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It may look like a conventional four-wheel drive, but the Range Rover Sentinel has more to offer than meets the eye
T o outsiders you may appear to be travelling in a conventional luxury SUV. They may therefore consider that you present an easy target for an attempted abduction or robbery. They’d be seriously wrong.
For this apparently standard Range Rover is the new ‘Sentinel’ model – and it’s one of the most secure and protected methods of non-military road transport available in the world.
The Sentinel was discreetly unveiled at the Defence and Security Equipment International Show in London in October. Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations Division’s understated global promotional material merely advertises it as: ‘A luxury armoured vehicle.’
They’re being a little modest. Thanks to an arsenal of defensive adaptations, this mobile fortification can shrug off simultaneous multi-grenade blasts underneath and, on the roof, 15kg of TNT exploding alongside and a direct volley of 7.62mm high-velocity, armour-piercing, incendiary rounds.
If the Sentinel’s tyres are slashed or shot, the special run-flat inserts allow the vehicle to carry on driving normally. If the side doors are blocked, occupants have a hidden escape hatch behind the rear seats.
The ‘self-healing’ fuel tank automatically seals itself if any weapon or device tries to puncture it. Even the exhaust system is protected with undisclosed ‘anti-tamper measures’. There’s a back-up power system and 100mm opening in the driver’s window for secure document delivery. The list of options includes customisable sirens, a PA system to address anyone outside the vehicle and under-bonnet and under-floor fire suppression systems.
There is no clue from the outside that this isn’t an ordinary Range Rover. The Sentinel must be the only £400,000 vehicle that is designed to look like a much cheaper machine
The core of the Sentinel is a 360-degree, six-part armoured safety cell of high-strength steel within the bodywork of the car. It creates an impregnable zone around the vehicle without compromising the internal luxury.
And perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the Sentinel is that all these defensive capabilities are completely hidden. There is no clue from the outside that this isn’t an ordinary Range Rover. The Sentinel must be the only £400,000 vehicle that is designed to look like a much cheaper machine.
Damien Wilson, senior programme manager at Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations takes the time to explain: ‘This vehicle should only stand out for being a Range Rover Autobiography – not for its armoured nature.’
Can buyers trust the efficiency of the Sentinel’s defensive systems? Most certainly: they have been verified by experts at QinetiQ, an independent organisation that was formerly part of the British Government’s Defence Establishment Research Agency. Evidently the Sentinel achieves the prestigious ‘VR8 standard of defence against ballistic threats’.
If it all sounds James Bond, you're closer to the truth than you might think. Land Rover’s elite SVO team has been closely involved with creating and preparing vehicles for James Bond films.
The most recent, Spectre, features Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles heavily modified by SVO. The Defenders were specially built to feature huge, 37-inch diameter off-road tyres for extreme terrain. They also feature enhanced body protection, which is clearly becoming an SVO speciality. The Range Rover Sport SVR featured in the film is the fastest and most powerful Land Rover ever.
Land Rover’s elite SVO team has been heavily involved with creating and preparing vehicles for James Bond films
They follow in a long line of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in the Bond adventures. Previously, in 2012, a Defender double-cab pick-up was driven by Miss Moneypenny in Skyfall.
Meanwhile, back in the rather more real world of protecting Range Rover owners against possible attack, the SVO experts are clearly very proud of the Sentinel. It’s the first armoured vehicle to be hand-built from scratch by the unit at its purpose-built £20m site on Oxford Road, Coventry. The new SVO HQ includes a VIP suite to entertain the category of customer likely to commission the building of a Sentinel.
John Edwards, MD of SVO, says: ‘The Sentinel is one of the most extraordinary Range Rovers ever produced. It provides the finest protection against extreme attack.’
The vehicle is targeted at politicians, business leaders and celebrities – anyone who fears they may be at risk from criminals or terrorists. ‘It is aimed primarily at export markets,’ adds the SVO’s literature.
SVO considers the ability to escape across difficult terrain to be one of the Sentinel’s main defences and they’ve up-rated dampers and anti-roll bars
The new owner’s driver will attend special training sessions with the Sentinel. SVO technicians will also visit the vehicle annually to check everything is as it should be… wherever it is in the world.
Of course, the Autobiography on which the Sentinel is based is already equipped to cope with a high-speed chase, thanks to Jaguar’s 3.0-litre V6 supercharged engine and eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. In fact, SVO considers the ability to escape across difficult terrain to be one of the Sentinel’s main defensive weapons enhanced by up-rated air springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and the dynamic stability control system. It has also been given the most powerful brakes ever fitted to a Range Rover.
Wilson says: ‘The ability to go off-road for a Range Rover vehicle is paramount to its DNA. For an armoured application such as the Sentinel it is important to be able to evade or avoid any threat or attack. I’d sum this vehicle up in three words: luxurious, all-terrain fortress.’
Words: Staff
The Information
These are Sentinel’s rivals in the exclusive world of armoured luxury vehicles Inkas 460L
A Canadian–built bulletproof armoured version of the Lexus 460L luxury saloon, with four-wheel drive, reinforced door hinges and special protection for the battery compartment.
Inkas Armored International Armoring Corporation BMW 750Li
The US specialists transform a V8-powered luxury saloon into a mobile armoured vehicle. Even the exhaust pipe is protected by armour plate.
International Armoring Corporation Becker Automotive Cadillac Escalade ESV
Californian-based bespoke coachbuilders turn the luxury Caddy into a fully armoured vehicle. It’s the latest in their 20-year history of providing mobile protection for heads of state.
Becker Automotive Mercedes Benz S Guard
Mercedes’ armoured versions are among the world’s most popular. The S-Guard will stop continuous M60 machine gun fire and has an oxygen supply in case of a gas attack.
Mercedes Benz Knight XV
Canadian Conquest Vehicles’ flagship is a $630,000 military-style personnel carrier powered by a Ford V10 engine.
Conquest Vehicles Mercedes Benz G63 AMG
The lengthened armoured version of the high-performance Mercedes G-Wagon, complete with bulletproof glass, surveillance camera system and an armoured floor costs around $1m.br /> Mercedes Benz G63 AMG The 'Beast'
The $1.5m armoured ‘Cadillac One’ is the familiar vehicle used to transport the US President.