Land Rover’s regiment of Range Rovers have always been the bi-word for reliability and robustness. The reason Range Rovers are so good is that, unlike other car designers who design the car after reading about off-roading in books, they are actually designed by people who know and have experienced off-roading. The Autobiography being the highest variant is considered as one of the best while being a status symbol.
Range Rovers are often perceived as cars that aren’t built for speed, and can only do you good on challenging terrain. Land Rover’s SVR gives a lie to this myth. The solicitous interior promises a calm virtue, but, the SVR is not the car to adjudicate based on looks. As soon as the accelerator pedal is graced by your foot, the vindictive engine jolts you into the seat. The vocal range of the car is enhanced by the pompous hum of the supercharger adding melody to the bass of the engine. The celerity of the steering response is especially honest to the sporting jacket it wears. The 8 speed automatic transmission handles the power in a rather responsible and sober way.
Coming to the interior of the car, the driving position is what took my fancy when I drove it today. The angle at which the steering is placed is unique in Range Rovers and seems off-base. When you drive the car off-road there is an enterprise of gadgets engaged in making your effort negligible. The amount of driver assistance equipments that you get on the SVR is “too damn high!” The buttons on the car are so well-built that not even your six-year-old could break them. The flawless execution of the leather upholstery with brushed aluminum trims and carbon fiber motifs keeps the car in the realm of professional looks while being that little bit snazzy.
For Indian roads in my opinion this is the perfect car to buy as it is equipped with everything you could ask from a car. The off-road capability gives the car an edge over other cars on shredded Indian roads. The suspension is very forgiving and promulgates comfort. It is armed with an array of practical details to increase the receptiveness and the utility. The diesel engine promises uncanny savings on the fuel money. The car looks amazing from every angle while being discreet. It wouldn’t turn heads like a Porsche or a Lamborghini but it will gather the attention of a certain few who understand the eminence of Range Rovers. The subtle crust of beauty and comfort encompasses a core of unbridled genius.
Range Rovers have always been obtrusive cars and were always ahead of other SUV’s. The reason why they were in the foreground was because they were built with the prime purpose of off-roading unlike other SUV’s which gave off road capacity a lower priority. As a result, Range Rovers were crafted to face a much more truculent environment. Being forged in a crucible of abusive demands, the Range Rover by default is accustomed to being built to a higher standard. To make the car outstanding in every other fathomable measure has taxed the company some honest to god engineering. The SVR is a legacy to this effort.
To sum it up, the SVR is a good car and the dynamic variant in particular is the best car for Indian roads. Some of you at this point might think how the Autobiography being twice the price of the SVR lost the race. The problem with the Autobiography is, its too committed to off-roading, unlike the SVR which keeps a more conducive balance.
As British roads deteriorate to a standard resembling that of a ploughed field I can attest to the poetic tribute given to the Range Rover SVR in this review. I have had the pleasure of gracing the passenger seat in my father-in-law’s SVR at the end of a long journey in my lowered suspension GTI Golf and it’s low profile tyres. The difference was akin to traveling at high speed down a rocky escarpment on a tea-tray to then be gracefully transported onto a hovercraft gliding effortlessly over a glassily still mill-pond. Complementing the serenity of the experience was the illusion that I was in the leather armchairs of the living room. That illusion was shattered the moment the accelerator was pushed to the floor and I felt l was going to reach the stratosphere. Surfice to say I was impressed.