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Range Rover Sport SVR vs Porsche Cayenne Turbo & Audi RS6

New Range Rover Sport SVR blasts in with 542bhp, but is it a match for the Porsche Cayenne Turbo? Or even the Audi RS6?

The explosion in SUVs shows no sign of abating, with new 4x4s seemingly being launched every month. And this, the Range Rover Sport SVR, is the latest, super-luxurious off-roader to hit the market.

Best 4x4s to buy now

The newcomer combines the regular Range Rover Sport’s bold styling and sumptuous interior, while Land Rover’s newly formed Special Vehicle Operations department has also tuned the chassis of its range-topping model and added a scorching 542bhp supercharged V8. That means this hot SUV has enough performance to rival supercars.

In the 4x4 class, it’ll have to face up to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, which we’ve lined up here. If you’re after power, space, badge appeal and speed, though, is an off-roader necessary? 

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The Audi RS6 Avant is around £15,500 cheaper than both performance off-roaders, but also offers lightning acceleration and similar levels of practicality. So, which of this scorching trio comes out on top?

Range Rover Sport SVR review

Porsche Cayenne review

Audi RS6 review

Read full individual reviews by clicking the links above, and scroll down to see which car comes out on top...

Head-to-head

Total costs

All three of these cars cost a significant amount to buy, but the purchase price is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re a company car driver paying income tax at the higher rate, the Range Rover Sport SVR will be the priciest model to own.

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Factor in depreciation, company car and road tax, fuel costs, servicing and insurance, and the total cost to run an SVR for three years comes to more than £105,000 – or just over £10,000 more than the cost of the car itself. Add on between £1,000 and £2,000 more for tyres if it needs them.

The Cayenne Turbo is only marginally cheaper, as with the same things considered as the Range Rover, it will set you back just under £101,500 in three years. Again, this is a significant amount more than the car’s sticker price.

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In this company, the Audi looks like great value given the level of performance and practicality on offer. Strong residual predictions and a cheaper purchase price mean the RS6’s total three-year cost is around £85,000 – the smallest sum here, but still an eye-watering amount of money.

Verdict

1st place: Range Rover Sport SVR

For those who want an ultra-exclusive SUV with incredible performance, look no further. The SVR’s badge appeal and sense of theatre on the road mean it just knocks the Audi into second spot. It trails its rivals in terms of practicality, but that’s not a significant issue. It trades a little of the standard car’s subtlety for speed – thus adding something new to the line-up.

2nd place: Audi RS6 

It’s faster, cheaper and more practical than the Range Rover Sport, but the RS6 is also more subdued. In this company, where image counts double, the understated Audi doesn’t shout quite so loud, which could actually be a bonus. There’s no denying the supercar-rivalling performance, but it can’t match the SVR’s more bespoke nature and sense of occasion.

3rd place: Porsche Cayenne Turbo

For a near-£100,000 car, the Cayenne Turbo is let down by its anonymous looks. The engine isn’t as feisty as its rivals’, either. The Porsche has the edge over the SVR on the road – with a more sophisticated chassis – and it’s more practical, but it doesn’t delight and thrill like the Range Rover and isn’t as fast or capable as the Audi. Yet don’t overlook the vast boot and cabin.

Rivals: other SUVs to consider

Mercedes GL63 AMG

For £90 less than the SVR, the seven-seat GL 63 allows you to scare an extra pair of passengers with supercar pace in an SUV package. Mercedes claims the GL can manage 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, and when you’re not using the rearmost seats, you get a 680-litre boot.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Red Vapor Edition

The US is the home of the V8, so why not try a piece of all-American muscle? The special-edition Red Vapor Jeep Grand Cherokee is just as in-your-face as the SVR, while its five-second 0-60mph time is equally crazy. Plus, you’ll pocket nearly £30k, which could pay for a track car and trailer.

Key specs:

 Range Rover Sport SVRAudi RS6Porsche Cayenne Turbo
On-the-road price/total as tested£93,450/£106,050£78,040/£79,730£93,574/£107,293
Residual value (after 3yrs/30,000)£42,950/46.0%£38,497/49.3%£46,179/49.4%
Depreciation£50,500£39,543£47,395
Annual tax liability std/higher rate£6,830/£13,660£5,731/£11,463£6,839/£13,678
Annual fuel cost (12k/20k miles)£3,918/£6,531£2,902£3,380/£5,634
Ins. group/quote/road tax band/cost50/£858/M/£50050/£608/K/£28550/£928/M/£500
Cost of 1st/2nd/3rd service£749 (5yrs)£40p/m (3yrs)£450/£520/£450 (6y)
    
Length/wheelbase4,850/2,923mm4,979/2,915mm4,855/2,895mm
Height/width1,780/2,073mm1,461/1,936mm1,702/1,939mm
EngineV8 s’charged/5,000ccV8 twin-turbo/3,993ccV8 twin-turbo/4,806cc
Peak power542/6,000 bhp/rpm552/5,700 bhp/rpm512/6,000 bhp/rpm
Peak torque680/2,500 Nm/rpm700/1,750 Nm/rpm750/2,250 Nm/rpm
Transmission8-spd auto/4wd8-spd auto/4wd8-spd auto/4wd
Fuel tank capacity/spare wheel105 litres/sealant75 litres/sealant100 litres/sealant
Boot capacity (seats up/down)489/1,761 litres565/1,680 litres670/1,780 litres
Kerbweight/payload/towing weight2,335/665/3,000kg1,950/630/2,100kg2,260/710/3,500kg
Turning circle/drag coefficient12.1 metres/N/A11.9 metres/N/A11.9 metres/0.38Cd
Basic warranty (miles)/recovery3yrs (unlimited)/3yrs3yrs (60,000)/3yrs3yrs (unlimited)/2yrs
Service intervals/UK dealers1yr (16,000)/130Variable/1212yrs (20,000)/36
Driver Power manufacturer/dealer pos.20th/28th12th/26th6th/3rd
Euro NCAP: Adult/child/ped./pointsN/AN/AN/A
    
0-60/30-70mph4.5/3.9 secs3.5/2.9 secs4.3/3.7 secs
30-50mph in 3rd/4th2.4/3.1 secs2.0/2.6 secs2.9/4.3 secs
50-70mph in 5th/6th/7th/8th4.5/5.8/7.7/11.4 secs3.1/4.2/6.2/10.8 secs4.2/5.9/9.5/15.5 secs
Top speed/rpm at 70mph162mph/1,650rpm155mph/1,700rpm173mph/1,600rpm
Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph50.2/37.0/9.6m49.2/34.2/9.0m47.3/33.6/8.8m
Noise levels outside/idle/30/70mph72/49/57/67dB68/51/59/67dB66/48/61/69dB
Auto Express econ (mpg/mpl)/range15.7/3.5/363 miles21.2/4.7/350 miles18.2/4.0/400 miles
Govt urban/extra-urban/combined15.4/29.1/22.1mpg21.1/38.2/29.4mpg18.2/32.5/25.2mpg
Govt urban/extra-urban/combined3.4/6.4/4.9mpl4.6/8.4/6.5mpl4.0/7.2/5.5mpl
Actual/claimed CO2/tax bracket416/298g/km/37%308/223g/km/37%359/261g/km/37%
    
Airbags/Isofix/park sensors/cameraSix/yes/yes/yesSix/yes/yes/£810Six/yes/yes/£446
Auto gearbox/stability/cruise controlYes/yes/yesYes/yes/yesYes/yes/yes
Climate control/leather/heated seatsYes/yes/yesYes/yes/yesYes/yes/yes
Metallic paint/xenon lights/keyless goYes/yes/yesYes/LED/£750Yes/LED/£744
Sat-nav/USB/DAB radio/BluetoothYes/yes/yes/yesYes/yes/yes/yesYes/yes/yes/yes
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