Range Rover Sport SV’s seat tech made my heart rate race

The Range Rover Sport SV Edition One is the most advanced Range Rover to date. Powered by a mild-hybrid twin-turbo 4.4 litre V8 it delivers 635 metric horsepower and a 0-60mph 3.6 seconds, this is a seriously powerful machine.

It features lightweight 23-inch Carbon Fibre Wheels with Brembo Carbon Ceramic Brakes to help control that power and Hydraulic interlinked 6D Dynamics air suspension to keep it flat through the corners. I got to experience this car at full pelt around the Goodwood circuit and the experience was breathtaking – especially for a vehicle of this size.

Something else about this new luxury performance vehicle really excited me: the front seats. These are no ordinary seats, these are what Range Rover calls Body and Soul seats. Created in partnership with Subpac, the seats feature four transducers that deliver precise vibrations to your body to elevate your audio experience in addition to two speakers in the shoulder area that form part of the 29-speaker Meridian Signature sound system. 

Subpac is a Canadian company best known for its wearable tactile audio system that has proved a big hit with musicians, sound designers and music producers. It delivers those deep bass frequencies directly to your body without needing the immense volume that normally requires. Billie Eilish's Brother, Finneas O'Connell wears a Subpac while playing to really experience the music as do members of Coldplay. Coldplay also offers the system to hard of hearing fans to help them experience their live gigs. 

Having tried the Subpac for myself – paired with headphones – it’s much like listening to music in a really loud club or gig, where you can feel the bass frequencies go through you. Except here, the music volume isn’t that loud. 

The version of Subpac built into the Body and Soul seat of the Range Rover Sport SV delivers a similar experience to the wearable device. While it doesn’t have as many transducers, you can feel the vibrations when sat in either the driver or passenger seat and there are five levels of strength, selectable from the touch screen. 

The vibrations work with any music played through the infotainment system and are far more responsive than the in-seat bass systems I’ve experienced in other vehicles. Rather than a single deep bass note, you can feel variations of frequencies that tie in with bass, drums and other instruments. 

In addition to just boosting your musical listening experience, the Body and Soul seat can provide wellness benefits to your drive. Through the menu you can select one of six wellness tracks created in collaboration with Coventry University that can help invigorate or calm you, through a series of sounds and vibrations. The tracks are designed to influence your heart rate variability to reduce anxiety and improve your cognitive response. The deep frequencies allow them to be more effective than just straight audio. 

This might seem a small detail in what is a hugely impressive new car that is chocked full of tech but it’s details like this that help really elevate the Range Rover Sport SV.