Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography | Spotted
Five litres, eight cylinders, one supercharger - and four of the silliest exhaust pipes you ever did see...
With the legendary 5.0-litre V8 - officially the AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0 - now reserved solely for the very silliest of Defenders, be they new hot hatch wannabes or old-school reworks, it’s easy to find yourself craving a fix from the JLR back catalogue. With good reason: the engine was hugely lovable, in naturally aspirated and supercharged forms, and it was offered in all manner of luxury cars.
All manner of luxury cars that tended to depreciate, too - meaning there are very nice Jaguar XKs and XFs with 5.0-litre engines from a lot less than £10,000. There are XJRs, XKRs and XFRs, too, plus the big boy Range Rover, the irrepressibly rowdy Sport SVR, the F-Pace equivalent (now from £20,000), and a glut of F-Types. Nobody could say that maximum value wasn’t extracted from the AJ-V8 while it was still possible, all the way to the 600hp Project 8.
This car, however, is none of those things. Well done to all who could correctly identify it as a Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography, in many ways the forgotten scoundrel of the supercharged pack. Forgotten because not very many sold, as it answered a question that nobody has really asked. The F-Pace SVR and Range Rover Sport SVR already existed, with the same engine. The Velar was intended to be a more refined proposition than the other pair of hellraisers, but the demand didn’t necessarily exist. As a smaller SUV than the other two and without the cachet of the SVR badge (while still costing almost £90,000), the SVA simply didn’t find many homes. It appears to have only been on sale for a couple of years.
Still, appealing to a niche of buyers doesn’t make a car bad, and there remains plenty to like about the ultimate Velar. Despite the popularity of the base model, a well-specced V8 like this Dynamic Edition (with £19k of options, no less, including bigger wheels, fancier seats and upgraded sound) can still look properly smart in a way that the slightly OTT Sport can not. Everything bar those exhausts is in keeping with the SVA’s more subdued attitude, which now seems quite a smart approach. The interior, too, benefits from some proper switchgear that the latest Velars go without, albeit with older infotainment.
While this was a less flamboyant drive than those cars with an SVR badge, the Velar was always a tidy-handling car. And the main appeal will be under the bonnet, of course: 550hp and 502lb ft meant 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, and 170mph potential. With a supercharged V8 soundtrack as the cherry on top.
Even with the healthy options spend, this one is less than half the standard new price after 44,000 miles. Services have taken place exclusively at main dealers, and it breezed through its MOT earlier in January. Running a supercharged V8 Range Rover won’t come cheap, of course, though the same could be said for any car of this ilk. Those SVR-badged SUVs are always going to be hard to ignore as well. But as something a little different with a very familiar USP, the SVAutobiography seems a very intriguing alternative. And those exhausts means its special status will never, ever go unnoticed.
SPECIFICATION | RANGE ROVER VELAR SVAUTOBIOGRAPHY
Engine: 4,999cc, V8, supercharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@6,000-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 502@2,500-5,500rpm
MPG: 23.9 (NEDC)
CO2: 270g/km (NEDC)
Year registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 44,084
Price new: £86,120 (before options)
Yours for: £39,990
For me it has the trifecta of post 2010s spec that I just loathe:
- Privacy glass
- "Contrast" black roof (why? Why is everything going this way... ugh)
- Huge exhausts, to obviously show how "sporty" you are driving a 5 metre long tank
I don't get it. I don't get the Range Rover Sport SVR, or any of these cars. I have known two chaps who have owned RRS SVR models, and they are exactly what you would expect I'm afraid.
Hard, hard pass.
Hard, hard pass.
If my current car, a 992 GTS, and the SVR were sat next to each other and I had the keys to both I would take the Jag 95% of the time. It’s that good.
If my current car, a 992 GTS, and the SVR were sat next to each other and I had the keys to both I would take the Jag 95% of the time. It s that good.
te roads and climate we have, luxurious and space to put bikes etc. German uber-estate cars are too brittle for our roads.
Would still never buy one.
Wouldn't be this spec for me but it's miles better than the Sport, which just looks awful now imo.
I know I’m supposed to say it should have clear glass, metallic green paint and some nice cream or tan inside but these are all used cars now, and finding an off-the-gymnasium wall spec is near impossible.
Not tried a RR but the F Pace SVR with this engine is absolutely hilarious. Just a fantastic drivetrain. It even handled well.
You need to be spending mid-30s on those really.
It would also be gone in the morning where I live (Fulham).
I have had my eye on SVRs for while - really like them - the prices are really powering my ridiculous man maths
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