Jaguar Land Rover has extended the Velar engine line-up with the addition of its supercharged V8. Developed by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, the 5-liter unit will generate 550ps and 680Nm of torque. The most powerful Velar accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds and is capable of 274km/h.
Michael van der Sande, managing director, Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, said, “Developing the Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition is the kind of task Special Vehicle Operations was made for. The challenge here was to increase performance without compromising the composure, capability and refinement inherent in Range Rover Velar.”
On the outside, the SUV now features a new front bumper with larger air intakes to feed the V8 Supercharged engine and cool the uprated braking system. The exterior changes combine with a transmission tunnel undertray to ensure the fastest Velar in the range cuts through the air more efficiently.
Gerry McGovern, chief design officer, Land Rover, said, “Our continued evolution is driven by a relentless focus on creating highly desirable vehicles our customers will love for life. The new Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition amplifies the highly desirable nature of the 2018 World Car Design winner by introducing a compelling combination of heightened performance and luxury.”
Calibrations for the AWD system, active rear locking differential, 8-speed transmission, steering and air suspension have all been honed and are bespoke to the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition. Engineers at Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations spent 63,900 hours fine-tuning the calibration to optimize ride, handling and responsiveness.
The all-wheel drive system has been uprated too with a transfer box capable of withstanding the higher loads generated by the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine.
The advanced Intelligent Driveline Dynamics system distributes engine torque to suit the conditions. The set-up can direct as much as 100% to the rear depending on conditions.
