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Range Rover has a habit of talking big, and usually that is where my skepticism kicks in. The phrase world first gets thrown around so casually in the car industry that it often means almost nothing. Yet the new Range Rover SV Ultra makes a stronger case than most. Not because it rewrites the rules of performance or efficiency, but because it tries to reinvent how a luxury SUV feels from the inside out.
This is not just another special trim with bigger wheels and shinier badges. The SV Ultra arrives as the most extravagant expression of the Range Rover formula so far, a rolling showcase of tactile tech, unusual materials, and sensory tricks that push the cabin closer to a private lounge than a traditional SUV.
The headline feature is something called SV Electrostatic Sound. On paper, it is an audio system. In practice, it sounds far more ambitious. Range Rover says the setup uses 21 ultra-light thin-film transducers placed in the headrests, seatbacks, roof liner, and standard speaker positions, with five bass speakers supporting the whole arrangement. The goal is to give each passenger a more personal and immersive listening experience, almost like sitting inside an individual sound pod.
The hardware itself is unusual. Each transducer uses a membrane just 1 mm thick, positioned between perforated metal plates that carry the audio signal. According to Range Rover, this design reacts up to 1,000 times faster than a conventional speaker, which should translate into cleaner sound with less distortion and less unwanted vibration. It is also said to be much lighter and more energy efficient, using 90 percent less power and carrying 90 percent less mass than traditional coil-based speakers. There is also a sustainability angle here, with no rare earth materials and components made from fully upcycled and recyclable materials.
Then things get a little stranger, and a lot more interesting. The system works with what Range Rover calls Body and Soul Seats, or BASS. These seats do not just play music around you. They react to it. Using real-time media analysis, the SUV translates audio into pulses that move through the seat structure in sync with the soundtrack. In simple terms, the seats can quite literally dance along with what you are listening to. And unlike earlier luxury gimmicks that felt limited to front-seat occupants, Range Rover is offering this setup in both the first and second rows of the SV Ultra.
When the floor joins the playlist
The second big talking point is the Sensory Haptic Floor. Yes, the floor now gets involved too. Four transducers mounted beneath the floor mats in each passenger footwell send rhythmic vibrations upward, turning the lower half of the cabin into another layer of the audio experience. It is available on both the SV Black and the new SV Ultra, and it adds yet another dimension to the idea of in-car entertainment.
Drivers and passengers can tailor the sensation, too, with six modes for the Body and Soul Seats and six more for the haptic floor. Some buyers will treat it as a novelty. Others will love it. Either way, it is hard to argue that Range Rover is playing it safe here.
Visually, the SV Ultra leans into drama just as much as the cabin technology does. Its signature finish is called Titan Silver, a paint packed with aluminum flakes and special pigments that give the body a liquid metal effect under changing light. The look is paired with Satin Platinum details, Silver Chrome highlights, and 23-inch alloy wheels with Satin Platinum inserts. It has the sort of presence that makes even other expensive SUVs seem a little ordinary parked next to it.
Inside, the treatment is equally theatrical. Buyers get an exclusive two-tone cabin finished in Orchid White and Cinder Grey Ultrafabrics, along with a new laser-crafted mosaic seat pattern and a fresh rattan palm veneer in brighter tones. It is a careful mix of modern luxury and handcrafted flair, exactly the territory Range Rover knows well.
Under the skin, the SV Ultra launches with two powertrain choices. There is the P550e plug-in hybrid for buyers who want electrified refinement with usable electric range, and the P615 V8 for those who still prefer their luxury SUV with a deeper soundtrack and more traditional muscle. A fully electric version is also on the way later this year, which feels inevitable given where the segment is heading.
Pricing has not yet been confirmed for the SV Ultra, but it will sit above the current SV models in the lineup. For context, the entry-level Range Rover SV starts at about €204,000 based on current exchange rates, while the SV Black rises to roughly €222,000. The Ultra will land beyond both, so this is firmly a six-figure flagship aimed at buyers who think standard luxury is for everyone else.
And that may be the point. The Range Rover SV Ultra is not trying to be rational. It is trying to be memorable. In a market full of luxury SUVs chasing the same formula, this one wants you to hear the difference, feel the bass through the seat, and maybe even through the floor beneath your shoes.
Source: autoevolution
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