Range Rover sport SVR sets Nürburgring record for SUVs

The Range Rover Sport SVR that will launch in global markets soon has become the fastest production SUV to lap the Nürburgring. According to Land Rover, the SVR has recorded a time of 8m14s around the famous circuit.

The SVR will become Land Rover's flagship performance model when it goes on sale. The car is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, the same unit as found in Jaguar's R-S models, tuned to develop 542bhp. That's some 39bhp more than the existing top-spec supercharged V8 model, meaning performance figures for the SVR are likely to improve on the Range Rover Sport's 0-100kph sprint time of 5.3 seconds. Sources have previously suggested the firm has targeted a sprint time of around 4.5 seconds.

Land Rover says the lap was completed using a production-spec car, with engineering chief Mike Cross saying: "The Nürburgring is a benchmark for vehicle development and testing, and cars become stronger, more durable and faster over its 13 miles and 70-plus corners. We wanted to see whether an SUV could behave like a performance car in this challenging environment." Other SUV entries which have reportedly tried to claim the Nürburgring title include Porsche, whose Macan Turbo allegedly set a time of 8m15s earlier this year.

Created by Jaguar Land Rover's new Special Vehicle Operations division, the Range Rover Sport SVR is expected to feature a tuned suspension, software changes and a more powerful braking system than the current Range Rover Sport. Despite its on-road credentials, Land Rover has also said the model will come with a twin-speed transfer case for both high and low gear ratios, as well as a wading depth of 850mm.

Land Rover also has a video showing the SVR in action at the Nürburgring.