Compare the2022 Volvo XC90VS 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC90 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 Volvo XC90 offers an optional built in child booster seat. It’s more crash worthy than an added child seat because of its direct attachment to the seat. Land Rover doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Range Rover Sport. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The Volvo XC90 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC90 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC90’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Range Rover Sport’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC90 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC90 has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, 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 XC90 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 XC90 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 XC90 and the Range Rover Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC90 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 68 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Range Rover Sport has not been tested, yet.

The XC90’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Range Rover Sport’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC90 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo 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 48 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the XC90’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Volvo 25th in reliability. With 101 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 Recharge Electric Motor AWD running on electricity gets better mileage than the Range Rover Sport P400e Electric Motor running on electricity (58 city/53 hwy vs. 42 city/42 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Range Rover Sport running its gasoline engine:

The XC90 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC90 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport (1 to 7). This means the XC90 produces up to 47 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Range Rover Sport every 15,000 miles.

The XC90 stops much shorter than the Range Rover Sport:

The XC90’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Range Rover Sport’s standard 65 series tires. The XC90’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Range Rover Sport’s optional 40 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC90’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Range Rover Sport (117.5 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The XC90 T6 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Range Rover Sport HSE pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC90 T6 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Range Rover Sport HSE (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC90 w/19” wheels’ turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Range Rover Sport’s (38.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet). The XC90 w/22” wheels’ turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Range Rover Sport’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Volvo XC90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 450 pounds less than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

The XC90 is 5.6 inches narrower than the Range Rover Sport, making the XC90 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The design of the Volvo XC90 amounts to more than styling. The XC90 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the Range Rover Sport (.34 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the XC90 get better fuel mileage.

The XC90’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover Sport.

The XC90’s cargo area is larger than the Range Rover Sport’s in every dimension:

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC90 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC90 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC90 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the XC90 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The XC90 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC90 is less expensive to operate than the Range Rover Sport because it costs $237 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XC90 than the Range Rover Sport, including $48 less for a starter, $238 less for fuel injection, $90 less for front struts and $776 less for a timing belt/chain.

The Car Book by Jack Gillis recommends the Volvo XC90, based on economy, maintenance, safety and complaint levels.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its March 2016 issue and they ranked the Volvo XC90 T6 AWD higher than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE.

Motor Trend selected the XC90 as their 2016 Sport Utility of the Year. The Range Rover Sport has never been chosen.

The XC90 was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2016. The Range Rover Sport has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC90 as the 2016 North American Truck of the Year. The Range Rover Sport has never been chosen.