
into a normal parking lot spot. As far as
entertainment, you can wake the neighbors
with the optional ($4,540) 1,700 watt
Meridien Signature Sound System.LUXURY
The Sport SVR model gives you typical
Range Rover luxury but with a harder,
sportier edge. If it's luxury you seek, the
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
trades the supercharger (it still has 515
horsepower) for a more luxurious, bespoke
interior. However this Sport SVR as tested
did have some nice amenities like four-zone
climate control, soft door close (a $610
option) and some beautiful finishing touches
inside, especially the full grain leather seats
and SVR branding.UTILITY
This vehicle warrants the addition of an extra
category: Utility. The Range Rover Sport
SVR is a true sport utility vehicle, since when
you're done racing Corvettes at stoplights,
you still have a large, very usable full-size
SUV. With the optional third-row seats,
you can take six of your friends around with
you. If you need to lug stuff around, with
the rear seats folded flat, you have almost 52
cubic feet of cargo capacity. Of course you
have serious, proven Land Rover off-road
capability including the ability to “wade”
through water up to 33.5 inches deep.VERDICT
The 2019 Range Rover Sport SVR comes
with a base price of $114,800. The final price
of the specific tested vehicle, loaded with a
generous array of upgrades and options, was
$131,520. There are few competitors in the
market with more power or with better off-
road capabilities, and barely any in this class- or in any class, for that matter – with an
equal or better combination of the two. The
Range Rover Sport SVR delivers a feature-
packed, high performance SUV in a stylishly
luxurious package. BT^
When you're done
racing Corvettes at
stoplights, you still
have a large, very
usable full-size SUVBusiness Traveler
Exclusive Video Review
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