In case anyone forgot what Land Rover is best at.
It seems that British SUV specialists Land Rover have not arrived at this years’ Frankfurt motor show empty handed, with the company unveiling the Discovery SVX to the world. The Disco SVX is a product of Land Rovers’ ‘Special Vehicle Operations’ (SVO), and is will be the third SVO product on offer (alongside the Range Rover Sport SVR and Range Rover SVAutobiography), though it’s easily argued that the SVX is the only one that has its sights set on the harshest terrain out there.
The SVX is touted as “the ultimate Discovery” for those looking to discover, with SVO sprinkling their magic dust on the critically-acclaimed Disco and making it that much more capable off the beaten path. The Disco SVX will be hand-built, as with any SVO product, despite its focus on hardcore off-roading, with production slated to begin in 2018.
“SVO designers are embedded within the Land Rover team and have worked with our engineers to unleash their own passion for adventure to create another truly desirable and versatile vehicle in the Land Rover line-up.” — John Edwards, Managing Director, Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations
You’d have to be blind not to see that SVO’s done a lot of work to enhance the Discovery SVX, with the revisions serving to reflect the “inherent robustness and go-further ability” of this SUV. Certain design elements incorporated into the Disco SVX come from Land Rover’s time in the Camel Trophy and G4 Challenge off-road events, giving the SVX a bold and distinct look both inside and out. Front and rear bumpers are unique to the SVX, and feature protective skid plates and towing points finished in ‘Rush Orange,’ with all points rated to pull up to 6-tonnes. There’s also an anti-glare bonnet finish applied on top of the Tectonic Grey satin paint finish, as well as a electric winch system mounted to the rear, just like all good off-roaders.
The cabin sees the use of Lunar and Light Oyster colours and materials throughout, interspersed with Rush Orange flourishes here and there. There are ‘X’ perforations on the seats, to ensure you never forget what car you’re in, in case the V8 badges, black ‘Dynamic’ grille, and roof-mounted light-pods have left you wondering.
More than just aesthetics, the SVX has received more than its fair-share of under-skin fettling too, further enhancing the all-terrain abilities that the regular Discovery already enjoys. Thanks to the revised bumpers and skid plates, approach, departure, and breakover angles have all been improved, aided further by a revised air-suspension system that works together with long-travel dampers and revised suspension knuckles. Larger 20-inch wheels with high side-wall tyres replete with an “aggressive tread pattern” means that the Disco SVX looks the part, which we all know is half the battle won.
The Terrain Response 2 system that the Disco ships with has been retuned for the SVX, working even better with the eight-speed automatic and twin-speed transfer box to ensure progress on even the thoughts surfaces, aided by the inclusion of things like hill descent control, traction control, adaptive dynamics, dynamic stability control, all-terrain progress control, and an electrically-assisted power steering system.
Hydraulic Active Roll Control (H-ARC) improves wheel articulation while still regulating body control, allowing for improvements both on- and off-road and increasing confidence throughout.
The Land Rover SVX will be sitting pretty at the Jaguar-Land Rover stand at the Frankfurt motor show from the 12th to the 24th of September, alongside the rest of the very-pretty JLR range, including SVO products like the Range Rover Sport SVR, the the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic, the Jaguar F-Type SVR and XE SV Project 8.
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