Land Rover unveils 'world's first full-size luxury SUV coupe' in Geneva
British manufacturer is to build a limited run of the two-door Range Rover SV Coupé, which will come with a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine
Land Rover has taken the covers off its latest limited-edition model that it says is defining a new genre as “the world’s first full-size luxury SUV coupé”.
Called the Range Rover SV Coupé, it’s based on the luxury Range Rover SUV but has been altered by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) to come with two doors and a sloping roofline.
Unveiled today during the first press day of the Geneva Motor Show, only 999 examples will be made, with each one costing from £240,000.
Land Rover’s chief design officer, Gerry McGovern, said: “The Range Rover SV Coupé is a celebration of the Range Rover bloodline. With a dramatic two-door silhouette, this breathtaking four-seat coupé alludes to its unique heritage while being thoroughly modern and contemporary.”
Like many other SVO vehicles, it comes with a powerful engine under the bonnet – a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 in fact, which produces 557bhp and 700Nm of torque.
With that power unit, which is paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the SV Coupé can get from 0-60mph in five seconds flat and go on to a top speed of 165mph – which makes it the fastest Range Rover yet.
The ride height has been dropped by 8mm for a more driver-focused feel, but the SV Coupé maintains the all-terrain capabilities of the standard Range Rover – such as a 90cm wading depth, all-wheel drive and the brand’s Terrain Response 2 system.
SVO director Mark Stanton added: “As you’d expect from Range Rover, the engineering integrity in the SV Coupé is more than skin-deep. This is a meticulously honed vehicle that’s designed for SV clients who love driving.”
Little has been changed in terms of the design compared with a standard Range Rover, but the roof angle is at a slightly steeper rake and the power-close doors are frameless so they integrate into the roofline. For the first time as well, 23-inch alloy wheels will also be offered on a Range Rover.
Each special-edition model will be hand-assembled by the SVO team at its factory in Warwickshire, with customers able to choose from multiple two-tone upholstery options for the quilted leather seats and more than 100 exterior body finishes.
Other vehicles built by SVO include the Discovery SVX – first shown at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show – and the Jaguar F-Type SVR, which is currently Jaguar’s fastest production car.
Sales of the SV Coupé are expected to begin in the final quarter of 2018.
by Jack Healy
