• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Photos & Videos

Land Rover Range Rover Sport - What the Auto Press Says

Owners may be willing to overlook Land Rover's spotty reliability record once they get behind the wheel of the highly praised Range Rover Sport.

 

The Range Rover Sport shines when it comes to performance and luxury. Edmunds says, "If you're after classic British four-wheel-drive heritage, capability, comfort and style integrated into a slightly leaner and sleeker package, the 2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport is a natural, top-of-your-list choice."

The interior of the Range Rover Sport is luxurious and full of quality materials and the latest technology, but in a highly competitive class, that's not enough to put the Sport at the top. Still, test drivers praise the Sport's performance, both on-road and off.  When you add in the brand's spotty reliability record, you have an SUV that will make its owners very happy, so long as it stays out of the shop.

The Range Rover Sport comes in two trims -- HSE and Supercharged. Both feature V8 engines, with the Supercharged getting more horsepower and torque.

• "It is the Range Rover Sport's tenacious off-road capability (thank you, Terrain Response), its solid on-road performance, stylish looks, and handsome but no-nonsense interior that make it the ute that I would choose -- in Vesuvius Orange, please." -- Road and Track
• "Certainly, the Range Rover Sport HSE is one of the most capable sport-utility vehicles, on the road or off, available anywhere." -- Washington Post
• "We'd be more inclined to stop at the Jeep garage, were we in the market for a vehicle that truly could go off road and offer some good get-up-and-go. The difference in price, about $30,000 in terms of the base top-end model, would make the Jeep Grand Cherokee an attractive alternative." -- MarketWatch
• "Expensive to buy and to run, the Sport looks like a million dollars from outside, but inferior fixtures and lackluster tech means that it feels a lot cheaper from the driver's seat." -- CNET

 

Range-Rover-Sport Performance - 8.3 (Very Good)

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport balances on-road performance with Land Rover's signature off-road capabilities. "Driving the Range Rover Sport on-road is unlike many SUVs," writes Road and Track, "as it offers a very rewarding experience." Read More

Range-Rover-Sport Exterior - 8.6 (Very Good)

 For the most part, the Range Rover Sport's styling gets good reviews. The exterior resembles the regular Range Rover, but with a more steeply raked windshield and slightly more tilted roofline. New Car Test Drive says the Sport is "spirited, sporty, agile, with a snazzy look."  Read More

Range-Rover-Sport Interior - 8.0 (Very Good)

 Despite its rough-and-tumble off-road heritage, the Range Rover Sport has a refined interior. "The cabin is typical Range Rover luxury," writes Road and Track. Still, a few reviews note shortcomings in the size, placement, and labeling of controls and buttons.  Read More

Range-Rover-Sport Safety - NA

 Although crash test data is not available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the federal government, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport's list of standard safety features is comprehensive and competitive in its class.  Read More

Range-Rover-Sport Reliability - 6.0 (Mediocre)

The 2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport reliability score shown is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Range Rover Sport is covered by a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty. Some reviewers have qualms about the Ranger Rover Sport's reliability.  Read More