2024 Range Rover Sport SV gets more horses and the tech to tame them

Jan 09, 2024

This is the 2024 Range Rover Sport SV, given a new heart compared to the previous version and new muscle to make the most of that heart. A 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with a 48-volt mild hybrid system gets everyone up to speed. With 626 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the BMW-sourced engine makes 59 hp and 37 lb-ft more than the old supercharged 5.0-liter V8. Now the most powerful Range Rover ever, the Range Rover Sport SV rips to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds and hits a top speed of 180 mph. The bodywork changes like the updated front fascia not only distinguish the SV, they provide the improved cooling necessary for the engine. The remade side sills, carbon fiber tipped quad-exhaust, and carbon fiber details from front to back are just for show. The front splitter is doubly functional, being removable to increase the SUV's approach angle.

That kind of speed often is not dynamically kind to the sort of heft we're talking about, Land Rover saying the new thoroughbred comes in at about 5,643 pounds including the standard carbon fiber hood. The steering ratio's increased from 17.5:1 to 13.6:1 to aid reflexes, and a new air suspension called 6D adds a linked hydraulic setup, connecting dampers laterally and transversely. Run by the 48-volt system, the hydraulic connections control pitch and roll, eliminating the need for mechanical anti-roll bars. A company engineer said that at the Sport SV's peak lateral limit of 1.1G, the body leans no more than 4 degrees. That's a 22% improvement, one achieved on all-season tires instead of the summer tires the old Sport SVR came on. Drivers will want the new SV mode to extract the best of this, the mode lowering the body more than half an inch and opening up more flexibility with slip angles.

Wider, staggered tires are also part of the combination that unlocks speed runs. Standard 23-inch wheels wear Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 rubber all around, 285-section in front, 305-section in back. A specially developed set of Brembos undo that speed, the front calipers juggling eight pistons. Range Rover will offer a set of 23-inch carbon fiber wheels, a first for the segment from the factory, and an optional set of carbon composite brakes. The wheels shed a total of 78.5 pounds in total, the brakes lose another 75 compared to the cast iron rotors, meaning more than 38 pounds lost at each corner.

The interior's a shrine to luxury tech. There are edge-lit paddle shifters. Carbon-fiber-backed performance seats with integrated headrests pack transducers that vibrate to the sounds of the 29-speaker, 1,430-watt Meridian audio system. The 13.1-inch screen for Pivi Pro4 infotainment is floating glass, the menus redesigned to put the most common buttons along the sides on display at all times and keep 80% of selections within two taps of the home screen. The Country Road Assist code in the adaptive cruise control automatically slows for bends and adjusts to the local speed limit.

The 2024 Range Rover Sport SV Edition One is being produced for the first year, the automaker won't admit to the global production number, though. Not that it matters, because they've all been sold. We expect pricing for the U.S. market to come when Range Rover begins selling the trims the regular public can buy.