What's all this then?
This is the new Range Rover SVAutobiography, updated for the 2018 model year.
What's new about it?
As with the rest of the Range Rover lineup, the SVAutobiography gets the new 404hp plugin hybrid P400e version, which can drive for a claimed 31 miles on just the batteries, and an updated range-topping 565hp supercharged V8, too. Inside, there's the the double-decker screen In Control Touch Pro Duo infotainment system carried over from the Velar and the Range Rover Sport. This allows you to swipe controls and information between the screens and Land Rover is now calling a 'digital butler'. Amongst all the digital wizardry there's also a lovely dashboard clock, supplied by Swiss watchmaking genius Zenith.
Anything else?
Oh, yes. Most of the good stuff is in the back. The SVAutobiography is available only in long-wheelbase form (well, sort of, there will be an SVAutobiography Dynamic model with a standard wheelbase too) and it's clearly Land Rover's riposte to the Bentley Bentayga. There are only two seats in the back separated by a massive centre console, but what seats they are. Coming with 1.2-metres of legroom, they're able to recline by 40 degrees, and have heated elements not just in the base and back, but also in the calf-supports and footrests. There's also a hot stone massage function, and the seats have been created with "deep seat foams with new comfort interlayers" for maximum comfort.
To keep you entertained, there are two 10-inch infotainment screens in the back, hooked up to a 4G wifi system. There's enough space in the centre console for two bottles of wine, or four 600ml bottles of something stronger.
If you're worried about the practical side of things, the right rear seat folds flat so as to swallow long loads (perhaps when you dispatch your chauffeur to IKEA) and the fully-veneered boot floor motors out the back to make loading heavy items that much easier.
Did Land Rover have anything to say about it?
Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: "The Range Rover SVAutobiography is the epitome of luxury, comfort and refinement. Our standard-bearer for quality and precision exemplifies the attention to detail and sophistication that has been a hallmark of our most luxurious SUV stretching back almost 50 years."
John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: "The SVAutobiography badge identifies our most luxurious vehicles in the same way the SVR and SVX monikers denote our most potent and capable derivatives. The arrival of the enhanced Range Rover SVAutobiography further strengthens the peerless luxury pillar of the SV family."
How much will it cost?
Prices start from £167,850 for the 4.4-litre V8 diesel, £168,015 for the P400e plugin hybrid, and £177,030 for the supercharged V8 petrol.
Neil Briscoe - 28 Nov 2017