Item: 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Author: CarsDirect Staff

Introduced for 2006 as an offshoot of the legendary full-size Range Rover, the midsize Sport retains the British brand’s long-standing reputation for off-road capabilities, accompanied by uncompromising luxury amenities. With the available supercharged V8, in particular, the Sport delivers phenomenal acceleration along with impressive handling on paved surfaces.

What's New for 2016

A new HST Limited Edition joins the lineup for 2016, carrying a supercharged 3-liter V6 that generates 40 more horsepower than the regular six-cylinder engine. The HST features unique interior trim as well as exterior modifications. A new Hands-Free Gesture tailgate is available for 2016, as is Automatic Access Height. Also new this year is a 3-liter Td6 turbocharged diesel engine. A new InControl Remote & Protect app lets owners interact with the vehicle using a smartphone.

Choosing Your Range Rover Sport

Each Range Rover Sport has full-time four-wheel drive with hill descent control and hill start assist, plus a self-leveling air suspension. The Terrain Response system alters performance to suit various surface conditions.

Fuel economy is estimated at 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway with the standard 3-liter supercharged gasoline V6 engine, but a decidedly non-thrifty 14/19 mpg (city/highway) with the 5-liter V8. The new diesel V6 engine delivers 254 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, achieving a 25 mpg combined fuel economy estimate (22 mpg city/28 mpg highway). Each engine mates with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Newly available driver-assistance features include a Hands-Free Gesture tailgate and a tailgate camera washer. All-Terrain Progress Control, standard with the V8, acts like a low-speed cruise/crawl mode. Automatic Access Height lowers the air suspension when the vehicle is in Park, for easier entry/exit. A power-folding third row, available for most models, raises seating capacity to seven.

Six trim levels are offered, including the new HST Limited Edition:

All Range Rover Sports can get a Driver Assistance package with lane-departure warning, a self-parking system, and 360-degree parking sensors.

CarsDirect Tip

That's quite a choice of trims, and the price differential between them escalates as you move up the scale. Each V6 model fits into the midsize luxury SUV class. So does the Supercharged V8. Pick an exclusive Autobiography or SVR, though, and you're in a different universe.

Get your price on a Land Rover Range Rover Sport »

Read our review on the Land Rover Range Rover Sport »

James Flammang

Contributing Editor - August 19, 2015

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Expert Rating

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: Good vehicle. Decent, but not quite the best. Often affordable, but lacking key features found in vehicles of the same class.

: Below average vehicle. Not recommended, and lacking attributes a car buyer would come to expect for the price.

: Poor vehicle. Simply does not deserve to be on the road.

CarsDirect Staff

- January 27, 2016

The Range Rover Sport is like a 3/4-scale Range Rover: a little sleeker, a little shorter and a lot more maneuverable. It’s also the perfect offering for the younger, less traditional luxury SUV buyer.

Pricing and Equipment

The Range Rover Sport starts at $64,000 and has a grand total of six trims. Most are powered by six-cylinder engines, both diesel or gas. Then there is the V8 model and a lavishly equipped Autobiography model.

The entry level SE comes equipped with:

Nineteen-inch wheels
Sixteen-way power-adjustable front seats
Terrain Response System
Gradient Acceleration Control

We tested a mid-range HSE with a supercharged 3-liter V6. It came with a Driver Assistance package ($2,900) that included a head-up display, lane departure warning and a useful parking assist.

Performance Pros

No one will mistake the 340-horsepower six-cylinder for the optional 510-horsepower V8, but we were pleasantly surprised by its performance.

The ZF eight-speed automatic transmission shifts beautifully, and offer manual functionality with paddle shifters.
The air suspension, torque vectoring, and adaptive dynamics combine to give unparalleled handling and control.

Performance Cons

It is almost impossible to find performance cons in a vehicle like the Range Rover Sport. If anything, the steering could give a little more feedback.

Interior Pros

The cabin feels sleek and high tech with very few dials and switches. Most of the vehicle’s command and control functionality is smartly located in the touch screen system.
We love nearly every inch of an interior that's awash in wood trim or leather.
To our surprise, it handles off-road as well as the flagship Range Rover model.

Interior Cons

The beautiful instrument panel makes the touchscreen readout next to it look a bit dated by comparison. But this is nothing a firmware can't fix.
As with many SUVs, the "+2" seating is suitable only for kids.

The Most Pleasant Surprise

We were left speechless by the sheer performance of the Sport. The combination of raw power and athletic handling is stunning.

The Least Pleasant Surprise

The jump in price from base models to the top-spec Autobiography model is staggering, but the Autobiography is incredible.

The Bottom Line

From a performance standpoint, the Range Rover Sport is a masterpiece. You just don’t find this level of pure power and refined handling in an ordinary vehicle, SUV or not. We were equally pleased with the stately, serene cabin. It feels every bit as well-appointed as any Land Rover we’ve ever been in. If we had just one wish for this test model it would be that we could’ve kept it for a bit longer.

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Engine - Cylinders/Horsepower/Torque	3.0L V-6 / 340 HP / 332 ft.lbs.
Drive Type	Full-time Terrain Response Four-wheel / Full-time Terrain Response 2 Auto Four-wheel
Fuel Economy - City/Hwy/Combined	17 / 23 / 20 Mpg
Brakes	4-wheel Disc
Front Suspension	Double Wishbone
Rear Suspension	Independent Multi-link
Spare Tire And Wheel	Compact Steel / Full-size
Fuel Tank	27.7 Gal.
Recommended Fuel Type	Premium Unleaded
Average Cost To Fill Tank	$106

Maximum Cargo Volume	62.2 Cu.ft.
Passenger Volume
Exterior Length	191.0 "
Exterior Width	78.1 "
Exterior Height	70.1 "
Front Headroom	39.5 "
Rear Headroom	39.1 "
Front Legroom	42.2 "
Rear Legroom	37.0 "
Front Shoulder Room	60.7 "
Rear Shoulder Room	59.5 "
Front Hip Room
Rear Hip Room
Curb Weight	4,727 Lbs.
Wheel Base	115 "
Turning Radius	19.8 '

Door Count	4 Doors
Wheels	19.0 " Silver Aluminum / 19.0 " Gray Aluminum / 20.0 " Silver Aluminum / 21.0 " Silver Aluminum / 22.0 " Silver Aluminum
Paint	Clearcoat Monotone / Clearcoat Two-tone
Exterior Mirrors	Dual Power Remote W/tilt Down Heated
Bumpers	Body-colored
Grille Moldings	Colored
Rear Spoiler	Lip
Exhaust	Dual Stainless Steel With Chrome Tailpipe Finish

Passenger Capacity	5 / 7
Seat Trim	Leather
Front Seat Type	Bucket
Heated Front Seats	Driver And Front Passenger Heated-cushion, Heated-seatback
Front Driver Seat Direction Controls	(10-way Power)
Front Passenger Seat Direction Controls	(10-way Power)
Front Armrests	(10-way Power)
Rear Armrests	Center / Center With Pass-thru
Rear Seats	60-40 Split-bench

Radio	Sirius Am/fm/hd/satellite, Seek-scan / Meridian Sirius Am/fm/hd/satellite, Seek-scan
Speakers	8 / 19 Meridian
Radio Steering Wheel Controls
Apple Car Play
Android Auto
Bluetooth w/ Hands-Free Connectivity

2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Overview

What's New for 2016

Choosing Your Range Rover Sport

SE

HSE

HST Limited Edition

Supercharged

Autobiography

SVR

Expert Review