The armoured Range Rover Sentinel is the first armoured Land Rover to be fully engineered by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations and can withstand bullets, grenades and TNT blasts.

LAND ROVER has revealed the armoured Range Rover Sentinel which has been designed and engineered by Land Rover’s SVO and will be hand built at its Oxford Road facility in the UK. Designed to protect occupants from a wide variety of attacks, the Sentinel is based on the standard wheelbase Range Rover Autobiography.

And, as we wrote about in our armoured Range Rove drive experience, the thing looks exactly like any other Range Rover with no outward hint that it’s anything special. The Sentinel “is designed to withstand the most damaging and targeted of threats including penetration by 7.62mm high velocity, armour piercing incendiary bullets. This exceptional vehicle delivers lateral protection against up to 15kg Trinitrotoluene (TNT) blasts and defence against DM51 grenade explosions from both beneath the floor and above the roof”. The Range Rover Sentinel is fully certified to VR8 standard against ballistic threats by QinetiQ, an independent organisation that was formerly part of the British Government’s Defence Establishment Research Agency.

The Sentinel has an anti-tamper exhaust, a self-sealing fuel tank, auxiliary back-up battery and a split charging system. The 100mm opening in the driver’s window for document delivery ensures the vehicle is secure. The load space features anti-smash protective glass ensuring the cabin remains a safe house.

Run flat inserts in the tyres – fitted to special 20-inch split rim alloy wheels – allow the vehicle to be driven even if the tyres are deflated. If the worst happens “and the main doors are blocked by an accident or an attack, occupants can leave the vehicle via the Emergency Escape System behind the rear seats. Despite this special security feature, the basic design is uncompromised and the Range Rover Sentinel is still equipped with the elegant split-level tailgate of the standard production vehicle”.

Cost-optional extras include under floor and under bonnet fire suppression systems, a customer configurable siren system, emergency service lights and an external speaker system to address people outside the vehicle from the “safety” of the cabin.

John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “The Range Rover Sentinel is one of the most extraordinary Range Rovers ever produced. It has been expertly engineered by Special Vehicle Operations to provide class leading levels of protection to occupants against extreme attack, whilst retaining the Range Rover’s luxury and refinement with off road capability.”

The suspension has been beefed up to ensure Range Rover’s “legendary ride comfort and handling are retained, yet still delivers precise on-road dynamics to allow occupants to escape attack”. The Sentinel, Land Rover said, has undergone the same testing as a standard production vehicle and retains the outstanding off-road capability for which Land Rover is famous.

The Sentinel lists from €400,000 (AUD$882,000) and includes a full driver training program, which you can read more about HERE.