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WHEN you’re looking for sheer opulence, or to crank up your gangster level to 12, a Range Rover Sport has always been the go to vehicle. It’s loved by Hollywood movie stars, business tycoons, and people with a little cash to splash.
But with the onslaught of predominantly German manufactures such as Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Rolls Royce stepping up their game in the luxury SUV space in recent years, the Range Rover has struggled a little to keep up.
With all of that competition, Land Rover tasked the Special Vehicle Operations team with cranking out a next level, fire breathing Range Rover Sport, in this case, in the form of the SVR Carbon Edition.
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The Carbon Edition takes the already handsome styling of the Sport SUV, and adds some attractive bits, extra go fast performance and some customisation, but it all comes with a hefty price tag (more on that later).
Externally, there’s an exposed full carbon fibre bonnet with unique vents, carbon highlights around the front skirt and grille, carbon side mirrors, and carbon trim for the tailgate at the back. There’s also quad tip exhausts and 22-inch lightweight alloy gloss black wheels.
Basically, there’s carbon fibre everywhere, except the rear. That single strip across the middle of the tailgate feels a little lacking. The rear skirt could have done with some carbon inserts, for sure.
The other thing that surprised us is a lack of an actual Carbon Edition badge, with just the SVR badge adorning the car. We want special branding, God damn it.
Climbing inside, you’ll find the scuff plates are wrapped in aluminium and illuminated with the Carbon Edition moniker, but this is the only location it’s announced. Maybe, because there’s carbon everywhere, Land Rover thinks people will know what it is.
Up front, you’ll find a pair of special leather wrapped performance bucket seats that are positioned perfectly inside the front of the cabin and comfortable to boot. Bespoke aluminium pedals greet your feet and there’s more carbon trimmings in the dash.
The centre console and door trims also feature similar materials. There’s also real metal trimming spread across the dash and around the cabin. It’s quite a tasteful touch against the leather trim and soft-touch materials.
You will find two large super crisp screens for the infotainment system and car controls, with both integrated well into the dash, and very responsive to the touch. For the money though, we’d expect wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
We’d also live to have seen a wireless charging pad or a USB-C fast charging port. Neither are present. What you do get though is an 825W Meridian 18-speaker sound system to pump your tunes through, DAB+ digital radio, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.
There is ample space throughout the cabin too, and the rear seats are essentially the same as the front; two bucket style seats with a nice armrest in the middle. It’s essentially a four seat SUV.
Boot space is also generous and has a wide chasm for loading larger boxes, should you use your Carbon Edition for moving house or picking up a new flat screen TV. You will also find a beautiful, sliding panoramic sunroof (another optional extra).
A black contrast roof is the standard option and the SVR Carbon Edition also comes with pixel LED headlights with signature DRLs, sweeping indicators, and heated power-fold memory door mirrors with approach lights.
There’s also toughened rear-side glass, a solar attenuating windscreen, powered tailgate with gesture control, heated SVR performance seats, an extended leather upgrade, a Suede headliner, and an electrically-adjustable steering column.
The SVR leather steering wheel features aluminium paddle shifters, and there’s keyless entry and exit. Under the huge carbon fibre hood beats the heart of the SVR; a 423kW supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine that punches out 700Nm of torque.
It’s the most powerful, fastest, engine to ever be fitted to a Land Rover, and can sprint to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. That’s insanely quick when you remember the Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon Edition ways in excess of 2,000kg. It has a top speed of 280km/h.
A rather linear power curve means it doesn’t really feel like it’s that fast (it’s not snap your neck quick, but its size and the level of refinement this vehicle offers certainly play a part in that).
And thanks to its two stage exhaust system and that rumbly V8, the sound the SVR makes from the rear is amazing, and it’s all too easy to ignite. Giving it spirit shall we say though, means she’s a thirsty beast.
Land Rover claims a combined usage of 12.8-litres/100km from its ultra sporty Range Rover, but real world testing saw numbers pushing up towards 19.0-litres/100km. It’s an added bonus that it still sports all of the low-range off road ability of its lesser offspring.
That’s thanks to the transfer case that it bolted to a smooth shifting 8-speed gearbox, while the Carbon Edition also has a wading depth of 850mm, as well as an approach angle of 20.6 degrees, and departure of 23.9. That’s better than a 200 Series LandCruiser.
Despite its pure focus on performance, the SVR Carbon Edition strikes a very nice balance in the ride and handling department and is well suited as a daily driver. Sure, it’s more highly strung than its stablemates and less understated, but it’s satisfying and predictable.
Range Rover’s trademark command driving position provides the driver with fantastic forward and side vision, also placing you deeper into vehicle than some rivals. It feels like you’re sitting as high as some trucks and yet, you’ve got the agility of a sports hatch.
Throw in the comfort of a private jet, and it’s one very good looking, refined motor vehicle. It may not have cutting edge tech, but it’s still incredibly hard to pass up as what’s probably the brand’s coolest SUV.
The only sting is the cost. If you would like to get your hands on a 2021 Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon Edition, pricing starts from around $295,000. It’s available in a literal tonne of colours, including Fuji White (as tested), Estoril Blue, Sanguinello Orange and Firenze Red.
All of those colours, except our test colour, come at a price, ranging from $2,000 to a little over $14,000. There are four interior trim choices too, along with a similar number of roof linings. There’s an extensive list of optional driving aids and add-ons too.
Throw them all on, and you could tip $350,000. That’s a rather large ask for a special edition. We should also mention that all the safety features you might expect, are included (a couple are optional), but we shall not list them all.
The 2021 Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon Edition comes with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with 5-years roadside assistance.
Our test vehicle were provided by Land Rover Australia. To find out more about the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon Edition, contact your local Land Rover dealer.
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