Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic Sea Trip
Big, fast, all-terrain capable, and luxurious beyond belief, is there a reason such a car as the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic should exist? There is according to the English!
I've driven all sorts of cars over the past years for this website, ranging from the road-bound VW XL1 to the boundless Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4², and anything in between. There's some of them where I've known my love for cars wouldn't be easy to replace for objectivity. The Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is one of those cars. Why? Because my dad, who isn't a petrol head, has a soft spot for this car. We spent an entire day together and I've rarely seen him smile that much.
Down to business
Can you fit luxury, offroad capability, and performance into a single car? SVO tried back in 2017, creating the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic. A car that sits above the SVR in the hierarchy, as that car is built upon the Range Rover Sport. When Land Rover adds 'Sport' to a name, they don't refer to the top tier models like the rest of the world. No, the English see their 'Sport' models as the entry-level versions. Compare it this way: one gentleman is wearing his Adidas jumpers, the other is wearing his Scottish pattern trousers.
The Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is ridiculously well equipped from the start. By selecting this version of the Range Rover, you're saying "put almost everything in there." Mix that with a unique drivetrain, unique handling characteristics, and subtle branding and that mixture translates into the SVAutobiography Dynamic (SVAD). And nearly 200.000 euros in Belgium.
Seldom seen, heard even less
Land Rover has a wonderful 5-liter V8, with a supercharger, at their disposal, and offers that engine in various flavors. Where the Range Rover Sport SVR (review here) has that engine with an extravagant character, the SVAD has one with a refined personality. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't a slow car. The drivetrain can launch the car like it shouldn't be able to but does so with a gentle build-up of power. It offers 565 horsepower and 680 Nm of torque, launching the car to a hundred in 5.1 seconds.
However, it feels like you're on a magic carpet doing so, floating towards illegal speeds with sinister magic manipulating Newton's laws. That docile trait of the SVAD is audible too, with a soft supercharger whine entering the cabin. Also, there's a gentle exhaust note burbling from the two exhaust tips in the back.
At first, noticing the refinement of the SVAD isn't easy. It's almost too much to take in. And I'm not even mentioning the sensory input you have to process from the interior, I'll get to that in a bit. The reason it takes a while for everything to sink in is that you have to put the car through various styles of driving before it shows itself. Again, there seems to be magic at work here. That magic has enchanted the knuckles, links, springs, dampers, arc actuators, and steering gear! Their sum makes for a responsive handling character, unlike anything. Dynamic Response helps here too, a technology that reduces body roll during cornering. For a 2.5 metric tonne SUV, it communicates immensely well and predictable. At lower speeds that reworked suspension does translate into a tiny bit more firm ride than the standard Range Rover does.
Being nearly 5 meters in length and measuring nearly 2 meters in height and width, this Range Rover won't ever be a rewarding hot hatch to drive. Instead, it is a car that is rewarding to get right. Load it up during a corner at the right time, and it shoots from the apex. Break at the right time when entering a corner and the car sits perfectly still throughout. Offering the car's refinement your refined driving, and it will reward you, unlike anything. It's like fitting an oil tanker through a narrow canal at high speeds.
Upholstery heaven
I'll admit: opening the door for the first time had me giggling for a bit. The amount of leather used is absurd. Every surface is covered in it, from the rear window shelf all the way up to the roof lining. Then my eyes fell onto the seats, where the diamond-stitched leather seemed to be wrinkled. It is wrinkled, but only because of the insane massage function hidden under that leather. It reminded me of the one in the Bentley Bentayga, where it almost feels like a person is genuinely massaging you. Bloody hell, those seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in. It cushions you so sweetly and makes you feel like a king on a throne. The sleek steering wheel would be your scepter, the road: your kingdom. The ornaments that decorate the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic would be the royal gems.
I truly struggle to find words to describe the interior and its quality. It is simply so fitting to what the drivetrain offer. I struggle to put it into writing that won't be thousands of words long. There's an attention to detail which won't easily be put into words. It is that much to take in. People I took with me in this SVO product couldn't speak for the first 3 minutes after sitting down. All awestruck, they surrendered to this sensory overkill of luxury.
Concluding
I can call this SVAutobiography Dynamic a car beyond 'full option.' A car that balances performance and luxury in a way I have never experienced. SVO has managed to create a unique mixture that is highly addictive, yet it comes in the form of an automobile. It soothes every unpleasant emotion if needed, yet it feeds you every thrill you long for. It took me days to discover every detail, days to figure out just how rewarding it could be. Only to find myself saddened by the fact that the car isn't that well known. Why? Well, the name might be a thing…SVAutobiography Dynamic doesn't roll out of one's mouth so easily. I do find comfort in the fact that only a select few will ever own this car, a select few that will fully grasp the sophistication that is the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic.
