2021 Range Rover Sport R-Dynamic HSE D350 review

Range Rover will tell you it’s rationalised its range in Australia, and yet there is still a long list of models and options to choose from. At this end of the market, though, buyers like a choice.

The most affordable entrée to the Sport is the D250 SE Diesel, which starts from $115,506. Opt for the most expensive just for the sheer impact of it, and you’ll be forking out $275,927 for the P575 SVR Carbon Edition. Those prices are before on-road costs. 

As tested, our 2021 Range Rover Sport R-Dynamic HSE D350 starts from $162,010 before on-road costs. There’s a host of tasty – and expensive – options fitted to our tester, which are listed below. They take the starting price to a hefty $210,704 before on-road costs.

Competitors line up to the right and come from just about every luxury European manufacturer as well as Lexus, with Genesis even wanting in on the large luxury SUV action as well. You could argue that the Sport and Vogue actually have no competition, in that if you want a Range Rover badge, you buy a Range Rover and not much will sway you from that. 

It’s an attractive thing, too, the Sport. That’s despite its age, and testament to the stylish design it’s had since this generation first broke cover. Matrix LED headlights and LED DRLs feature up front, as well as a black exterior pack, an acoustic laminated windscreen, acoustic side glass, front fog lights, and 21-inch split-spoke rims in gloss sparkle silver.

While the exterior styling is a highlight for some – and indeed the reason they bought a Sport in the first place – for me it’s the cabin that best showcases the quality and luxury of a Range Rover. And the Sport in this specification does not disappoint. The 16-way front memory seats (heated and cooled too) ensure a commanding view of the road ahead, but they are also comfortable. Few cabins have the driving position and visibility afforded by a Range Rover Sport or Vogue, and another factor that we note often. 

There’s beautifully executed leather trim, which includes the leather fascia and upper door trim, a leather steering wheel with atlas bezel and satin-chrome shift paddles. Illuminated metal treadplates feature the Range Rover script and add a touch of class. Deep-pile premium carpet is another Range Rover highlight, and the driver gets electric steering wheel adjustment. 

There is useful storage everywhere with cupholders, storage pockets, lights, and a large luggage space making the Sport a practical family SUV. The 60:40 folding seats mean the second row can be manipulated when you need to carry longer items, and while the load lip is high, it’s not so high as to be a pain. 

The driver gets an interactive display as well as a head-up display, and whichever seat you’re in – even the middle of the second row – comfort and visibility are the names of the game. This is a beautiful, comfortable and insulated cabin. 

The cabin’s techno tour de force is headed up by the optional Meridian Signature Reference sound system – which costs $14,650 – and belts out 1700W with 23 speakers. It’s a thumper that’s for sure, no matter the style of music you like to listen to. Also optional are the 8.0-inch rear infotainment screens – for $5250. The cost of those alone could be a reason not to have children for some buyers.

Standard equipment is long when it comes to technology. There’s a 10.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, satellite navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth connectivity, CD/DVD player, and an all-terrain display screen. 

There’s a premium feel to the infotainment, even though so many competitors have moved into the next generation of fonts, graphics and displays. The Land Rover system works, and works reliably. The proprietary sat-nav, for example, worked faultlessly, as did the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces. We didn’t have any issues during our test. 

We’ve noted before, and it’s worth mentioning again, that there’s a functional simplicity to the Sport’s switchgear, layout and controls. It’s well designed and as minimalist as it can be for a premium offering with so many controls and customisable options. 

The Range Rover Sport gets a five-star ANCAP rating as per its test in ???? and there’s plenty of standard safety kit – both active and passive – as well as specific off-road driving technology. As you’d expect from anything with Land Rover DNA, of course. 

Also standard is an active electronic differential with torque vectoring, DSC, ABS, emergency brake assist, low-traction launch, roll stability control, cornering brake control, HDC, EBD, gradient acceleration control, gradient release control, traction control and brake pre-fill. 

Moving on to what Land Rover calls ‘driver assistance’, the Sport also gets a 360-degree camera, forward traffic detection, forward vehicle guidance, trailer reverse park guidance and trailer hitch guidance, adaptive cruise control, intelligent emergency braking, blind-spot assistance, and high-speed emergency braking. Plus, there’s traffic sign recognition, adaptive speed limiter, lane-keep assist, front and rear parking sensors, and a driver-condition monitor. 

With a list price north of $210 grand (with options), value for money obviously means something different to the Rangie Sport buyer than it will to a small hatch buyer. Be that as it may, the five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty is competitive, and it comes with five years of roadside assistance as well. Land Rover has a well-priced capped servicing plan as well, which costs $2650 over the first five years or 130,000km. There’s little doubt the ongoing cost of premium motoring is sharper than it’s ever been. 

Real-world fuel use is where the new six-cylinder really does put the previous powertrain in the shade. Against an ADR fuel claim of 8.4L/100km, we used an impressive 9.3L/100km, despite some enthusiastic right-foot action and no real attempt to drive frugally. Despite being diesel, the old V8 engine couldn’t get anywhere near single digits in the real world. 

The biggest change takes place under the high-riding bonnet, where there’s a new 3.0-litre, Ingenium twin-turbo, inline six-cylinder engine with Land Rover’s mild hybrid (MHEV) system. The engine spins into an eight-speed torque converter automatic, and of course to all four wheels. While the 48-volt mild hybrid system is undoubtedly high-tech, you don’t actually feel a lot of what it’s doing when you’re driving. The stop/start system, though, partly thanks to the 48-volt technology we guess, is one of the best in the business. 

Thumping out 258kW and 700Nm, the inline six is many things, among them lusty, enthusiastic and refined. Peak power comes in at 4000rpm, which is right about where you’d expect it, and peak torque is on offer at a very city-friendly 1500rpm through to 3000rpm. 0-100km/h is done and dusted in 6.9 seconds and top speed is 225km/h. 

You might think that lugging around 2278kg is no easy task, but the new D350 engine makes light work of it. There’s plenty of urgency off the mark if you punch the accelerator pedal, but the mid-range is where the engine really shines. It’s got serious urge from that 1500rpm mark – not far off idle in other words – but it just keeps on landing blows right through the rev range. Linked beautifully to the eight-speed auto, there’s a smooth pile on of speed until you hit highway limits with ridiculous ease. 

Roll-on overtaking on the freeway is knocked out of the way effortlessly, too, and the Sport has such a relaxed gait, you struggle to think of a better long-haul, cross-country touring vehicle. To be able to undertake that task with such effortless power, in such luxury, is something to celebrate. 

You don’t get the same soundtrack as the old V8, of course, but the Range Rover experience doesn’t call for guttural bellowing either. In fact, the smooth note you do get at speed, and the throaty growl when you ask the engine to work a bit harder, seems entirely in keeping with what the Range Rover owner will want for mine. 

The Range Rover Sport at some point has to live up to the ‘sport’ naming convention, and on the move, despite the heft, it feels decidedly agile and capable. While a Vogue wafts, the Sport feels more tied down, more reactive, and firmer, while still retaining the comfort we expect. Despite its size and weight, the Sport feels a lot lighter on its feet than you will initially expect, and a lighter lump over the front axle assists with turn-in too. 

Initially, the steering felt light around town, but that’s a bonus when it comes to parking and tight manoeuvres. Out on the open road, though, it feels well-weighted, gives enough feedback to keep the driver aware of what is going on underneath the tyres, and encourages an enthusiastic drive. 

While the ride is definitely firmer than the Vogue, for example, it’s never uncomfortable, and the Sport is capable of soaking up our worst city – and rural – roads without ever being flustered. The body control is such that the cabin always feels solid, insulated and well tied down. 

I remain convinced that the beginning and end of the ultimate luxury SUV argument starts and ends with a Range Rover badge. Plenty have tried, none have truly succeeded. There’s something special about a Range Rover that you don’t even get with a Bentley, Rolls-Royce or Aston Martin SUV. 

As such, the Sport remains at the head of the class. Money no object, I’m still buying a full-fruit Vogue. With the lot, thank you very much. However, if money is an object, and $160K is in the budget range, few vehicles feel as special and bespoke as the Sport we’ve tested here. Its fit for purpose and execution are almost completely beyond debate. 

For mine, the Range Rover Sport is the SUV equivalent of any of the special sports cars we review. Take a 911, for instance. If you want one, and you can afford one, buy it. You won’t regret it. Same goes for the Rangie. Sport or Vogue, it’s at the summit of the segment. High and mighty in both driving position and feelgood factor.