Range Rover and Range Rover Sport updated for MY2017

The Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, both large luxury SUVs made by Jaguar Land Rover, have been updated for the 2017 model year.

Both cars get a raft of technology updates, including new equipment and engines, and both will go on sale towards the end of this year.

What's new?

The Range Rover, and its sportier Range Rover Sport sibling, are two of our favourite large SUVs – in fact, we named the Range Rover as thebest luxury car of 2016 in the £70,000-£100,000 price bracket at the most recent What Car? Awards. Both cars compete not only with other premium large SUVs such as the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and BMW X5 but also intrude into the territory of luxury saloon models such as the Mercedes S-Class.

For 2017, the Range Rover's suite of safety and driver assistance systems has expanded to include an intelligent speed limiter, which scans road signs and automatically adjusts the car's speed to match. Standard safety kit on the large SUV includes rear parking distance controls, cruise control, lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

Inside, the Range Rover gets the latest version of Jaguar Land Rover's infotainment service. Dubbed InControl Touch Pro, the system uses a 10in touchscreen interface and can send directions to a driver's smartphone via a downloadable app.

New engine choices

Buyers already have a choice of diesel V6 and V8 engines in the Range Rover, alongside a sole petrol V8, but for the 2017 model year drivers can also opt for a new 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine. The engine is shared with sister brand Jaguar's F-Type sports car and can accelerate the SUV to 60mph in 7.1sec. It's claimed to emit 248g/km of CO2, making it significantly cleaner than the existing V8 petrol option.

Given that the vast majority of buyers are expected to stick to diesel engines with the Range Rover, our recommendation would still be for the entry-level 3.0-litre TDV6 engine. It's got more than enough low-end pulling power to get the Range Rover moving and offers reasonable MPG for a car in this class, returning 33mpg during our True MPG tests.

At the very top of the Range Rover line-up is a new SVAutobiography Dynamic model - billed as the most powerful production Range Rover to date. With a 542bhp V8 petrol engine under the bonnet – a unit that's shared with the performance-orientated Range Rover Sport SVR – the SVAutobiography Dynamic model can reach 60mph from a standing start in 5.1sec. That's the same time as a Porsche 718 Cayman sports car.

What about the Range Rover Sport?

Traditionally the Range Rover Sport is the bigger seller – largely because of its lower price point – and for the 2017 model year buyers can opt for a new 2.0-litre diesel engine that's claimed to return 45.6mpg, making it the most fuel-efficient Range Rover Sport on sale. Also available is the same 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine mentioned above, which joins the existing V6 and V8 diesel and petrol engine.

The Range Rover Sport also receives some semi-autonomous driving functions, including blind spot assistance, towing assistance and an intelligent speed limiter. There are also new features designed to help drivers when going off-road, including a system designed to help drivers pull away on low-grip surfaces.

Inside, the Range Rover Sport gets the same InControl Touch Pro infotainment set-up as the regular Range Rover. The car's safety systems have also been updated and include AEB for the first time.

How much will they cost?

Both the updated Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are due to go on sale towards the end of this year. The Range Rover will be priced from £76,350, which represents a small increase on the cost of today's car, while the Range Rover Sport is priced from £59,700 – a significant drop from today's starting price.

At these price points, both cars are significantly more expensive than other luxury SUV offerings on the market. The Audi Q7 is priced from £48,455, while the Volvo XC90 is priced from £46,850.

Want to know more?

Click here to read our full review of the Range Rover, or click here to read our used car review.

Click here to read our full review of the Range Rover Sport, or if you're thinking of buying used, then click here for our used car review.

You can also watch our video reviews of both cars below.

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