Range Rover Sport SVR the fastest SUV around the Nurburgring

By Tim Pollard

Motoring Issues

30 July 2014 11:35

In a questionable bout of willy-waving, Land Rover today announced one of the most pointless speed records we’ve yet heard: the new Range Rover Sport SVR became the fastest production SUV around the Nurburgring.

The breathed-over RR SVR lapped the Nordschleife in 8min 14sec, spelling out the performance credentials of the fastest ever Land Rover.

The record was set by a standard production SVR, which will be unveiled sans disguise later this summer. Land Rover is adamant the record-breaking SVR had the same twin-speed transfer case for high- and low-range ratios and the 850mm wading depth as other roadgoing Range Rover Sports.

Why is the SVR so fast? Look no further than the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) supercharged V8, familiar from various rapid missiles from the F-type to the XKR.

Here the 5.0-litre lump produces 543bhp, up 40 ponies over the existing V8 Supercharged Range Rover Sport. Power is, naturally, sent to all four wheels.

This is one of the first production cars to come out of JLR’s new Special Vehicle Operations division, charged with souping up high-performance derivatives across the board.

Mike Cross, the group’s chief engineer vehicle integrity guru and ace driver, explains this strangest of records: ‘The Nürburgring is a benchmark for vehicle development and testing, and cars become stronger, more durable and faster over its 13 miles and 70-plus corners.

‘We wanted to see whether an SUV could behave like a performance car in this challenging environment. The results are spectacular and the Range Rover Sport SVR has demonstrated outstanding on-road performance capabilities.’

See the Range Rover Sport SVR in Land Rover showrooms in 2015. Although we still question whether mud-pluggers should try and be this fast…

Click here for more Range Rover Sport SVR news.

By Tim Pollard