Since going on sale in February 2015 , the Range Rover Sport SVR has showcased the abilities of Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations , with just shy of 1000 being delivered to customers in the UK . Many will have been attracted by the 0-60mph time of only 4.5 seconds , but the official figure only scratches the surface of the Range Rover Sport ’ s capability …

When the perfect traction offered by clean , dry Tarmac isn ’ t available , most sports cars immediately suffer from a lack of grip , stability and performance . But no sports car has the benefit of Land Rover ’ s legendary all-terrain know-how .

In this unique test , the Range Rover Sport SVR completes the 0- 100km / h sprint on standard fit Michelin 275 / 45 R21 All Season Tyres on everything from tarmac and grass to snow and sand , using Land Rover ’ s innovative Terrain Response 2 technology .

The intelligent system automatically selects the appropriate driving mode to suit traction conditions including : General Driving , Dynamic , Grass / Gravel / Snow , Mud and

Ruts , Sand , and Rock Crawl . The driver can also use a simple rotary controller on the centre console to choose a specific mode .

The times recorded are a testament to the Range Rover Sport ’ s inherent capability . On a notoriously slippery wet grass surface , the 0-100km / h time increased by only 0.8 seconds , while even on Sand the benchmark sprint took only 5.5 seconds . The ultimate all-terrain performance test in detail

The Range Rover Sport SVR ’ s first challenge was the start-finish straight at Europe ’ s fastest racing circuit , Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby , UK . In Dynamic mode , Terrain Response 2 sharpens throttle response and changes gear at higher revs . It also stiffens the Continual Variable Damping function within the vehicle ’ s Anti-Roll Control technology to reduce body roll . With all of these factors optimised , the Range Rover Sport SVR blasted from 0-100km / h in 4.7 seconds .

In the second test , the highperformance SUV tackled one of the most challenging surfaces any driver will encounter : wet grass . In Grass / Gravel / Snow mode the throttle response is softened to prevent loss of traction and gear changes are smoother and quicker . The Traction Control System also intervenes earlier to prevent tyre slip , while the central differential is preloaded to

optimise off-the-line performance . Land Rover Experience East of England provided the perfect setting for this challenge and the Range Rover Sport SVR recorded a breath-taking 0-100km / h time of 5.5 seconds .

A quarry provided the ideal gravel surface , where the Range Rover Sport SVR ’ s inherent traction came to the fore . With the vehicle systems optimised to suit the loose surface , it registered 5.3 seconds .

To find snow the Range Rover Sport SVR headed to Jaguar Land Rover ’ s winter test facility in Arjeplog , Northern Sweden . Here , the optimised settings and allwheel drive system helped the SVR complete the sprint on a combination of snow and ice in 11.3 seconds .

The next switch of the Terrain Response 2 dial was to select Mud and Ruts mode . In this setting the air suspension is raised and the Traction Control System allows controlled tyre slip to provide better traction in slippery conditions . In typically British surroundings at one of Land Rover ’ s all-terrain testing facilities , the performance SUV logged a 0- 100km / h time of 6.5 seconds as its intelligent four-wheel-drive technology came into its own .

Pendine Sands at Carmarthen Bay in South Wales has been linked with speed ever since hosting the first world land speed record run took place there in 1924 . That made it perfect to test

the next setting on the Terrain Response 2 dial : Sand .

Selecting Sand mode sharpens the vehicle ’ s accelerator responses to allow a quick buildup of engine torque . The vehicle also holds onto gears for longer and locks the central differential to help maintain momentum . The result of this technological wizardry was a 0-100km / h time of 5.5 seconds .

The final mode on the Terrain Response 2 dial called for something different . Rock Crawl is designed to assist drivers when negotiating rocky environments and works in conjunction with the Low Range transmission , in keeping with the low-speed nature of the challenge posed by large rocks and boulders .

Rock Crawl mode softens the accelerator response to mitigate against sudden movements and provide maximum driver control . It also raises the air suspension , to optimise ground clearance . Using Terrain Response 2 the Range Rover Sport SVR scaled the rocky 32 per cent incline at the test facility with ease .

Driver Darren Jones , Stability Applications Leader , Jaguar Land Rover , said : “ The Range Rover Sport SVR is famed for its on-road performance but this hasn ’ t been achieved at the expense of customary Land Rover capability . Our Terrain Response 2 technology takes the stress out of driving in all conditions .”