2012 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Sport review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Range Rover Sport, and includes Land Rover Range Rover Sport safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Range Rover Sport is not based on the flagship Range Rover model, as its name might suggest. Rather, the five-passenger Range Rover Sport is a built on the same platform as the rugged Land Rover LR4 but is smaller and tuned to provide better performance and handling on pavement than the LR4.

New infotainment technology debuts in the 2012 Range Rover Sport. All models come standard with a new seven-inch color touchscreen navigation system with voice control and traffic messaging. A new 380-watt, 14-speaker Harmon/Kardon sound system with DVD playback capability and Bluetooth audio streaming is standard for 2012, and an 825-watt Harmon/Kardon audio system with 17 speakers, satellite radio, and HD Radio is available as an option (standard on Autobiography models). The optional rear-seat entertainment system now features WhiteFire wireless control and larger screens. Additionally, The Range Rover Sport’s tailgate includes standard power operation for 2012, the SUV’s smart key fob is smaller than before to make it easier to tuck into a pocket or purse, and the steering wheel stalks are revised for easier use and higher-quality look and feel.

Land Rover offers four different versions of the Range Rover Sport: the HSE, the HSE LUX, the Supercharged, and the Autobiography.

The least expensive model is the Range Rover Sport HSE. It includes all the amenities you would expect in an SUV at this price point, including leather, genuine wood trim, a Harmon/Kardon audio system with dual USB ports, a hard-drive navigation system with a color touchscreen, a power sunroof, and power front seats. The tailgate is power-operated for 2012, and the Range Rover Sport is equipped with Xenon high-intensity discharge headlights with integrated washers, rain-sensing wipers, a rearview camera, and Park Distance Control sensors in the front and rear bumpers. A load-leveling air suspension is also standard, along with 19-inch aluminum wheels.

Options for the HSE model include 20-inch alloy wheels, an upgraded 825-watt Harmon/Kardon sound system with 17 speakers, and both satellite and HD radio. The cabin can be equipped with Anigre wood trim and an Ebony Morzine headliner treatment, and people planning off-roading excursions might be interested in the active locking rear differential. There’s also a Climate Comfort Package (heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, heated windshield, heated washer jets) and a Vision Assist Package (Surround Camera System, Active Front Lighting System, and Adaptive High Beam Headlights).

Choose the Range Rover Sport HSE LUX and you’ll get 20-inch alloy wheels as well as upgraded premium leather, power adjustable driver’s seat side bolsters, and the Climate Comfort Package. In addition to the optional features offered on the HSE, the HSE LUX can be upfitted with Black Lacquer trim, Alcantara seat inserts, and a rear-seat entertainment system with WhiteFire wireless headphones.

For greater power and performance, get the Range Rover Sport Supercharged. In addition to a supercharged engine, this model is equipped with larger brakes and six-piston front calipers, transmission paddle shifters, and an Adaptive Dynamics System suspension. To set it apart from other models, the Supercharged gets unique wheels, a different grille, special side vents, and rear exhaust outlet extensions. Premium perforated leather with contrast stitching covers the seats, and the Supercharged gets standard satellite radio.

Options for the Supercharged model include the active rear locking differential, the Ebony Morzine headliner, a choice between Anigre wood or Black Lacquer trim, the Vision Assist Package, the rear-seat entertainment system, and the upgraded 17-speaker Harmon/Kardon audio system. Exclusive to supercharged models is an Adaptive Cruise with Advanced Emergency Brake Assist system that can automatically maintain a set distance from traffic ahead and can identify when a collision may be about to occur and ready the braking system for full stopping power.

At the top of the Range Rover Sport lineup sits the Autobiography model. You can tell it apart from other Range Rover Sports by its different front and rear styling and its diamond-turned 20-inch wheels. Inside, the Autobiography is treated to a two-tone treatment with extended leather on the dashboard and door panels, the top-of-the-line Harmon/Kardon audio system and HD Radio, and the Vision Assist Package. The only options for this model are the rear locking differential, the Ebony Morzine headliner, the rear-seat entertainment system, and the Adaptive Cruise with Advanced Emergency Brake Assist.

If you buy a Range Rover Sport in HSE or HSE LUX trim, you’ll have a direct-injected, 5.0-liter V8 engine sitting under the SUV’s flat hood. This V8 is good for 375 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 375 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm, and requires premium fuel. Fuel economy is terrible, with EPA ratings of 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. Land Rover says this model accelerates to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds.

Supercharged and Autobiography models are equipped with a supercharged, direct-injected 5.0-liter V8 making 510 horsepower from 6,000 to 6,500 rpm and 461 lb-ft of torque between 2,500 and 5,500 rpm. The result is a 5.9-second acceleration time to 60 mph and a 140-mph top speed. As you might expect, fuel economy is even worse than the standard V8 at 12 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway. Premium fuel is required.

Every Range Rover Sport is equipped with a six-speed CommandShift automatic with Normal, Sport and Manual modes. The Supercharged and Autobiography models also get paddle shifters to facilitate manual control over gear changes.

The Range Rover Sport also has a full-time four-wheel-drive system with an infinitely variable center locking differential and two-speed transfer case. Terrain Response is also standard, including General Driving, Grass/Grave/Snow, Sand, Mud/Ruts, and Rock Crawl settings. Additionally, the Supercharged and Autobiography models add a Dynamic Mode selection.

Since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) haven’t performed crash tests on a Range Rover Sport, you’ll need to settle for a full run-down of safety features and rest easy in knowing that this SUV pounds over the pavement with a minimum curb weight of 5,540 pounds, more than double the heft of a typical small car.

Standard safety features include four-wheel vented-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist and Cornering Brake Control; a dynamic traction and stability control system with Active Roll Mitigation, a Hill Descent and Gradient Release Control system, and Park Distance Control sensors front and rear. Of course, the Range Rover Sport also comes with a package of six airbags.

Safety-related options include the Vision Assist Package (standard on Autobiography), which includes adaptive headlights and a Surround Camera System. Adaptive Cruise Control with Advanced Emergency Brake Assist technology is available on the Supercharged and Autobiography models.

Switching gears to questions of dependability, Consumer Reports does not predict how well the Range Rover Sport might perform over time. J.D. Power and Associates, in its most recent round of reliability predictions, thinks the Range Rover Sport will provide dependability that is slightly below average.

Though the Range Rover Sport is designed to provide greater performance on the pavement, this does not come at the expense of serious off-road capability. The standard air suspension includes Access, Standard, Off-Road, and Extended height settings, with a maximum ground clearance of 8.9 inches. There’s 10 inches of vertical wheel travel up front, and the HSE models offer 12.2 inches of vertical wheel travel in back. Supercharged and Autobiography variants feature 11.4 inches of rear wheel travel.

Additionally, the Range Rover Sport is equipped with a deep oil pan to accommodate travel on steep grades and angles, and many underhood components are waterproofed to allow for a maximum wading depth of 27.6 inches.

Towing and hauling are also among the Range Rover Sport’s capabilities. The SUV offers 33.8 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and 71 cu-ft of volume behind the front seats. Maximum towing capacity is 7,716 pounds when properly equipped.

Though the Range Rover Sport is unlikely to win any Greenpeace awards, there’s no denying that it blends unflappable off-road capabilities and impressive paved-road performance, combined with distinctly unique Land Rover design traits. The end result is an SUV we enjoy driving, at least until the gas gauge reads empty.

By Christian Wardlaw