To be clear this is - what I like to call - the Big Daddy Range Rover or Full Fat Range Rover, not the slightly watered down Sport variant.
In fact, Range Rover has debuted a new model called Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic, and yes, aficionados will note the 'SV' part of the name as a hat-tip to Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) unit.
With the new name comes a few new features, such as semi-autonomous driving, an improved all-terrain info centre and enhanced 10-inch touchscreen display. Naturally, whilst being powered by the 405kW 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 from the Range Rover Sport SVR.
Be sure to watch it roar in the video above
“Range Rover has been the world’s leading luxury SUV since its debut more than 46 years ago,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer. “Design is fundamental to this vehicle and the latest refinements reinforce its status as the ultimate luxury SUV. By offering our customers more choice, more technology and more power, we ensure Range Rover remains in a class of its own.”
That potent Supercharged V8 delivers an enormous 680Nm of torque, enabling the SVAutobiography Dynamic (SVAD) to hit 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds (only 0.8 seconds shy of its sibling SVRs 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds). That's the 'Dynamic' aspect of the name taken care of then.
All that power and torque is delivered to the tarmac via a ZF eight-speed transmission, of course via all four wheels, which can be specced in either 21 or 22-inch diameter.
Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO division has also tinkered with the suspension to achieve the optimum combination of performance and comfort, with revisions to the knuckles, links, springs and dampers, endowing the SVAD with an 8mm lower than standard ride height.
This lowered ride height is linked to two driver-focused technologies designed to deliver improved body control and agility. The first is Dynamic Response which is said to improve vehicle handling and occupant comfort by reducing the amount of body lean during cornering. Working on the front and rear axles independently this system offers increased low-speed agility, superior high-speed stability and greater steering precision.
The second is Adaptive Dynamics, which monitors vehicle movements up to 500 times a second, reacting to driver inputs and changes in the road surface to provide greater control without compromising Range Rover’s legendary comfort and refinement.
Ranger Rover had also upped the ante (if that is possible) of the SVADs interior. For that ultimate sophisticated look, seats are now covered in diamond quilted leather with contrast stitching and are available in four exclusive colours. This complements the ebony perforated leather headliner. Key features, such as the rotary shift controller, start stop button and pedals have a luxurious knurled finish. No known to not over sweat the details, even the owner's handbook in SVAD is bound in matching quilted leather.
An innovative technology available on 2017 year models is Advanced Tow Assist which promises to take the stress out of the potentially difficult and frustrating task of reversing a trailer. If you've ever tried to reverse with a trailer on, then you will know the confusing scenario of left is right and right is left.
Following the trajectory lines overlaid on an image from the rear-facing camera displayed on the central touchscreen, Advanced Tow Assist is able to automatically steer the vehicle to follow the path selected by the driver. Nice!
Also available in 2017 are a series of new app services. InControl Remote Premium, for example, allows customers to remotely control vehicle functions such as activating the climate control to cool or heat the car ready for departure, set and deactivate the alarm, and even start the engine. The app will alert owners if their vehicle alarm has been triggered.
Additional InControl Touch Pro Services include live apps that can be downloaded to the car or your smartphone. Particularly handy is the Route Planner app which allows you set a destination in the app, the app will navigate you to the vehicle, before transferring further directions to the in-vehicle system. Once parked close to your destination, the system will switch back to the smartphone to guide owners to their chosen location on foot.
