Land Rover's new bulletproof SUV is a tank dressed in a tuxedo

For most people, car safety means airbags, stability control, and crash-avoidance technology that help spare us and our passengers from serious injury.

But, for a select few - think heads of state and corporate CEOs - those features would barely scratch the surface.

The address that, Land Rover has put together a bulletproof, explosion-proof road tank called the Range Rover Sentinel. From all appearances, the Sentinel looks like your everyday six-figure luxury SUV.  This one, however, might actually save your life.

The Range Rover Sentinel is a product of Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) unit - the same division that produces insanely fast versions of its standard SUVs. 

To produce the Sentinel, the automaker takes the top-of-the-line, $140,000 Range Rover Autobiography model and turns it into a fortress with:

• A reinforced passenger cell that can withstand armor-piercing incendiary bullets
• Super high-strength steel that can take blasts from hand-grenade explosions
• A tamper-proof exhaust system
• Self-sealing fuel tank that prevents leaks if the tank is punctured
• A backup battery and run-flat tires

Naturally, all of that reinforced steel and glass makes the already heavy Range Rover (standard weight: more than 5,000 lbs) even heavier. But, engineers have retooled the Sentinel's suspension to compensate for that.

There's no point in dodging armor-piercing bullets and grenades if you can't make evasive maneuvers to get out of harm's way.

You can see the bulletproof Range Rover Sentinel in action here: