Land Rover has released official images of its high-performance Range Rover Sport SVR, announcing it will be available in Australia from second-quarter 2015.

CAPABLE OF ACCELERATING to 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds, the Range Rover Sport SVR is the first Land Rover to wear the brand’s new high-performance SVR badge. Powered by the same 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine that sits under the ventilated bonnet of the Jaguar XKR-S, it produces 405kW and 680Nm . This is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel-drive.

In testing, the Range Rover Sport SVR lapped Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack in 8min:14sec, one of the fastest times ever recorded by a standard production SUV.

The new SVR unleashes the full potential of the Range Rover Sport’s lightweight and robust all-aluminium architecture, while retaining the refinement, luxury and off-road capability for which Range Rover is world-renowned.

In two world firsts for Range Rover, an electrically controlled two-stage active exhaust provides a racecar-inspired soundtrack at higher engine revs without adversely affecting refinement during steady-state driving. Basically there’s a butterfly valve that opens under hard acceleration. Unique 22-inch alloy wheels with performance-optimised 295/40 R22 Continental SportContact 5 tyres will be available as a cost option – standard-fit are 21-inch alloy wheels with 275/45 R21 all-season tyres.

Speaking ahead of its global premiere, John Edwards, Managing Director of Land Rover’s Special Operations, said: “The Range Rover Sport SVR is a natural progression beyond the core vehicle’s outstanding on- and off-road capabilities and leading-edge design. Its exhilarating performance will satisfy a particularly demanding customer set.

“A thorough range of revisions specially developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations combine to make this premium derivative even more distinctive both inside and out, as well as taking its dynamic capabilities to the next level without impacting on comfort, refinement or all-terrain versatility. The Range Rover Sport SVR is truly the world’s most capable performance SUV.”

The Range Rover Sport SVR has been created by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations team and will be built alongside existing models and sold through the Land Rover dealer network.

There’s no word yet on pricing.