Even Off-road SUVs Can Have 500-horsepower Engines!

It seems like everyone is coming out with 500-plus-horsepower street engines — even off-road-worthy SUVs.

Land Rover just announced that its Range Rover Sport SVR is the most power vehicle the automaker has released, offering 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of peak torque through a 5.0-liter supercharged V8. It’s a similar engine that Jaguar uses in a number of vehicles.

The SVR is an upgrade from the regular production 510-horsepower Range Rover Sport. Officials say the improvement came through calibrations and tuning only — no hardware changes. Helping show off the power boost is a new two-stage active exhaust that uses electronically controlled valves to create a more powerful sonic impression at higher rpm. Another trick is pop the fuel supply a little bit during deceleration to creat a “characterful crackle” in the exhaust note.

The dual-overhead-cam 5.0-liter V8 features an aluminum block with cast-iron cylinder liners and cross-bolted main caps. There’s a nearly square bore/stroke of 3.6/3.7 and a relatively aggressive 9.5:1 compression ratio to handle more than 20 pounds of boost from the twin-vortex supercharger. Other features include twin intercoolers, direct injection, variable cam timing and a start/stop system to improve fuel economy.

The SVR ran the legendary Nurburgring in 8:14, which is quite spirited for an SUV weighing nearly 5,200 pounds.

 

About the author

Mike Magda

Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World.
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