Although the name can cause confusion, the Range Rover Sport is distinctively different from Land Rover's familiar Range Rover flagship. It's shorter, lower, sportier, and more affordable, with a starting price that's substantially less than its big brother. While the engaging character is reminiscent of its German competitors, the Sport’s performance orientation cuts into the Range Rover's comfy, refined ride. An appeal for families is an optional, but tiny, third-row seat.
The Sport gets the same weight-saving aluminum construction and choice of two supercharged engines as the Range Rover. A 340-hp, 3.0-liter V6 is standard; a fire-breathing 510-hp, 5.0-liter V8 is optional. Either way, you get an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The V6 delivers effortless power, as well as 18 mpg overall, which isn't outstanding -- but isn't bad either --considering the Sport's potent performance. Towing capacity is a hefty 7,715 pounds.
Handling is quite responsive and the Range Rover Sport is taut as it hunkers down in corners. The steering is on the heavy side, but doesn't transmit much feedback. When pushed to its limits, the Sport was secure, although its stability control system intervenes quite early to keep this heavy vehicle out of trouble.
The Range Rover Sport's biggest shortcoming is its stiff, choppy ride.
For off road use, the Sport provides various electronic modes for driving on sand, mud, and gravel. It managed to scale our rock hill -- even without low range. But the terrain system is only available as an option.
Interior fit and finish are excellent. Drivers sit up high, with plenty of room and very good visibility to the front and sides because of large windows and a low dashboard.
Chairlike front seats are comfortable and accommodating, with a wide range of power adjustments. Large bolsters offer plenty of lateral support, but bigger drivers might find them somewhat confining. There is ample rear seat room, with firm, well shaped cushions that provide good support. The optional third row can hold two kids, but it's cramped and a chore to access.
The controls are mostly complicated and frustrating, with the electronic shifter and central touchscreen being notable sore points. The unintuitive shifter makes it easy to end up in the wrong gear. And, the touchscreen, which controls many basic functions, has small fonts and is slow to respond. At least there's a shortcut for the seat heaters. Pairing a phone isn't as easy as in most systems. Voice controls can be used for a number of functions, but they require a specific sequence of commands, rather than natural speech.