Yes, the SVR has done over 3,000 miles since
the last report
! Conservatively that's well over 600 litres of unleaded bombastically blasted out of those slash-cut quad pipes. Glad I wasn't paying...
Not many of those were in my hands either; as a key member of the PH Le Mans convoy the SVR got stickered up and joined the throng heading to France. For all the constant reminders of speed checks on the way down one unfortunate member of the team didn't even get to France before learning the hard way that, yes, M25 cameras still work at 4am. And, yes, if you don't employ the Automatic Speed Limiter mode on the cruise control things can quickly get ... unpleasant.
Moving swiftly on, with the SVR back from Le Mans, stripped of its stickers and with the roadtrip detritus cleaned out I finally got it back. It's covered nearly 20,000 miles now and the leather on the driver's seat is taking a bit of a shine and showing a little patina. That's OK though and, as a whole, the cabin is proving very well built and hard-wearing. Not to mention comfortable. I've had a few late night, post airport runs back up the M1 lately and that combination of high-set driving position, comfortable seats and that thumping stereo underlaid with V8 bass sees the miles fly by. Unlike aforementioned unfortunate colleague I make regular use of the speed limiter or cruise, just in case.
SVR returns to its maker. Sort of
I need to delve back into that manual too because, somehow, in all its comings and goings it seems to have 'forgotten' my preferred default of loud exhaust mode all the time. I know it's childish. It's probably quite anti-social. But the noise is such a defining character trait of the SVR if the button hasn't been pushed to open the flaps I'll do it by reflex anyway. Perhaps the SVR had grown to learn this and defaulted to full noise. Whoever has been in it since seems to have preferred things quiet, relatively speaking. I need to address this.
Getting back behind the wheel has finally given me a chance to appraise the new 22-inch wheels too. There's no hiding an increased business in the secondary 'noise', with more expansion joint thud and general chitter-chatter filtering through into the cabin. It grips and goes too, that mobility in the worn all season tyres replaced by more bite into the tarmac. You never forget the weight but the way you can chuck this thing around still astonishes me.
I took the SVR along to the opening of the fancy new JLR Special Vehicle Operations HQ recently and got chatting with director Mark Stanton, a development engineer by background. He says cornering grip, traction and braking power are all improved with the bigger tyres. And, though it pains me to be swung by superficial stuff like appearance, I can't help but prefer the beefier stance, the subtle strip of extra rubber poking out of the arches complementing the overall proportions by just a tad. Ach, what the hell. It's not like there was much subtle about the car already. In for a penny...
FACT SHEET
Car: Range Rover SVR
Run by: Dan, on occasion
On fleet since: November 2015
Mileage: 18,559
List price new: £106,635 (Basic list of £95,150 plus £450 for Solar Attenuating Windscreen with Laminated Hydrophobic Front, Rear Door and Quarter Light Glass, £600 for 8 inch High Resolution Touch-screen with Dual-View (includes one set of WhiteFire headphones), £4,000 for Meridian Signature Reference Audio System (1700W) with radio and single slot CD player, MP3 disc, file compatibility and conversation assist with 23 speakers and subwoofer, Contrast Painted Roof - Santorini Black, Sliding Panoramic Roof including Powered Blind, £185 for Adjustable, Auto-dimming, Heated, Powerfold Memory Exterior Mirrors with Approach Lamps (approach lamps include illuminated Range Rover graphic), £700 for Surround Camera System with Towing Assist, £750 for Wade SensingTM with Blind Spot Monitoring with Closing Vehicle Sensing and Reverse Traffic Detection, £600 for Traffic Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning, £1,000 for Head Up Display, £900 for Park Assist featuring Parallel Park, Parking Exit, Perpendicular Parking and 360° Park Distance Control, £1,500 for SVR Carbon Fibre Engine Cover and £800 for Digital TV)
Last month at a glance: Le Mans and back, plus a visit to SVO HQ