Another SVR Thread so sorry about that but I have read all the others.

I have a couple of questions before I make my mind to change after only 3 months of ownership.

Having read the other posts I want to make sure that the drive comfort in the SVR is just as good as the standard car when driving it normally?

Can you have a conversation on a motorway cruise or is the exhaust just to OTT for this?

How much heavier is the steering than the standard sport when in auto mode? I don’t like the extra weight when its in dynamic mode I think the steering is better in auto or normal so I don’t really want the weight all the time?

Philmw I love your seats with the blue stitching how much extra did this cost for the blue stitching?

Now for the silly question I know you cant add 7 seats to it on config but can SVO add them for a price?

Thanks in advance for your time SVR friends.

Exhaust off the car is super silent on a cruise. The mapping in the system only opens the flaps in normal mode above 3000rpm and 80% throttle.

To give you an idea 11k in, 3 months and I talk on bluetooth all the time.

Car steering weight with 22 inch wheels is perfect IMO. Not too light and not too heavy. You don't feel like you a wrestling it in slow traffic for instance.

Not sure on 7 seats. I wanted this option too however I am not sure if it is due to exhaust configuration? 2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8 HSE
2013 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE 8 Speed

I'm sure the owners will agree with me that the ride comfort is comparable with the standard car. It's worth pointing out that this is a Supersport SUV so in order to meet the ultimate performance, the whole chassis envelope does move up a little but certainly not Audi tough.

The car cruises perfectly well at motorway speed and yes you can have conversations at normal levels; it's a Range Rover after all!

In normal driving mode, the steering is a little heavier - again this is a Sports SUV so that needs to be taken into account - but you soon acclimatise to it.

As far as the seats are concerned, drop me a pm with your email address and I can forward your details on to our bespoke team. Like all projects such as Phils, each case is individual so you're probably better off asking the team.

Finally, no, we can't fit seven seats in an SVR for you; it moves the ethos of the car away from the whole point of it too much and the chassis tune is specific to the car - hardware and software as well as the defined axle loads. Sorry if that's not what you want to read but that's probably the one area we would have to politely decline.

Dave

I wanted the 7 seat option - not sure if you have seen it at a dealership, but we decided it wasn't worth it on the basis we couldn't actually use them. It took me a long time to squeeze in and then there wasn't enough room for the middle seats to click back into place - my wife and I are in our 20's and not big people. We decided that realistically they would have to serve as emergency seats for kids under 12 (and you wouldn't be able to put young kids in with a car seat).

Not sure if others have the seats and have a different experience, but we were very disappointed and took it off the options list.

PM sent DaveW

Good to hear the car isn't compromised from what it's meant to be. Now all I need to do is either try and get one for the summer or wait until September or even delay until March so many decisions.

Noise level isn't a problem if you want a conversation whilst cruising.

My husband preferred the seats in the AB for a long journey. Also because of the SVR sports seats there is no arm rest which he also misses. 2012 Evoque
2014 Sport Autobiography
2015 SVR for the fun stuff
2016 Evoque SI4 Dynamic Lux for the daily drive
2016 Defender 90
2018 SVR

I've had mine for a few weeks now and just got back from a long weekend in the Lake District where I got to put it through it's paces both as a distance/practical car and an enthusiastic drive.

So, practicality first.

Mine has the deployable towbar which is just brilliant for attaching my bike, meaning that when you arrive you can just remove the bike and rack and put the car back to normal at the press of a button. Better than the old Sport where you had to attach and detach the tower manually (and it stuck if left more than a few days!)

The load area is probably as good as the standard car with the seats down, provided you don't need the drivers seat too far back as the head rests are a fixed part of the seat. Still not as good as the old Sport which had proper tumble down seats.

Cruising noise - as said by others, at normal motorway cruising speeds the car is perfectly quiet. You get a growl/induction roar when you accelerate briskly but it's generally very civilised.

Comfort - the seats are more comfortable than they look, but they aren't as comfortable as the normal car when driving normally. They are quite firm, and my wife had a bit of a moan on the drive up, but she doesn't know how to adjust a seat properly and had it in a really weird position. I set it up for her and she was much happier. On the flip side they are more comfortable when driving briskly as they really support you much better.

Steering weight - in normal driving mode I didn't really notice it to be heavy, but I haven't driven the current normal sport for any length of time. It's noticeable heavier and more effort than the FFRR, but not to the point of being an issue.

Of course where the car really shined was driving around the Lakes themselves. The A591 is still closed, which meant a diversion over Kirkstone Pass and Ullswater. Putting the car in Dynamic mode here was a LOT of fun. The way the car holds the revs right in the middle of the power makes it feel like it has double the HP and gives an instant response.

The only thing I did notice is that on some of the more open, wider stretches when speeds increased it's quite easy to overcome the stock 21" tyres. Its not really an issue as you just get a very progressive and telepgraphed 4 wheel drift, but I can see how the 22" Conti option is better if you do a lot of enthusistic driving.

I absolutely love this car though. Whilst I struggled to bond with the FF, I look forward to every drive in this. Should you buy the SC AB or the SVR? I guess that depends on how you are going to drive. If you are never going to take it out on a quite sunday morning and thrash it around some good roads, then you're probably better with the SC AB. It's a comfier car with all the performance you need and a fair bit cheaper. If though, you want a drivers car which is compelling to drive, sounds utterly amazing but doesn't sacrifice too much practicality, then the SVR is bloody awesome.

22mpg too - I was expecting worse!

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good post sagalout, wets the appetite..

Thanks sagalout nice little review.

Great review Sagalout. It's so rewarding reading accounts like this; I don't think I'll ever tire of reading this forum 👍🏁