Frankfurt Motor Show: The Hand-Built Land Rover Discovery SVX
We’re in for the Land Rover Discovery SVX. JLR Special Vehicle Operations’ bespoke, hand-built, hardcore off-roader which is ready for any terrain.
The engine which propels the Land Rover Discovery SVX unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show is a gargantuan 5.0-liter V8 which makes 518 hp of power and 461 lb-ft torque. But the engine upgrade and the heap of tech revamp that goes into the SVX aren’t the factors which make it special. This beast is hand-built by Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) and it’s a proper mountain goat. Now we are talking.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Discovery, right from its early days. It found the sweet spot between the luxury mansion that’s the Range Rover range and the stone hut which is the Defender lineup. But with the Land Rover Discovery SVX, the SUV manufacturer has made the Disco one of the most appealing machines in its entire portfolio. The SVX is perhaps the first time that the SVO division has made a proper mud-plugger out of the raw material that the mad scientists were given.
By roping in SVO to build a hardcore, battle-ready Discovery which also looks devastatingly handsome while going about its job of intimidating mountains, Land Rover has succeeded with top marks. In fact, the suits up the ladder loved the end result so much that the promo video – The Journey – calls the SVX “the most capable Land Rover so far”.
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Land Rover Discovery SVX is the first Land Rover assembled by hand at the SVO Technical Centre in the UK. You can save up till the launch date in 2018.
After seeing the video (featured below), we couldn’t agree more with that line. Shot in a landscape which reminds one of the magnificent opening sequence in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, The Journey goes on to showcase the many impressive capabilities of the Land Rover Discovery SVX. My pick has to the rear electric winch which will come in handy while making your way downhill from the top of whatever elevated surface that the SVX gave you the confidence to climb. Must be the scariest thing you’ve ever done. But damn, it looks awesome to pull off. Pun intended.
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Courtesy: Land Rover Newsroom
Cross your fingers and pray that the Land Rover Discovery SVX isn’t watered-down when it launches in 2018.
When it comes to off-roading capabilities, the new hydraulic active roll control system will come in handy when you start climbing boulders for fun. SVO has xalso made a number of tweaks to the 8-speed automatic transmission with twin-speed transfer box, Terrain Response 2 system and electronic power steering. So those Zords will be working together to make this Mega Zord hurl some serious punches back at what Mother Nature throws at the Land Rover Discovery SVX. Active centre and electronic rear locking differentials come into play when you need traction on surfaces that challenge your driving skills off the road.
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Land Rover is a bit stingy with the details on how much of the production preview will actually make it to the 2018 production version. Hopefully, the cool stuff will stay. And that list includes the light bar on top, those two electric winches, chunky Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires shod on 20-inch forged alloy wheels and that badass grey and orange color scheme. And yes, that Pistol Shifter gear lever, which is way better than those run-of-the-mill music system-like dials.
Source: Land Rover Newsroom