Geneva Motor Show - After a couple of teaser images of the interior earlier in
the year, Land Rover has fully revealed the new Range Rover SV Coupe in all its
two-door glory.
Inspired by the original Range Rover coupe which sold for 11
years between 1970 and 1981, the new one takes a seemingly regular four-door
model and deletes the rear apertures to make for a rather unusual (for the
segment) full-size SUV. The finished product is, however, hardly regular.
The SV Coupe is hand-made by Land Rover’s Special Vehicles
Operations (SVO) department in Warwickshire, and only 999 units will be
delivered to wealthy customers around the world. We say wealthy, because at a
base price of £240 000 (R3.9-million) the limited edition is nearly double the
cost of an equivalent four-door Range Rover.
Land Rover compares the Coupe’s cabin to private jets and
yachts, and with quilted semi-aniline leather upholstery (sourced from a single
tannery which opened in 1905) available in four two-tone colours, heated and
cooled 20-way front and 10-way rear adjustable seats, and a 23-speaker, 1700w
Meridian Signature sound system, it's a reasonable analogy.
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Wood veneers are used extensively throughout the interior,
and are available in three options including Natural Black Ash, Santos
Palisander and Nautica - a new design technique fusing finite layers of walnut
and sycamore together for a unique layered look.
Infotainment happens by way of a 25.4cm Touch Pro Duo
touchscreen, with a second 25.4cm touchscreen beneath it (similar to the
Velar’s) for climate and vehicle settings. A third 30.5cm colour display is
used as the driver’s instrument cluster, and above that yet another 25.4cm
image is projected onto the windscreen for a head-up display with colour map
readouts including street names, slope and wheel information when offroading,
and cruise control, RPM and gear selection data.
Exterior trim finishers are made from a selection of exotic
materials such as Satin Indus Silver, Brunel Metallic Mesh and Noble Chrome,
while the Bright Chrome/Black Knurled Range Rover bonnet and tailgate badges
are hand-made in the UK’s Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. Interestingly, besides
the lower tailgate and bonnet, the Coupe shares no body panels with its
four-door counterpart.
Depending on the market, the SV Coupe is fitted with
Pixel-laser LED headlights incorporating 144 LEDs and four laser diodes to send
high beams up to half a kilometre down the road at speeds above 80km/h, and
when no other road users are detected.
Technically speaking the Coupe is capable of some bundu
bashing, and Range Rover quotes a 900mm wading depth; impressive approach,
breakover and departure angles; and a height-adjustable pneumatic suspension,
but bear in mind the massive 21, 22 or 23-inch wheels (the biggest ever on a
Range Rover) when venturing off the pristine tarred roads of Buckinghamshire…
or Sandton.
The Coupe also lays claim to being the fastest ever Range
Rover with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 266km/h,
courtesy of a supercharged 5-litre V8 with 416kW and 700Nm outputs. It’s good
for a max towing capacity of 3500kg as well, so load up a trailer of
lipizzaners and hit the dressage in record time.
Jaguar Land Rover South Africa confirms a limited number of
SV Coupes will be made available to our market next year, but can’t yet comment
on pricing. If you’re interested, and budget allows, you can register your
interest at www.landrover.co.za