In the realm of luxury, there are a few key attributes that truly define what a proper luxury SUV should be. First, it has to look the part and be unmistakably premium. Second, it needs to deliver an experience so refined that even the world’s wealthiest would sit up and take notice. And third… well, it should carry a price tag that makes people pause and question their life choices simply because real luxury often does.
If I had to add a fourth element, it would be performance. There’s just something special about a luxury SUV that also knows how to move. That brings me to the Range Rover P615 SV, which not only ticks all the boxes, it shows how Range Rover defines luxury in its own, very confident way. It builds on everything we love about the regular model and elevates it to the kind of experience you'd expect from names like Rolls-Royce or Bentley. But make no mistake—confusing this for a run-of-the-mill luxury vehicle would be like stepping onto an Emirates A380 and thinking business class and first class are the same. They’re not. And the SV makes sure you know the difference.
At an eye-watering R5.4m, the Range Rover SV sits right at the top of the line-up. But this isn’t just any Range Rover, it comes from the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), which means it can be personalised to your heart’s desires. Thanks to the SV Bespoke programme, you get to co-create your version, and when we say personalised, we mean it. If your favourite scarf has the perfect shade of blue, they’ll match it. Want something no one else has? You get it.
In the case of our test unit, it arrived in a beautifully subtle shade of grey, turning heads without screaming for attention. It wore a few tasteful bespoke touches, like gloss-finished side gills, grey accents, and massive 23-inch wheels. And then there’s the SV badge on the split tailgate, a subtle nod to what makes this model extra special. Without it, you might mistake it for a ‘regular’ Range Rover. But that’s kind of the point. It’s a more grown-up, refined luxury model that doesn’t need loud tailpipes or flashy finishes. In fact, the exhausts are neatly tucked away because buyers in this luxury league know what they’re getting, and they don’t need to prove anything.
All that aside, you really have to step inside to understand what the Range Rover SV is all about and what it brings to the luxury table. In the world of luxury SUVs, this one exists to showcase what is, without a doubt, one of the finest interiors available today. It’s a fully customisable interior, offering more than just great levels of tech and an almost flawless build. It makes a statement for those who are willing to spend serious money on an SUV that reflects their taste and lifestyle.
Very few cars leave you speechless the moment the doors swing open, but the RR SV does just that. Step into the rear seat, and it’s hard not to feel like you've entered another world, one of absolute calm, comfort, and luxury. Everything inside is beautifully put together, from the top-quality materials to the thoughtful details. You’re surrounded by heated, massaging, and reclining seats with leg and footrests, individual entertainment screens, privacy blinds, and more. It’s a full 5-seater by design, but can effortlessly transform into a 4-seater lounge when you electrically fold down the centre console. And if you really want to stretch out, the left rear seat reclines almost to business-class levels — just note that it works best when there’s no one sitting up front. A small compromise and one that warrants no complaints.
Which brings us to a bit of a dilemma because, as much as this is a driver’s car, the RR SV is arguably best experienced from the back seat. There is no surface, no touchpoint, nothing at all that feels even modest or cheap. For a nation like ours, where most drivers insist on being behind the wheel, it’s a bit of a mindset shift. But in this case, maybe it’s worth letting someone else take the wheel, at least once in a while, so you can truly enjoy the luxury. I did mostly spend my time sitting at the back… and I didn’t regret it for a second. This is exactly why people buy vehicles like this, not just for the features, but for how they make you feel.
And for those times when you do decide to take the wheel, the Ranger Rover SV is an absolute joy to pilot. It's smooth, elegant, and effortlessly powerful. You’re still surrounded by all the luxury you’d expect, with plenty of features to keep you comfortable and entertained. One little detail I genuinely appreciate is the fridge in the centre console. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s a small touch that makes a big difference on longer drives. And on those chilly early morning shoots, the heated and massaging seats? Absolutely amazing.
If there’s one word that sums up driving the SV, it’s balance. Yes, it’s a big machine, tipping the scales at around 2.7 tonnes, but thanks to the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 pushing out 452kW and 750Nm, it moves with surprising ease. It surges forward with real urgency in a straight line, yet still manages to stay composed and sure-footed through corners. Of course, this isn’t a car made for chasing lap times or carving apexes and saying it lacks dynamism entirely misses the point. The SV is about stability, effortless power delivery, and the ability to shrug off bad roads without breaking a sweat. It’s calm, collected, and relentlessly comfortable – exactly what you’d want from a top-tier luxury SUV, thanks to the standard air suspension that works magic underneath.
While it’s a superb cruiser on the open road, we did have a bit of a gripe with the adaptive cruise control. It tends to wait until the last minute to brake when it detects a car ahead. We found ourselves overriding the system manually. It’s possible this could be fine-tuned in the settings, but out of the box, it felt a little too reactive for our liking.
I know, most owners probably won’t take their Range Rover SV off-road and honestly, I get it. But part of what makes a Range Rover a Range Rover is its legendary ability to go just about anywhere – something that most luxury SUVs fail to deliver. So, I took it off the beaten path, just to see. And yes, it’s every bit as capable as you'd expect. But let’s face the reality, it’s not the kind of SUV you want to get dirty, even if you know it can handle it. We wouldn’t either. But it’s nice to know that if you ever did, it wouldn’t feel out of place.
Being the flagship model and a special one at that, the SV gives you just about everything, and then some, to match its eye-watering price tag. It is the full package. Even the hefty 11.3l/100km fuel consumption and the premium fuel bill that comes with it aren’t enough to push us towards alternatives. Because, if we’re honest, this is luxury, and we know that comes at a price. This is it.
In a world full of luxury SUVs, the fact that we’re talking about the Range Rover SV in the same breath as the Bentley Bentayga says a lot. Clearly, there’s something special about what the British marque is doing. When it comes to range and refinement, the SV feels almost unmatched. Sure, it’s expensive, but you’re not just paying for status, you’re paying for a level of capability and comfort that few others can match.
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