2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Review
zzdcar' Expert Review
byWill KaufmanSenior Editor and Content Strategist, CarMaxWill Kaufman has worked in the automotive industry since 2017. He has written hundreds of car-related articles and reviews over the course of his career. Will is a senior editor and content strategist for CarMax at zzdcar. Will has been featured in the Associated Press and a number of major outlets on the topics of infotainment and vehicle data, vehicle subscription services and autonomous vehicles. Will started his career in online publishing by writing and editing standardized test guides, but he has a lot more fun writing about cars.
What’s new
For 2018, the Range Rover Sport receives revised exterior styling and an updated interior with Land Rover's Touch Pro Duo system. The supercharged V8 engine is also slightly more powerful this year.
Vehicle overview
Like its bigger sibling — that grande dame of luxury SUVs, the regular Range Rover — the Range Rover Sport combines a quiet and luxurious interior with rugged off-road ability. But as its Sport moniker indicates, it also offers sporty handling and on-road performance that can challenge some sport sedans. It can even be equipped with third-row seats to carry a few extra passengers.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SE 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.
Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota$240/mo for Range Rover Sport SE
Range Rover Sport SE
SE 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) - $66,750 MSRPSE Td6 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A) - $68,750 MSRPHSE 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) (Most Popular) - $72,350 MSRPHSE Td6 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A) - $74,350 MSRPSupercharged 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $82,050 MSRPHSE Dynamic 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) - $82,150 MSRPSupercharged Dynamic 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $85,550 MSRPAutobiography Dynamic 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $96,650 MSRPSVR 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $113,600 MSRP
vs
$183/mo
Avg. Midsize SUV
The Range Rover Sport does everything in a way that few vehicles can, but it still competes in a crowded segment full of excellent options — depending on your needs. If you can forgo a third row, there's the back-road-blasting Porsche Cayenne, which is in a class of its own when it comes to on-road performance. Like the Sport, quite a few competitors have the option of a third row. Of those, the Volvo XC90 also offers a gorgeously modern cabin and massive cargo space, along with a more generous third row. There's even the body-on-frame Lexus GX, which is in need of a redesign but boasts impressive off-road ability. That's not even to mention the traditional competition from the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE.
Still, if you want to combine luxury, sportiness, and rugged off-road performance, nothing quite competes with the 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport.
zzdcar' Expert Rating
Like its bigger sibling, the regular Range Rover, the 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport combines a quiet and luxurious interior with rugged off-road ability. But as its Sport moniker indicates, it also offers sporty handling and on-road performance that can challenge some sport sedans.
Driving
The Range Rover Sport is an impressive on-road performer, especially with the powerful supercharged engine. It's not the most agile SUV on the road, but it's a superbly capable off-roader.
Acceleration
At the zzdcar test track, a Range Rover Sport Supercharged sprinted from zero to 60 mph in a blistering 4.6 seconds. The SVR improved a smidge to 4.5 seconds. There are faster SUVs, but not many.
Braking
In our testing, the Range Rover Sport performed a panic stop from 60 mph in 124 feet, which is only average for the class.
Steering
The steering feel and accuracy are impeccable on twisting mountain roads yet appropriately light when parking.
Handling
Although it's hard to trust something this big, the Range Rover Sport tackles back roads with the utmost confidence and speed. It's still not as agile as the considerably lighter Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
Off-road
Tackling steep rocky grades is made effortless thanks to the sophisticated Terrain Response system and the two-speed transfer case. But wheel articulation is far better on the non-Sport Range Rover.
Comfort
We haven't had a chance to test the updated interior, but in our experience the Rover Sport offers exemplary comfort and quietness.
Seat comfort
The highly adjustable front seats have ample padding and support, making the Range Rover competitive with luxury sedans in terms of comfort.
Ride comfort
With the Terrain Response system set to Auto, the ride is pleasantly cushioned and readily smooths out bumps in the road. Imperfections are felt, but they are never intrusive in this mode.
Noise & vibration
Levels of wind and road noise are insulated enough to be barely detectable. You'll only hear engine growl when you're driving with exuberance. And even then, it sounds great.
Interior
Historically, the Range Rover Sport has used excellent materials and meticulous craftsmanship. The new Touch Pro Duo system adds a thoroughly modern and appealing look, updating the cabin nicely.
Utility
Interior storage is ample, and the optional cooler box works well. With 24.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat and a max of 56.8 cubic feet, cargo space lags the class leaders. All Range Rover Sports except the SVR can tow up to an impressive 7,716 pounds; the latter drops to a respectable 6,613 pounds.
Technology
The Range Rover Sport packs a lot of technology options, including driver aids for both on and off the road, a gesture-operated sunroof shade, and rear-seat entertainment screens. The new Touch Pro Duo system looks sharp and futuristic, but it can be slow to respond and overly complicated to use.
Which Range Rover Sport does zzdcar recommend?
It's hard to ignore the Supercharged trim's appeal. That roaring V8 that really puts the sport in the Range Rover Sport. It also comes with a lot of the upgrades from the HSE that luxury buyers expect, including upgraded leather seats, blind-spot monitoring, 360-degree parking sensors, and all of the off-road capability you want in a Land Rover. We'd also consider the Drive Pro package for its adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. If earth-shaking V8s aren't your thing, the HSE Dynamic is about the same price with a lot more features and a more potent version of the base V6.
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport models
The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport is a midsize luxury SUV offered in six main trim levels: SE, HSE, HSE Dynamic, Supercharged, Autobiography and SVR. Five-passenger seating is standard, and a power-folding third row that boosts capacity to seven passengers is available on all trims except the SVR. A range engines with varying power outputs are also available.
The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SE comes standard with supercharged 3.0-liter V6 (340 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque), an eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. Available as an option — the SE Td6 — is a turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel-powered V6 (254 hp, 443 lb-ft of torque).
Standard features on the SE trim include 19-inch wheels, a self-leveling air suspension with automatic height adjustment for loading and unloading, LED headlights, power-folding heated mirrors, a hands-free liftgate, front and rear parking sensors, and keyless ignition and entry.
Within the cabin, you'll find dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, 60/40-split second-row folding rear seatbacks, driver-seat memory settings and a power-adjustable steering wheel. Also standard are a navigation system and an eight-speaker sound system with satellite and HD radio and USB connectivity. The new Touch Pro Duo system combines a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a secondary screen for various cabin and vehicle controls where the climate knobs used to be.
To all this standard equipment, the HSE adds 20-inch wheels, foglights, power-folding side mirrors, a fixed panoramic sunroof, perforated leather upholstery, an 11-speaker stereo system, 360-degree parking sensors, 16-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, and upgraded interior trim. There are also added safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, a driver-condition monitoring system, and traffic sign recognition. You can opt for the diesel engine in HSE trim, making it the HSE Td6.
Extra off-road capability is optional at these trim levels via the Off-Road package that adds a low range transfer case. It also provides a suite of software upgrades to the traction control system along with selectable terrain modes. This package is standard equipment on all higher trim levels.
Opt for the HSE Dynamic and you get 40 more hp from the supercharged V6, along with some sporty visual upgrades, 21-inch wheels, steering-wheel-mounted shifter paddles, upgraded interior trim, even better front seats (with 22 adjustments plus ventilation) and a power-sliding sunroof.
The Supercharged trim level adds a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 (518 hp, 461 lb-ft of torque) in place of the standard V6. However, it loses some features compared to the HSE Dynamic, going back to most of the HSE's features while keeping the extra traction control systems and power sunroof. A Supercharged Dynamic is available, which adds the 21-inch wheels, trim upgrades and paddle shifters.
The Autobiography adds flashy 21-inch wheels, turn-adaptive headlights with automatic high beams, various other exterior styling enhancements, soft-close doors, tri-zone climate control, premium leather upholstery, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, 22-way adjustable heated and cooled front seats, a configurable digital instrument cluster, a cooler box in the front console, a surround-view camera system, and a 19-speaker Meridian sound system.
The high-performance SVR provides most of the Autobiography's features, adding or substituting SVR-specific 21-inch wheels, more power from the V8 (575 hp, 516 lb-ft), sport-tuned suspension and steering, sportier transmission programming, special interior and exterior styling and trim details, and sport seats.
Many of the standard features on the higher trims are available as options on lower trims. Other options include 22-inch wheels, quad-zone climate control, a refrigerated storage box in the front console, a 23-speaker Meridian audio system, a heated windshield, and a rear-seat video entertainment system. The Drive Pro and Park Pro packages add adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist and a self-parking system (with both parallel and perpendicular capability, plus automatic space exit), along with features such as blind-spot monitoring and a 360-degree parking sensor on lower trims. A Towing package adds a full-size spare tire and towing hardware along with a system to help you control a trailer's direction while reversing.
2018 Range Rover Sport Highlights
Type: SVRSUVDieselSUVTrim: SESE Td6HSEHSE td6SuperchargedHSE DynamicSupercharged DynamicAutobiography DynamicSVRSE
Base MSRP | $66,750 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 19 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $240/month |
Seating | 5 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 24.8 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | four wheel drive |
Warranty | 4 years / 50,000 miles |
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