Limited-run £240k Range Rover SV Coupé revealed

How Autocar personalised a fantasy Range Rover SV Coupé

The only remaining parts from a standard Range Rover are the bonnet and the lower half of the tailgate.

The two-door SV Coupeà has very similar dimensions to a standard four-door Range Rover. The car is 8mm lower and 13mm longer. It is also offered with 23in wheels, a first for Land Rover.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern described the model as a “lady or gentleman’s chariot”. He said: “It has compelling proportions and real presence. This isn’t a vehicle for the shy. It is a very sophisticated design.”

He said he had tried to create a balance of “performance prowess” and formality.

Although the SV Coupeà is a nod to the first Range Rover, the two-door Series 1, it wasn’t the reason for the car’s creation. “It pays homage but we weren’t trying to replicate that vehicle,” said McGovern.

The optional two-tone seats – the rear seats are a darker leather and the front ones are lighter – are intended to highlight the model’s driver focus. “Chauffeurs who drive the Queen have the seat colours the other way round [dark in the front, light in the rear],” said McGovern. “This way makes it far more road-oriented.”

He also said the model “talks to exclusivity” and will have “a very good halo effect on Range Rover in terms of building its equity”.

When asked whether a standard Range Rover coupeà could ever make production, he said: “It depends on what volume potential is there. CoupeÃs generally don’t have a high uptake. For the same price, you can get a car with four doors, so it’s a practicality issue. So as a mainstream vehicle, I don’t know. You could argue a Velar coupeà would look great. But we know the volume doesn’t normally justify it.”

Although the SV Coupeà is a design-focused model, it is also the fastest full-sized Range Rover yet, achieving 0-62mph in 5.3sec and a top speed of 165mph. The Range Rover Sport SVR remains the quickest in the line-up, covering the 0-62mph sprint in 4.5sec.

The SV Coupeà uses the same powertrain as the Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB: a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine producing 557bhp and 516lb ft mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with a rotary drive selector and paddle shifters.

It has permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer box and active locking rear differential assisted by Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system, which has six settings that alter the car’s responses to suit different terrain.

The 8mm-lower ride height over a standard Range Rover delivers “enhanced dynamic performance and aesthetics”, claims Land Rover. The car can lower itself by 15mm above 65mph to improve stability and fuel economy.

The suspension has five height settings, including the most extreme Off Road 2, which raises the car 75mm above its normal ride height at up to 31mph. On top of that, it increases by 30-40mm if an obstacle is detected and a further manually selectable 30-40mm rise above that is available. The SV Coupeà has a 3500kg towing capability, the same as a standard Range Rover and Bentley Bentayga, and a 900mm maximum wading depth.

Inside, the two-tone leather interior is available in a choice of four dual colours as well as four single-tone colours. There are heated and cooled 20-way- adjustable front and 10-way- adjustable rear seats with a unique diamond quilt design.