Used 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The square-edge styling of the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Sport simultaneously communicates two competing ideas. First, you are in the presence of an expensive luxury machine literally fit for kings and queens. And second, Her Royal Highness likes to go bushwhacking. Amazingly, the Range Rover Sport is equally good at both tasks. The interior marries wood, leather and other high-quality materials in a way that could only be British, resulting in passenger coddling that perfectly justifies the high price tag against competitors like the Audi Q7 or BMW X5. Yet even though most Range Rover Sports will never set a tire off pavement, if the going does in fact get rough, this luxury SUV is one of the best off-road vehicles in the world.

We’ve had the rare opportunity to test both elements of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport in none other than England itself. An off-road trail let us push the Sport’s 4-wheel-drive setup to the limit as we ventured over rutted English back roads, through deep bogs and into water deep enough to make us wonder if we’d be using the sunroof as an escape hatch; ultimately it was drama-free, with the Range Rover Sport pulling through with flying colors. With its off-road chops verified, we were turned loose on an airport runway, taking the Range Rover Sport to an impressive 145-mph straight-line speed, which it handled with all the stability and calm as if it were loafing down the Interstate. Around town, the 2017 Range Rover Sport impresses with its sophistication, responsive drivetrains and comfortable interior.

Not only are the interior materials and assembly first-rate in the 2017 Range Rover Sport, there are enough variations in materials that you can virtually customize your interior. Almost everything is swathed in premium leather; what isn’t is either wood, carbon fiber, metallic trim, or plastics of a high enough quality that you’ll hardly notice they’re plastic. The simplicity of the design is part of its success. The simple layout makes the Range Rover Sport feel less hectic inside, while still offering all the phone and audio connectivity you could want in a modern luxury SUV.

The 2017 Range Rover Sport is undeniably a Land Rover product from the outside, thanks to the slab sides, electric-razor grille, and now-signature thin headlights. But it all works beautifully, the elements combining into an elegant and luxurious whole, with a road presence that’s hard to match. Different models sport different trim — there’s more shiny trim on the Autobiography, for example, than on the 550-horsepower SVR model — and paint options can cost thousands of dollars. One of our favorite little touches is the cool approach lighting that casts a wide beam in the shape of the Range Rover Sport’s silhouette.

TORQUE VECTORING
If you get your 2017 Range Rover Sport with a V8 engine, you also get a unique torque-vectoring setup that provides more power to the rear outside wheel when turning. This makes for tighter turns when off-roading, and quicker, smoother turns on dry pavement.

3.0-LITER TURBODIESEL ENGINE
There’s more to the Range Rover Sport’s diesel engine than just fuel economy. It offers up 440 lb-ft of torque, almost as much as the V8 models, for excellent acceleration. And, yes, its 25-mpg combined fuel-economy rating is very good for a vehicle this size.

The base-model Range Rover Sport SE comes standard with a leather interior and 14-way-power front seats, air suspension, multi-mode selectable Terrain Response, 60/40-split rear seat, front/rear parking sensors, and new this year, a 10.2-inch InControl touch-screen infotainment system. Also included is Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, remote-sensing unlocking and push-button start, and an Automatic Access Height lowers the vehicle’s air suspension when placed in Park. All that, along with dual USB ports and a hard-disk navigation system, makes one wonder what else there is to add. Well…

There are multiple engine options from supercharged V6 and V8 engines to a turbocharged V6 diesel, as you work your way from SE, through HSE, to Supercharged and ultimately Autobiography and SVR models. The top-line 2017 Range Rover Sport SVR comes with a 550-horsepower supercharged V8 engine, plus adaptive cruise-control, "automatic" parallel parking, advanced blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, a surround-view camera system and a full LCD instrument panel. For off-road capability, there are a 2-speed transfer case, All-Terrain Progress Control, torque vectoring and Terrain Response 2 Auto. For luxury, consider a panoramic moonroof, 3rd-row seat and 1,700-watt, 23-speaker Meridian audio system.

There is V6 and V8 power available for the 2017 Range Rover Sport, all of them either supercharged or turbocharged. Toward the bottom end is a 340-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6, which is also available in a more powerful 380-horsepower version. The 254-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V6 makes a whopping 440 lb-ft of torque, nearly as much as the V8 engines. About those, there’s a 510-horsepower 5.0-liter V8, or a high-performance version that puts out 550 horsepower in the Range Rover Sport SVR. All of the engines come with an excellent 8-speed automatic transmission, and all Range Rover Sport models come standard with 4-wheel drive. While the V8 engines obviously win on power, the V6 versions actually offer plenty of power.

3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 (SE, HSE)
254 horsepower @ 4,000 rpm
443 lb-ft of torque @ 1,750-2,250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/28 mpg

3.0-liter supercharged V6 (SE, HSE)
340 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
332 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/23 mpg

3.0-liter supercharged V6 (HSE Dynamic)
380 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
332 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/23 mpg

5.0-liter supercharged V8 (Supercharged, Autobiography)
510 horsepower @ 6,000-6,500 rpm
461 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-5,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/19 mpg

5.0-liter supercharged V8 (SVR)
550 horsepower @ 6,000-6,500 rpm
502 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-5,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/19 mpg

Note: Due to changes in EPA testing to more effectively reflect real-world conditions, some 2017 models show slightly lower fuel-economy scores than their 2016 versions.