Compare the2022 BMW X7VS 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

For enhanced safety, the middle seat shoulder belts of the BMW X7 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The BMW X7 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The X7 has standard Post-Crash Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The X7 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Range Rover Sport’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the X7 has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Cross-path warning costs extra on the Range Rover Sport.

Both the X7 and the Range Rover Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The X7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Range Rover Sport’s (12 vs. 6 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X7 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Range Rover Sport.

There are over 84 percent more BMW dealers than there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the X7’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the X7’s reliability 28 points higher than the Range Rover Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X7 third among large premium suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Range Rover Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW 18th in initial quality. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW 10th in reliability, above the industry average. With 136 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

The X7 has more powerful engines than the Range Rover Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the X7 gets better mileage than the Range Rover Sport running its gasoline engine:

Both the X7 and the Range Rover Sport have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All X7s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Range Rover Sport P360/P400/P400e doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the BMW X7 as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Land Rover Range Rover Sport is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

The X7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the X7 M Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Range Rover Sport:

The X7 stops much shorter than the Range Rover Sport:

For better traction, the X7 has larger standard tires than the Range Rover Sport (F:275/40R22 & R:315/35R22 vs. 235/65R19). The Alpina XB7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Range Rover Sport (F:285/35R23 & R:325/30R23 vs. 275/40R22).

The X7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Range Rover Sport’s standard 65 series tires. The Alpina XB7’s optional 285/35R23 front and 325/30R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Range Rover Sport’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Range Rover Sport. The Alpina XB7’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Range Rover Sport.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the X7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Alpina XB7 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Land Rover doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Range Rover Sport.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X7’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the Range Rover Sport (122.2 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The X7 handles at .80 G’s, while the Range Rover Sport HSE pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The X7 xDrive40i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Range Rover Sport HSE (26.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The front grille of the X7 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The X7 has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more rear headroom and .6 inches more rear legroom than the Range Rover Sport.

The X7’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover Sport.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the X7’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The X7’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the tailgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Range Rover Sport’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

While the Range Rover Sport P400e can only tow 5511, any X7 can tow a minimum of 5950 pounds.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Land Rover. J.D. Power ranks BMW 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 67% lower rating, Land Rover is ranked 31st.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the X7 has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the X7 has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the X7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The X7 has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Land Rover doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Range Rover Sport.

The X7 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Range Rover Sport.

The X7’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Range Rover Sport’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW X7, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport isn't recommended.