Meet the Range Rover Sentinel, the first luxury armored vehicle fully engineered by SVO
Hand built at SVO’s Oxford Road facility, the Range Rover Sentinel is said to provide the highest levels of protection a SUV can offer against a wide variety of attacks. Based on the standard wheelbase Range Rover Autobiography, the armored version looks identical to the standard model and offers the same comfort and all-terrain capability.
Only in the case of an unwanted attack the Sentinel shows its true nature – it is designed to withstand vicious threats including penetration by 7.62 mm high velocity, armor piercing incendiary bullets. The vehicle also delivers lateral protection against up to 15 kg (33 lbs) Trinitrotoluene (TNT) blasts and defense against DM51 grenade explosions from both beneath the floor and above the roof.
The Sentinel has a specially-developed six-piece armored passenger cell made of super-high-strength steel, while the standard glass has been replaced by multi-laminated armor privacy glass of optical quality. The Range Rover Sentinel is fully certified to VR8 standard against ballistic threats. Other exclusive features include an anti-tamper exhaust, a self-sealing fuel tank, auxiliary back-up battery, a split charging system as well as run flat inserts in the tyres.
Obviously, all these upgrades add weight to the Range Rover Sentinel, which is why the vehicle’s Dynamic Stability Control and Ride Stability Control systems were revised, allowing for a payload of up to 650 kg (1,433 lbs). The brakes were upgraded too with 380 mm front and 365 mm rear ventilated disc brakes, both with high-density pads.
Power comes from a 340 PS (335 hp) 3.0-liter V6 supercharged petrol engine mated to a specially-calibrated ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The Range Rover Sentinel can be ordered from September 2015 in the UK, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. Prices in Europe start from under €400,000.