2021 Range Rover Sport - Excellent SUV!
- 2 years ago
Highs Plenty of powertrain choices, upscale exterior styling, luxurious interior trappings.
Lows Tight third-row passenger space, buggy infotainment system seems, not a fuel-efficient choice.
Verdict The Range Rover Sport offers a upscale experience plus serious off-road capability, but several of its rivals simply offer more well-rounded packages.
What's New for 2021?
Land Rover has made few changes to its mid-size Range Rover Sport for 2021. Besides a revised in-cabin air ionizer, the HSE Silver Edition model joins the lineup and the Premium Black Pack appearance package is now available on the HSE Dynamic trim. The HSE Silver Edition model comes standard with silver exterior trim and unique 21-inch black wheels with a diamond-turned finish. The Premium Black Pack package adds black exterior finishes and glossy black-painted 21- or 22-inch wheels.
Land Rover offers the Range Rover Sport in a wide variety of trim levels for 2021. All offer an impressive mix of luxury and performance. There isn't a dud in the bunch. However, our favorite combination is the HST, which is powered by the brand's mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six gas engine tuned to produce 395 horsepower. We also appreciate the HST's sporty visual touches, such as its black roof and its interior upgrades, which include a faux-suede-wrapped steering wheel and seat trim. The HSE Silver Edition is the best value, however. It's much better equipped than the SE and costs about $10,000 less than the HST. Its 355-hp version of the six-cylinder is plenty strong.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Every 2021 Range Rover Sport comes with Land Rover's excellent all-wheel-drive system and an exceptional eight-speed automatic transmission. Land Rover does, however, offer the SUV with four different engines, including a diesel, plug-in hybrid, and a mild hybrid. All offer impressive performance; however, our favorite is the stronger 395-hp version of the brand's mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder gas engine found in the HST model. It's exceptionally smooth and packs plenty of muscle. SE and HSE models get a 355-hp version of this engine, which is also excellent. The diesel-powered variants of the SE and HSE get better fuel mileage, but they aren't as quick as the mild hybrid or the plug-in hybrid models. Those looking for more performance should check out the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged/SVR variants. We review them separately.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
Range Rover Sports powered by the mild-hybrid inline-six never have to be plugged in or charged, but the P400e models, which feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, do have to be plugged in frequently to take advantage of their gas-saving technology. The P400e is powered by a 13.1-kWh battery pack located under the rear cargo floor. It can charge fully on a 120-volt outlet, but it takes up to 14 hours. A 240-volt outlet or trips to a public charging station can charge the SUV ...
Lows Tight third-row passenger space, buggy infotainment system seems, not a fuel-efficient choice.
Verdict The Range Rover Sport offers a upscale experience plus serious off-road capability, but several of its rivals simply offer more well-rounded packages.
What's New for 2021?
Land Rover has made few changes to its mid-size Range Rover Sport for 2021. Besides a revised in-cabin air ionizer, the HSE Silver Edition model joins the lineup and the Premium Black Pack appearance package is now available on the HSE Dynamic trim. The HSE Silver Edition model comes standard with silver exterior trim and unique 21-inch black wheels with a diamond-turned finish. The Premium Black Pack package adds black exterior finishes and glossy black-painted 21- or 22-inch wheels.
Land Rover offers the Range Rover Sport in a wide variety of trim levels for 2021. All offer an impressive mix of luxury and performance. There isn't a dud in the bunch. However, our favorite combination is the HST, which is powered by the brand's mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six gas engine tuned to produce 395 horsepower. We also appreciate the HST's sporty visual touches, such as its black roof and its interior upgrades, which include a faux-suede-wrapped steering wheel and seat trim. The HSE Silver Edition is the best value, however. It's much better equipped than the SE and costs about $10,000 less than the HST. Its 355-hp version of the six-cylinder is plenty strong.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Every 2021 Range Rover Sport comes with Land Rover's excellent all-wheel-drive system and an exceptional eight-speed automatic transmission. Land Rover does, however, offer the SUV with four different engines, including a diesel, plug-in hybrid, and a mild hybrid. All offer impressive performance; however, our favorite is the stronger 395-hp version of the brand's mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder gas engine found in the HST model. It's exceptionally smooth and packs plenty of muscle. SE and HSE models get a 355-hp version of this engine, which is also excellent. The diesel-powered variants of the SE and HSE get better fuel mileage, but they aren't as quick as the mild hybrid or the plug-in hybrid models. Those looking for more performance should check out the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged/SVR variants. We review them separately.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
Range Rover Sports powered by the mild-hybrid inline-six never have to be plugged in or charged, but the P400e models, which feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, do have to be plugged in frequently to take advantage of their gas-saving technology. The P400e is powered by a 13.1-kWh battery pack located under the rear cargo floor. It can charge fully on a 120-volt outlet, but it takes up to 14 hours. A 240-volt outlet or trips to a public charging station can charge the SUV ...