The 2019 Range Rover SV Coupe Is Dead and Will Not Reach Production
UPDATE 1/29/19: The Range Rover SV coupe is DOA, as Land Rover says that it will not reach production. The company had planned to build 999 of these exclusive models globally but has cancelled all existing orders; according to Auto Express, some customers had already configured their vehicles.
The Range Rover has come a long way since it launched in 1970 as a two-door utility vehicle. Thanks to a confluence of events about a decade later-namely, that the Range Rover gained a second set of doors just as aspirational types were coming to the conclusion that projecting the persona of landed gentry on a perpetual pheasant hunt was a worthy endeavor-the brand’s fortunes grew enough to justify cranking up the levels of opulence and performance, an approach that continues to this day. The 2019 Range Rover SV coupe unveiled at the 2018 Geneva auto show represents the new pinnacle of the brand.
The Biggest Prize in Sport
Limited to a production run of just 999 examples worldwide, the SV coupe will be hand assembled at the SVO Technical Centre in Warwickshire, England. While the two-door format harks back to the original, Range Rover also made sure to extract plenty of output from the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8-the SV coupe’s engine produces the same 557 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque as the recently uprated SVAutobiography Dynamic four-door. A ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters sends torque to a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case and a locking rear differential. A claimed zero-to-60-mph time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 165 mph make this the fastest full-size Range Rover ever, according to its maker.
Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 technology allows drivers to select from Dynamic, Eco, Comfort, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud and Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl driving modes as desired. The SV coupe sits slightly lower than the standard Range Rover, and the air-spring suspension automatically lowers the vehicle by another 0.6 inch at speeds of 65 mph or above. Additionally, the suspension can raise the vehicle by 1.6 inches above normal for off-road driving below 50 mph; a maximum of 3.0 inches above the standard ride height is available at speeds up to 31 mph.
Two-Door Exclusives
The aluminum-bodied exterior is largely specific to the coupe, with the hood and the lower tailgate being the only body panels carried over from the standard four-door Range Rover. The doors have frameless glass and a power-close feature. The exclusive two-part grille and new side vents are composed of a special mesh and feature a satin-silver metal surround; the Range Rover script on the hood and the tailgate is handcrafted in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter in the United Kingdom. Rolling stock includes 21-, 22-, and 23-inch wheels, the last being the largest ever offered on a Range Rover.
Eight standard exterior colors are available, in either a traditional gloss or a satin finish. Buyers also can choose from 16 additional hues from the SV Premium Palette. A so-called Contour Graphic, which extends from the front fender vents down the body sides and onto the tailgate, will be offered in four shades.
Warm Embrace
The interior of the Range Rover SV coupe coddles passengers in the warm embrace of materials and colors generally associated with private social clubs that have strict dress codes. Front passengers get heated and cooled 20-way power-adjustable chairs, while the folks in back make do with merely 10-way power seats. The semi-aniline leather features a “gradated diamond-quilt design.” A selection of four two-tone interiors, with the front seats and back seats in different colors, are available, along with four single-tone interior treatments.
Wood trim elements on the steering-wheel rim, door panels, center console, instrument panel, and load floor can be rendered in Natural Black Ash or Santos Palisander veneers as well as Nautica, which is the product of a new-to–Range Rover process that fuses together walnut and sycamore woods.
Land Rover’s InControl Touch Pro Duo setup handles the infotainment duties utilizing a 10.0-inch display, a 10.0-inch control panel, a 12.0-inch Interactive Driver Display, and a full-color head-up display. The 1700-watt, 23-speaker Meridian 3D Signature sound system offers more jam-kicking capability than SV coupe owners are likely to need.
Should you find yourself requiring a ludicrously quick, leather-lined, two-door gentleman’s express with off-road chops to spare, you’ll need to stop by your financial institution and pick up a minimum of $295,995, the SV coupe’s base price. And don’t delay-remember, Range Rover is making only 999 of them.
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