Land Rover reveals new £133,000 Range Rover

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Land Rover has revealed a set of plans to overhaul the Range Rover in 2017, including a model spun up by its special vehicle operations division.

Set to make its debut at the top of the Range Rover line-up is the SVAutobiography Dynamic, a new variant, says Car, focussed on blending luxury and speed with a newfound prowess for handling.

Starting from £132,800, it's cheaper than the soon-to-be-finished SVAutobiography it will replace, but the price slash isn't indicative of a drop in spec. Instead, the high-end, luxury performance SUV market is starting to become crowded, with the arrival of the Bentley Bentayga, and Land Rover has to keep customers interested in the four-year-old Rangie.

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Under the bonnet sits a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 – the very same engine you'll find in the Jaguar F-Type SVR – producing 542bhp and a massive 681Nm of torque. Land Rover claims it'll do 0-62mph in 5.1secs, which, considering the near two-and-a half tonne kerb weight, is "akin to watching your house doing a 100m sprint", says Evo.

At full speed, the SVAutobiography Dynamic can do 140mph and like all Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports, drive is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic ZF gearbox.

You can't buy the car in long wheelbase format, but with the shorter wheelbase comes new suspension goodies tasked with sprucing up the handling. This car sits 0.3ins (8mm) lower than other Range Rovers, with tweaked springs, dampers, links, and knuckles. There are also Dynamic Response and Adaptive Dynamics systems to kill body roll by reading driver inputs plus the road surface to alter the suspension settings on the fly.

A handful of styling details mark the car out as the range-topper - exclusive 21 and 22ins alloy wheels, new vents and the option to paint the brake calipers red. Inside are diamond-quilted leather seats with contrasting stitching, exclusive flicks of red on the interior trim, knurled finishes on the starter button and pedals and the latest version of Land Rover's InControl Touch Pro infotainment suite, boasting a 10ins touchscreen on the dashboard.

Drivers will also be treated to semi-autonomous technologies. An adaptive cruise control system comes with blind-spot assist to automatically steer you away from hazards, while a tow assist will steer for you when reversing with a trailer.

The SVA D goes on sale towards the end of 2016.

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