15,000 miles and 10 months in a Range Rover Sport SVR is plenty of time to confront one's anti-SUV instincts. Enough to win over a sceptic like me though? Having now bid farewell to the big blue beastie, do I finally consider myself as a Range Rover Sport kind of guy?
I guess I have to pick out certain key memories and see what they add up to. I remember the first time I got into it to move it across the car park from where it had been dropped off beside the BMW M4 it was replacing. My first thought was how stupidly high off the ground I seemed after the comfortingly low-slung seating position of the M4. And how goddamn huge the Sport felt. I'd grown to love the BMW for all its complexities and complications. Against that the SVR just felt oversized, over-endowed and over the top.
By heck, did it sound good though. And that noise remained a dominant feature of life with the car. Inescapable really. Whether my neighbours will look back on the SVR as fondly remains to be seen.
From a purely selfish point of view I'd say the noise of the SVR is its defining feature though, and its most enjoyable. On a long, late-night drive back from Heathrow or wherever the throb tingling through the Sport's bodywork was a constant and comforting companion. Indeed, I now think my entire music collection benefitted from a bass-heavy V8 accompaniment. Because even with 1,700 watts, 23 speakers and a subwoofer's worth of optional £4,000 Meridian hi-fi there was no escape. Why would you want to though? If you're pouring that much petrol into a vehicle you want something for your money other than a healthy collection of Nectar points...
Big V8 departs; Dan mourns
On the few occasions when I was outside of the car and someone else was driving the full magnitude of the noise became evident. I was waiting out in the sticks for James to turn up for a bike ride, unsure of whether I'd come to the right car park. Shall I ring him? Oh no, here he comes, V8 rumbling through the forest like distant thunder. When shooting at Blyton Park it bizarrely sounded louder from half a mile away than it did close up, though I do remember the crockery rattling in the kitchen when it pulled up outside.
So far so superficial. There is, of course, more to this car than a noisy exhaust. Another moment that stands out, early into the loan and into the hairpin bend halfway up Sutton Bank. A clear exit, slightly greasy surface, plenty of gas and ... yup ... that's a four-wheel drift. Utterly outrageous in a two-and-a-bit tonne SUV. But from the ability to back it into the turns on the brakes like a hot-hatch to the throttle adjustability the SVR displayed a surprisingly playful side and, for all the physics bending tech, a predictable, natural feel on the limit.
Future looks bright for SVO from here
The confidence to drive it thus stemmed from a couple of key features, first being steering with weight and response to give you something to lean against into the turns. Back to back with the gloopy, over-assisted wheel in the
Cayenne Turbo S
this counted for more than any amount of Porsche chassis trickery or extra horsepower. Likewise the visibility. Range Rover talks a lot about its 'command' driving position but the boxy shape and low beltline really do mean you can see over the hedges and use more of the performance more of the time, simply because your sightlines are so much better. Again, the Porsche's thick pillars and slit-like windows meant it was seriously hampered, leaving the supposedly old-school 4x4 to romp away in 'real world' driving.
Before switching to the 22-inch wheels with the road-optimised Continental SportContact5 tyres I rather enjoyed the 21s and Pirelli All Conditions tyres. With these fitted I dabbled in a bit of light green laning for amusing diversions on the way to the supermarket and also appreciated it moving around a bit more on wet roads. I have to confess the no-cost 22s (black ones are £415 extra) filled the arches more convincingly. But from a driving perspective I preferred life on the 21s. I'd have said you could scratch £1,555 for the carbon engine dressing from the total too, but the crestfallen look on the face of another SVR driver I encountered when he realised his car didn't have it was an illuminating insight into the mindset of the customers.
When are the XF and XE coming then?
Issues? Well there was the time the battery went flat enough that the car wouldn't start but the alarm would still work, deafening me and the neighbours (again) as I tried to work the solution. And I never got on with the navigation, its pixellated graphics a Nokia 6310 to a modern day smartphone and its tendency to take the scenic route meaning I didn't trust its sense of direction. That it takes centre stage in such an otherwise stylish and ergonomically sound cabin just adds insult but MY17 cars now carry the much improved
InControl Touch Pro
system with its 10-inch touchscreen interface. And, spot the recurring theme here, the exhaust noise in the back with the flaps open was ridiculous. In quiet mode it was fine though, leaving the option to drown out any irritating back seat passengers as required. Which actually has its uses.
What to say about fuel consumption? There was a lot of it, the 100-litre tank fooling you into thinking "wow, I've only used half a tank!" on a run, the cost of topping that up leading to some anguished Tweets from Matt about the compatability of a News Editor's salary with Range Rover SVR running costs.
Did it win me over though? With £100K to spend on something practical, luxurious and outrageously fast I think I'd still probably opt for an uber wagon like an RS6 Performance or the pending E63 AMG. But as an insight into a world I'd not previously even considered the SVR opened my eyes to how Range Rover has pulled off the trick of turning the Sport into a proper performance car. With some charisma and considerable style too. But the fact it has a hint of not taking itself too seriously is key to its character. So I'm still not an SUV guy. But I could see myself in a Range Rover and the SVR over-delivered on the fun factor to such a degree I'm going to miss it greatly. The neighbours? Possibly not so much...
FACT SHEET
Car: Range Rover SVR
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: November 2015
Mileage: 21,340
List price new: £106,635 (Basic list of £95,150 plus £450 for Solar Attenuating Windscreen with Laminated Hydrophobic Front, Rear Door and Quarter Light Glass, £600 for 8 inch High Resolution Touch-screen with Dual-View (includes one set of WhiteFire headphones), £4,000 for Meridian Signature Reference Audio System (1700W) with radio and single slot CD player, MP3 disc, file compatibility and conversation assist with 23 speakers and subwoofer, Contrast Painted Roof - Santorini Black, Sliding Panoramic Roof including Powered Blind, £185 for Adjustable, Auto-dimming, Heated, Powerfold Memory Exterior Mirrors with Approach Lamps (approach lamps include illuminated Range Rover graphic), £700 for Surround Camera System with Towing Assist, £750 for Wade SensingTM with Blind Spot Monitoring with Closing Vehicle Sensing and Reverse Traffic Detection, £600 for Traffic Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning, £1,000 for Head Up Display, £900 for Park Assist featuring Parallel Park, Parking Exit, Perpendicular Parking and 360° Park Distance Control, £1,500 for SVR Carbon Fibre Engine Cover and £800 for Digital TV)
Last month at a glance: Ears ringing it's time to hand the SVR back
