2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Range Rover Sport launched in 2005, but it's still only in its second generation. The current generation arrived for the 2014 model year and received an interior and exterior refresh for the 2018 model year, which carries over into 2021. That refresh brought with it the dual-screen center console that has come to define Land Rover interiors over the past few years. A plug-in hybrid variant arrived for the 2020 model year, as did the availability of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Trims for the Range Rover Sport are SE, HSE Silver, HST, HSE Dynamic, Autobiography, SVR, and SVR Carbon Edition. Standard features on the base SE trim include leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, an eight-speaker Meridian premium sound system, a WiFi hotspot, and the aforementioned dual-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Moving up to the HSE Silver adds quad-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a 19-speaker Meridian sound system. The HSE even includes a refrigerated center console. The HST trim offers nearly the same feature set as the HSE Silver, but upgrades the powertrain and swaps out the quad-zone climate control for tri-zone climate control.

The HSE Dynamic’s features are headlined by a potent supercharged V8 engine. Other additions to the HSE Dynamic include a limited-slip differential and a two-speed transfer case.

The Autobiography is where the real high-end luxury begins. In addition to 22-way power-adjustable front seats, it offers power soft-close doors, as well as many of the optional features from the lower trims.

The SVR performance model features a more powerful V8 engine, as well as performance-oriented front-and-rear sport seats, and a stiffer suspension. The SVR Carbon Edition builds on the SVR with a number of carbon fiber accents and 22-inch alloy wheels.

Land Rover offers a number of different powertrain options. The base P360 mild-hybrid powertrain (found in the SE and SE Silver Edition) combines a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt electrical system. It makes 355 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. The HST model gets a more potent version of this powertrain, dubbed P400, rated at 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

The HSE Silver Edition is also available with plug-in hybrid or diesel powertrains. The P400e plug-in hybrid combines a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine with electric assist for 398 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque. Land Rover's 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 makes 254 hp and 443 lb-ft. You can also get the plug-in hybrid powertrain on the Range Rover Sport Autobiography, but not the diesel.

The Range Rover Sport HSE Dynamic and Autobiography trims both feature a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that puts out 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. Finally, the Range Rover Sport SVR and SVR Carbon Edition both receive a more powerful version of this engine, making 575 hp and 516 lb-ft.

All Range Rover Sport models have an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive (4WD). The Range Rover Sport also features height-adjustable air suspension and a Terrain Response system with multiple modes for rock, sand, gravel, snow, tarmac, and more. The Range Rover Sport is capable off the beaten path, putting other luxury SUVs to shame. On paved surfaces, the air suspension keeps the heavy SUV level, allowing for impressive cornering abilities.

With the exception of the SVR (which can tow 6,613 pounds), every variant of the Range Rover Sport can tow up to 7,716 pounds (when properly equipped).

The Range Rover Sport provides a maximum of 63.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. It provides 31.7 cubic feet with the second row in use.

The Range Rover Sport also offers an optional third row of seating, bringing seating capacity from five to seven. With that third row in use, the Range Rover Sport provides 10.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. These cargo figures are good for a road trip or extra bags in a pinch, but there are more spacious options out there.

Both the first and second rows provide ample headroom and legroom, combining space and lavish appointments. That optional third row is very tight and probably best suited for children.

The Range Rover Sport’s interior is dominated by the dual-screen center console. The lower screen operates climate controls and vehicle settings, while the upper screen is home to the infotainment system. This system is not always terribly intuitive, and earlier model years of the dual-screen setup had a lot of bugs.

The system's saving grace is the pair of dials integrated into the lower screen that can switch between multiple functions. They control everything from fan speed and temperature, to the heated/ventilated seats (where available), and the off-road vehicle dynamics settings.

Up top, the touchscreen layout is a bit more simplified. There are reasonably sized icons to switch between menus that also let you jump between the native infotainment system and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The Range Rover Sport also has a real volume button, though it’s tucked down by the base of the lower screen.

Overall, though, there's still a bit of a learning curve with this infotainment system. And while there are worse systems on the market today, but there are also far better ones.

The Range Rover Sport comes equipped with a decent list of standard driver assistance features. These include forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and front-and-rear parking sensors. But if you’re looking for adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert, you’ll have to pay extra. Note that these are standard features on some non-luxury vehicles that cost thousands less.

Other available driver assistance features include a surround-view parking camera, traffic sign recognition, driver drowsiness monitoring, and parallel and perpendicular park assist. You can also get a helpful head-up display.

The 2021 Range Rover Sport P400e plug-in hybrid gets an EPA-rated 19 miles of electric range with an efficiency rating of 42 MPGe combined, and fuel economy of 19 mpg combined in hybrid mode. The diesel is rated at 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined.

Mild-hybrid models return 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. The V8-powered HSE Dynamic and Autobiography models are rated at 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined. That dips to 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined if you select the more powerful SVR and SVR Carbon Edition models.

Base MSRP for the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport is $69,500 for the SE trim level. The midlevel HST P400 version starts at $84,000, while the V8-powered HSE Dynamic starts at $87,500. The SVR starts at $115,500, and the range-topping SVR Carbon Edition starts at $130,000.

For some, a Range Rover Sport may feel like superfluous overkill, but consider capabilities against needs. This is a vehicle that can handle on-road driving extremely well, but also go places that few other luxury SUVs dare. If your lifestyle takes you to the beach and the mountains, and you enjoy the excitement of driving getting from one to the other, the Range Rover Sport makes a surprising amount of sense. It doesn’t come cheap, but if you have the means, the Range Rover Sport is the very definition of a no-compromise luxury SUV.