Range Rover Sport SVR sets Ferrari 458 beating record

The record-breaking ascent is the latest challenge completed by the Range Rover Sport after the PHEV model made its climb to Heaven’s Gate natural rock arch.

Land Rover’s performance SUV, the Range Rover Sport SVR, has smashed the record for negotiating 99 corners of the Tianmen Road in China.

Driven by Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver Ho-Pin Tung, the standard production Range Rover Sport SVR set a new unofficial record of 9 minutes 51 seconds for the 11.3km ascent at an average speed of 68.8km/h, beating the previous best of 10 minutes 31 seconds set by a Ferrari 458 Italia in 2016.

After breaking the record, Ho-Pin Tung said, ‘I am used to the high speeds of racing, but this was even more demanding. Maintaining concentration was the biggest challenge as the road twists and turns constantly, with huge drop-offs to the side. The consequences of getting it wrong would have been really serious, so I focused on establishing a rhythm, and the Range Rover Sport SVR made this easy – it may be an SUV, but it has the performance and agility of a supercar and can take you to places a supercar can only dream of.’

With 567bhp and 700Nm available from its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine, the SVR is currently is the fastest Land Rover and can accelerate from 0 to100km/h in 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of 280km/h. The performance flagship also sports design revisions and increased use of lightweight materials to enhance performance, handling and agility.

Made by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), special emphasis has been made to control pitch under heavy acceleration and braking. Also, changes to the damping hardware have improved the SVR's turn-in, mid-corner grip and body control over the standard Range Rover Sport.

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR is available in India at a price tag of Rs. 1.87 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Also read: Range Rover Sport PHEV climbs China’s Heaven's Gate