Have you ever thought about how loud some vehicles can be at wide-open throttle? We expect sports cars to be noisy and to have that satisfying engine growl. But how loud are popular SUVs or cargo vans? One luxury performance SUV in particular, the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition, makes its auditory presence known thanks to a special engine. Just how loud is it? What does it have under the hood?

The loudest cars from each segment

Recently, Car and Driver put together a list of the Loudest Cars Ever Tested from Every Segment. Every year, they test the sound pressure level at idle, cruising at 70 mph, and at wide-open throttle of literally hundreds of cars. They created a list of the loudest cars in wide-open throttle for each class. 

Sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB) and it’s different from the noise level or loudness. Noise level is the subjective way we perceive sound. The actual change in surrounding atmospheric pressure generated by a given sound wave is the sound pressure level. They have similarities but aren’t the same thing.

In the station wagon class, the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SV Autobiography Dynamic Edition is the loudest. Whether it’s actually a station wagon is an entirely different discussion. It’s equipped with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 Jaguar engine that growls like a sports car. With that high-powered engine, this Range Rover can reach 60 mph in an impressive 3.8 seconds.

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar generates 89 dBA. It’s enough to make you actually want to buy a station wagon.

Can you get hearing damage from the Land Rover Range Rover Velar?

Repeated exposure to loud sounds can cause hearing loss over time according to the CDC. The louder the sound is the faster hearing loss happens. Exposure to sound that’s over 70 dB over a long period of time will cause hearing damage. 

The intensity of the sound can be a lot greater than how loud it seems to you. Sound’s intensity can grow and multiply quickly. The CDC explains that a sound at 20 dB has an intensity 10 times greater than that of a sound at 10 dB.

The sound of a vehicle’s engine is actually wasted energy according to Physics Forums. You can only make an engine efficient to a point. There’s always going to be a small percentage of power squandered on noise and heat. The more power an engine has, the more noise it makes.

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic edition is unique because of that supercharged Jaguar engine. The Ford factory where the AJ-V8 was engineered for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) since 1996 closed last September. Not only does this special edition Range Rover have that powerful engine, but it also has a stunning exterior design and magnificent performance.

The Velar SVAutobiography has much in common with the Jaguar F-Pace SVR. Both are produced by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations that has a hand in both Land Rover and Jaguar brands. Both vehicles have essentially the same core mechanics. The special edition Range Rover, however, is more tame and refined.  

The Range Rover Velar’s refinement really shines at higher speeds. The suspension has solid stability at higher speeds. You can enjoy a ride that’s relaxed and fast simultaneously. 

The Range Rover Velar also gets brake-based torque vectoring, and you can really feel it using the Dynamic setting. The brakes are impressive and set up with large 15.6-inch rotors at the front and back that can take the heat of prolonged, spirited sprints up the road. It can come to a complete stop from 70 mph in 165 feet.

Car and Driver calls it an understudy to the full-size Range Rover SVAutobiography that’s more affordable. It starts at $91,815 which is just over half of the cost of the bigger Range Rover SVAutobiography at $179,795.