2016 Range Rover Sport SVR

First, let’s address the big, blue elephant in the room. With only 223 miles logged for this review, what follows is really more an overview of our total time with the ’16 Range Rover Sport SVR.

- Christian Hazel

Our strongest takeaway from our time in the SVR is admittedly the liquid manner in which the 550 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque are delivered. Just depress the throttle and the vehicle squirts forward with linear precision. But it’s actually more than that: The transmission, engine calibration, and chassis tuning are as close to perfect as we’ve ever found in an SUV. Whether carving corners at adrenaline-overload speeds on the track, ripping up and over a sand dune, or blasting down a desert wash, every terrain submits to the SVR’s will. It’s one thing to make a luxury vehicle; it’s quite another to actually invest in the time, expense, and effort to make driving it a rewarding experience. And that’s what JLR has done with the Range Rover Sport in general—and the SVR, in particular.

Fuel economy on the highway was acceptable, especially for a s