What's the difference between the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport? Is their off road ability different and if I drove a Sport would I automatically be a tw*t?

if I drove a Sport would I automatically be a tw*t?

You'd certainly be seen as one.
Which would be unfortunate if you're not.

But you will overtake the old wrinkly vegetarian "Guardian" readers in their Nissan Bluebirds.

I was once told that:

A sport is for those that aspire to be .
A RR is for those that are.

Sport:
Good car, i suppose its really targeted at the X5. Better road handling, slightly smaller inside. Still very capabale off road. Feels a little more plastic like inside compared …. just slightly, but its noticable ( although the 2010 models address that )

RR
Its a big car… very smooth, very comfortable, it'll roll on corners noticably, but as a motorway cruiser its fab. Very luxurious and comfy.

Both have good driving visbility, however, they do fall foul of the typical LR quality issues ( although a lot better post 2005 models. ) They are heavy on fuel, and repair costs if done at the dealer are often £££.

If you're prepared to do the work yourself, its certainly possible as parts are easy to get both through aftermarket mail order places and through the dealer themselves. Service parts ( brakes etc ) are typically on a par with other vehicles … sometimes cheaper.

As for which one to go for…. whats your uses and whats your driving style. I have the full fat Range Rover and love it. Its a 4.4 V8 with LPG and intent to keep it for a long time. Its a very very good car, but I'm also prepared to do the repair work myself on it ( I bought a full diagnostic kit for it which helps )

Im not sure about the RR as I think it just has an air of "lord of the manor" about it. They can look very ordinary or stunning depending on wheels etc. Ive been really taken by the new shape Discovery, as it looks amazing but still has a little edge about it. And as classy as the RR I think if specced right

RR Sport is based on the Discovery, RR isn't.

Chav or not to chav? Driven both, borrowed both but unfortunately never owned. IMO there's no finer motor than a range rover. The sports are still lovely but you just don't get that feel you get with a real range rover. Most memorable occasion was in with the boss in the standard. Drove up a steep snow packed drive, stopped to have a chat with someone an we were literally sliding back. Few tweaks of the buttons and off we went. I was utterly dreading the descent. Tweaked a few more things and I swear it crawled down this slope and round the 90 turn at the bottom without raising an eyebrow. Simply awesome. I'll have one one day!!

The RR Sport is actually a rebodied and revised Discovery underneath. Much less room than the RR. As above, it is targetted at the X5 market. Either RRS or X5 you will instantly be branded a total k**bhead, but that doesn't mean they are not good vehicles.

Question is, for what reasons are you considering it?

Thanks everone, I'm considering it (along with all the rest) as I want a car that's comfortable on the road, but that's also capable of getting off road (I do a fair bit of shooting and am fed up with having to park miles away and trudge through mud, only to suffer the embarrassment of getting back to the car and still having to ask for a tow!! I also visit quite a few sites for work where a bit of extra ground clearance would be more than useful).

I'd love a Land Rover Defender but it just wouldn't be practical for the motorway driving I do 🙁

I'm sure it's a very good car, but the first line of the Independent's review summed it up nicely: "It's a fine line between chav and bling, and the Range Rover Sport has crossed it".

tron – Member

RR Sport is based on the Discovery, RR isn't.

What he said.

Aren't they both ostensibly pointless other than for making a statement about how much money you make? I mean the off road capability, unless you're living in Alaska or the Alps or something is utterly redundant and these things don't have any more space than a decent size estate or MPV.

What they do have is massively higher CO2 emissions and they are likely to cause someone else far more injury if they hit a smaller, lighter car.

I can't believe I am saying this as I've always been more of a right wing capitalist than a left wing socialist (generalisation) but I'd be in favour of legislation over time that limited the weight of a car, the power of a car and emissions of a car, based on what was practical rather than what was being bought as a status symbol. I'm all for people being able to spend huge amounts of money on status symbols, but there is an impact from cars on other people and the world around us that we aren't going to be able to ignore for much longer.

Thanks everone, I'm considering it (along with all the rest) as I want a car that's comfortable on the road, but that's also capable of getting off road (I do a fair bit of shooting and am fed up with having to park miles away and trudge through mud, only to suffer the embarrassment of getting back to the car and still having to ask for a tow!! I also visit quite a few sites for work where a bit of extra ground clearance would be more than useful).

Is that requirement met more by things like the Subaru Forrester, Audi A6 Allroad etc?

Glad geetee is not in power!

Would be awefully dull

Thanks everone, I'm considering it (along with all the rest) as I want a car that's comfortable on the road, but that's also capable of getting off road (I do a fair bit of shooting and am fed up with having to park miles away and trudge through mud, only to suffer the embarrassment of getting back to the car and still having to ask for a tow!! I also visit quite a few sites for work where a bit of extra ground clearance would be more than useful).

I'd love a Land Rover Defender but it just wouldn't be practical for the motorway driving I do

TBH if you can afford one (and if you shoot a lot you probably can), a Range Rover will fit the bill nicely. They aren't that reliable though so make sure you have a warranty.

The suggested Forester is a decent motor but won't get you far off road.

Is that requirement met more by things like the Subaru Forrester, Audi A6 Allroad etc?

I'm considering the Forrester, along with the Land Rover Discovery and Freelander II, Mitsubishi Outlander and Shogun and several others, but just wanted to find out what the score is with the Range Rovers. 🙂

Ive seen Clarksons review, basically he reckons it is superb both on road and off, although a Range Rover is comfier and far less chavy, they do look nice in a sensible colour and wheel combination tho`, dont get a black one with 20inch rims or youll look like a drug dealer.

Forester is fine off road, but (like most 4×4's) the limiting thing is the tyres. You just need to decide how much you spend off road in mud vs on road.

If you wanted something a bit less full-on, don't discount an older Freelander – my wife has the 'face-lift' model with the BMW TD engine and an auto-box.

Will happily run to 100, plus run all day at +80. Does 30mpg and very capable off-road – plus good tow weight. No real problems so far (touch wood), 60k in just over 3 years.

Get a Discovery it ticks all the on road and off road boxes and does not look like a drug dealers/"richer than you" car.
On the Subaru and Audi comments, nice cars especially the Subaru but when compared to a Land Rover off road it's not a contest really. Also there is the made in uk by uk tax payer reason for a Land Rover, I know it's old fashioned but supporting peoples jobs in the uk is perhaps important at the present time. On the down side I do think that all Land Rover products are getting over priced due to the percived market sector rather than cost of production. Since they are pretty much sold out and on long delivery with even second hand vehicles going up in price I'd better stick to what I do and let them get on with making and selling good cars.
I shall now retire for a cup of coffee and read the various put downs from those who know best.

I'm considering the Forrester, along with the Land Rover Discovery and Freelander II, Mitsubishi Outlander and Shogun and several others

If you can afford a full fat RR, go for it. With the space, interior design and driving position it is probably the finest place drive from, with the possible exception of Rolls or Bentley. Nothing else, including the RRS has it.

Range Rover Sport
Touch smaller and built on a newer chassis (Essentially a Discovery3 with a smaller body) It's road dynamics are very good and it's excellent off road, limited by it's low profile road bias tyre more than anything. Stick Discovery 3 wheels and tyres on it and its the same off road as a Disco 3/4 and they are excellent. Developed by Ford

Range Rover
Slightly older design and developed by BMW and refined by Ford, bigger but not much and possibly worse off-road unless it's a later model with Terrain Response also. Better interior IMO but again not a lot in it.
Less common / less mass market so maybe less chavy.

If you afford to get a 'good' range rover shitted up with dirty wellies etc after shooting, go for it. Otherwise get a cheap discovery for abusing and an economical car for you motorway miles.

I shall now retire for a cup of coffee and read the various put downs from those who know best.

Lol. I've done defending the green oval on the net. It's always the same response – either:

Yeah, but they're not even any good off road. Fact. I know this because I my brother in law saw one stuck once. You want a [insert japanese alternative here] instead.

or

The [insert poor defenseless animal/age group here]! Won't someone think of the [insert poor defenseless animal/age group here]!

Aren't they both ostensibly pointless

Yes, but that is a slippery slope.

That would mean no supercars, no F1, no rally cars, we'd all be driving G-Whizz things, in fact all cars are a bit pointless. Ban them all and enforce public transport

Then it would trickle down to bikes, isn't full suspension just pointless, I mean you don't really need it, people get on just fine with no suspension and no gears. In fact why are you going off road and shafting nature. Ban it

and that house you live in isn't that just selfish, wouldn't large tenement be a much better solution..

etc…
on so on…

I do think there's another angle to the weight thing – as cars get heavier, they have to be more powerful to offer the same performance. As cars tend to bump into each other, the cars will tend to get heavier if some popular models do, in order to retain the same level of safety.

The end result is that even learner driver type cars will do 100mph, and everyone uses a lot more fuel than they would if we were putting modern engines in cars that weigh a tonne.

Based on your needs, then I would ditch the RR Sport option and have the choice between the Discovery and the full RR.

Technically on paper, I think the Disco is the best off road of the 3 of them. The disco i see as a the workhorse motor, which is very good for the motorway stuff and very capable off the road with the largest load capacity inside ( the cabin is huge behind the front seats and the boot bigger than the RR )

As for GeeTee … your world would be very boring indeed.

Aren't they both ostensibly pointless other than for making a statement about how much money you make? I mean the off road capability, unless you're living in Alaska or the Alps or something is utterly redundant and these things don't have any more space than a decent size estate or MPV.

Nope, my RR was the best value for money vehicle which was able to handle towing a horse trailer with 4 people and 2 horses tack in it, be able to run up and down through the fields to see the horses and sort out the fencing. The 4×4 capability came into its own this winter where I never lost control and was able to get to where I needed to go on the sheet iced roads which we had here for weeks. Its also comfortable enough to run the motorway miles to do cross country trips and visit relatives who need tended.

Ok, it may crush a small car, but i'll be safe. And thats something I'll pay the privelidge for. I take the same care driving whether in my mini or RR, so when things hit the fan in the RR, i'll be better off. Hey.

I suppose that you ride a Tesco £100 mtb? Cause anything else would simply be a statement of how much money you make?

On the point of weight thing … I actually do think that cars are getting too heavy … I will concede that. I reckon that manufacturers should start to offer stripped down versions of vehicles which are lighter weight to help fuel economy … thats including the big fat 4×4's.

Oh and putting my sensible hat on, get a Discovery 3 or 4.

They are brilliant, we've had one from new for the past 4 years and it's it's done everything we have wanted from a car. kids, a big fat Labrador, a pram, luggage and bikes all go in/on. 7 seats, huge boot, goes anywhere and although it does do 95% on road it does go off the grey stuff now and then and it just works.

Looks like a van on the downside

Unsurprisingly, it all depends on what you want the car for.

I had a Discovery 3 and loved it for its space and general abilities. It was a great cruiser, and even handled far better than you’d expect for a near 3-tonne vehicle. It’s slooooow though, particularly the 2.7 diesel; the new 3.0 version is a load better. The RRS is marginally lighter, and definitely a better handler, though to my eyes it looks terrible. It does have pace, however, particularly the supercharged version, though assume 15mpg as an average with one of those and budget accordingly. Even the diesels will struggle to better 25mpg.

If you can cope with the image and the lack of space (and I can’t), then the RRS is a really good car. It just seems to me to be trying way too hard to look cool, which to my eyes it fails at. Ironically, the Range Rover achieves epic levels of coolness by being an icon, and the Discovery 3-4 manages this through it’s no-messing abilities and air of utilitarianism.

They’re all far better off-road than 99% of the drivers will ever be, and I’d not differentiate on that basis.

I suppose that you ride a Tesco £100 mtb? Cause anything else would simply be a statement of how much money you make?

I did say I was all in favour of statements of wealth; I am a self confessed proponent of capitalism and yes my bike is about is expensive as you can get (though it's got very little to do with me making a statement about how much I earn).
I just think that the cars we drive as statements of wealth are not without a significant impact on the world around us and there will come a point when that impact on the many outweighs the right of the individual to make such a statement.

The world is going to become more boring in many different ways but the one thing I am 100% sure about is that cars as we know them today, will go the way of the dinosaur.

Agreed. We need to enjoy them while we can!

Got my Freelander 2 for sale if interested? Drop me an email anthonyleesATgooglemailDOTcom if so.

When I see people with RR Sports they look as if they can't possibly afford to spend £55k on a new car.

When I see people with RR Sports they look as if they can't possibly afford to spend £55k on a new car.

I suspect an awful lot are bought on the never never. Same with a lot of "prestige" cars…

Tiger6791 – Member

Range Rover Sport
Touch smaller and built on a newer chassis (Essentially a Discovery3 with a smaller body) It's road dynamics are very good and it's excellent off road, limited by it's low profile road bias tyre more than anything. Stick Discovery 3 wheels and tyres on it and its the same off road as a Disco 3/4 and they are excellent. Developed by Ford

Is the sport going to be that good off road? I followed one today and couldn't help thinking how low to the ground it sits. Endless possibilities for grounding it.

RR on the other hand is awesome off road, I had the pleasure of taking one on the RR factory test track many years ago, simply awesome offroad.

RR Sport all the way,awesome motor.Oh & it isn't built on the same chassis as a Disco either,they are two different chassis,one's slighlty longer for a start…..

While the "chassis" isn't identical, a large amount of the hidden parts of the Disco and RRS are the same. They are two cars off the same platform (and btw done by LandRover not Ford – Ford just supplied the money 😉 )
Go full fat if you can afford it. No contest.

TBH you won't find a car manufacturer that doesn't have the same "hidden parts" on more than one model…..
I remember Mercs & their gear stick knobs,the cars used to have the same one as some of their lorries !

RRS's are the main vehicle of choice for the footballers WAG's – have a look in ANY Premiership car park! I knew one guy who had one and he hated it and bought a Porsche Cayenne S, which I know loads of people detest for it's looks but comparing the RRS and the Cayenne S which he had he said it was a no-contest fight. He said the Cayenne S drove like a sports car and could easily be driven fast round bends whereas the RRS just couldn't match it. How it would go off-road though is another matter I guess.
I know someone who has an Audi Q7 S-Line and he loves it – except for the tyres he keeps going through lol.

A RR sport completely lost it out side my house in "the giant snowfall" in Jan. I was just coming back from a run so got to see it slip and slide down the steep hill before wedging itself from one bank to the next. A few seconds later a transit came around the corner (under far more control than the RR) but couldn't stop on the steep hill and t boned the wedged RR. Trying to push and pull the RR free I was surprised how flimsy and plasticy it was on the outside – my hands left a couple of dents where I pushed against a wing. I imagine the clever suspension works nicely off road (with a different driver to the idiot driving this one, and different tyres) but any off road that involved undergrowth or bits of stone would trash it in minutes.