Range Rover vs. Range Rover Sport: Size, Ride, and Price Differences

Key differences

Five things that actually separate these two, in the order most shoppers weigh them.

• Seating: the Range Rover offers seven, the Sport never does. Only the long-wheelbase Range Rover in seven-seat form adds a third row. Every Range Rover Sport is a five-seater, and so are standard-wheelbase Range Rovers.
• Size: the Sport is 4.3 inches shorter than a standard Range Rover and 12.3 inches shorter than a long-wheelbase one. Kelley Blue Book lists the Sport at 194.7 inches long, the standard Range Rover at 199 inches, and the long-wheelbase Range Rover at 207 inches. Standard-wheelbase versions of both ride on the same 118-inch wheelbase.
• Ride: the Range Rover is tuned for isolation, the Sport for control. Both use air suspension, but the Sport sits lower, steers more eagerly, and lets a bit more road texture into the cabin.
• Price: the two lineups overlap in the middle. The Sport starts at $83,700 and tops out at $170,200 for the SV Carbon. The Range Rover starts at $113,300 and runs to $275,000 for a long-wheelbase SV Ultra. A Sport SV ($152,000) costs less than a Range Rover Autobiography ($159,200).
• Powertrains: largely shared, with two exceptions. The Range Rover is also sold as a fully electric EV550, and the Sport offers a lower-priced P360 six and a P460e plug-in hybrid that the Range Rover doesn't. The Range Rover's plug-in hybrid isn't offered with seven seats.

Full spec comparison

Standard-wheelbase Range Rover against the Range Rover Sport, current U.S. model year. Prices are base MSRP before destination.

Kelley Blue Book publishes one cargo figure per model without stating seat position, so compare those two numbers with each other rather than with figures from other sources. Wading depth is Land Rover's published figure for both models.

Size and seating: how much bigger is the Range Rover?

Less than most people expect, unless you choose the long wheelbase.

A standard-wheelbase Range Rover and a Range Rover Sport share a 118-inch wheelbase, so the space between front and rear axles, which is most of what you feel as rear legroom, is the same on paper. The extra 4.3 inches of Range Rover length goes into the body's overhangs and its tall, upright cargo area. That shape is why the Range Rover's listed cargo volume (41.0 cubic feet) is well ahead of the Sport's 31.9 in the same Kelley Blue Book data.

The real size jump is the long-wheelbase Range Rover. Eight more inches of wheelbase go almost entirely into the rear cabin, and that's the only body that can take a third row. Here's how the body styles line up.

For a family in Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, or Palatine that runs carpools or brings grandparents along, the seven-seat SE LWB at $120,700 is the one to look at, and it's only $7,400 more than the standard Range Rover SE. If the third row would sit folded 50 weeks a year, the Sport's shorter body is easier to live with in a Woodfield Mall parking structure or a tight downtown Chicago garage.

Ride and driving feel

Same hardware family, deliberately different personalities.

Neither is harsh, and both use the same basic air-spring layout that raises the body for clearance and lowers it for easier entry. That layout is also why air-suspension health matters on either one after a few Illinois winters. Our guide to Land Rover air suspension faults covers what a warning light usually means. The only reliable way to choose between the two personalities is to drive both over the same roads, which is exactly how we set up test drives.

Price: where the two lineups overlap

Base MSRP by trim from Land Rover USA, before the destination charge.

The overlap is where the decision gets interesting. For roughly $120,000 you can have a Range Rover SE LWB with seven seats or a Range Rover Sport Autobiography with richer trim and a 523-hp V8. For about $150,000 to $160,000 it's a Sport SV or a Range Rover Autobiography. At the same budget, you're choosing between more Range Rover and more equipment. If you're also weighing these against a BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, or Cadillac Escalade, our feature-by-feature luxury SUV comparison lines up the equipment across brands.

Powertrains, side by side

Entry price for each powertrain, with horsepower and towing.

Powertrain entry prices are Kelley Blue Book's listed MSRPs less Land Rover's published destination charge. Horsepower and towing are from Kelley Blue Book; the EV550 range and battery are from Land Rover USA.

The plug-in hybrids are the closest match. Both P550e versions make 543 hp, and Land Rover rates the Range Rover at up to 50 miles of electric range and the Sport at up to 51. A round trip from most Schaumburg neighborhoods to the Woodfield corridor, Elk Grove Village, or a Metra station fits comfortably inside that, so overnight charging at home can cover a typical weekday. Cold mornings cut electric range, and our Range Rover PHEV and EV ownership guide explains charging, winter range, and what to expect day to day.

Towing, wading, and a Chicagoland winter

Where the spec sheet meets I-90 in February.

Road salt treats both the same way. A pre-winter underbody inspection and regular washes through the season matter more than which badge is on the tailgate, and our service team at 920 W Golf Rd handles that work on both models.

Which one should you buy?

Match the vehicle to how you'll actually use it.

Still deciding whether a Range Rover is the right brand at all? Our Range Rover vs. competitors breakdown compares it with the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade, and Lexus LX.

Range Rover vs. Range Rover Sport: FAQ