Compare the2022 Land Rover Range Rover SportVS 2022 GMC Yukon XL

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Yukon XL doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

The Range Rover Sport’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Range Rover Sport and Yukon XL have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Range Rover Sport has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Yukon XL’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Range Rover Sport. But it costs extra on the Yukon XL.

The Range Rover Sport’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Range Rover Sport uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Yukon XL uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Range Rover Sport and the Yukon XL have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Range Rover Sport comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Yukon XL’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Range Rover Sport’s 6 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Yukon XL runs out after 100,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Range Rover Sport have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Yukon XL.

The Range Rover Sport has more powerful engines than the Yukon XL:

On the EPA test cycle the Range Rover Sport gets better mileage than the Yukon XL:

Regenerative brakes improve the Range Rover Sport’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the Range Rover Sport’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available P360/P400). GMC only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Yukon XL Diesel.

For better stopping power the Range Rover Sport’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Yukon XL:

The Range Rover Sport’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Yukon XL’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Range Rover Sport has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Yukon XL.

The Range Rover Sport V8 has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the Range Rover Sport uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Yukon XL, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For better maneuverability, the Range Rover Sport’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL’s (40.7 feet vs. 42.3 feet). The Range Rover Sport’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL w/20-22 inch wheels’ (40.7 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Range Rover Sport SVR has a 2.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon XL (10.8 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Range Rover Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Range Rover Sport’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Yukon XL Air Ride (10.9 vs. 10 inches).

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 750 pounds less than the GMC Yukon XL.

The Range Rover Sport is 2 feet, 9.1 inches shorter than the Yukon XL, making the Range Rover Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Range Rover Sport’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Yukon XL uses body-on-frame design instead.

The Range Rover Sport has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Range Rover Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Yukon XL’s (7716 vs. 7500 pounds).

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Yukon XL SLT/AT4/Denali, the Range Rover Sport has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Range Rover Sport’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon XL’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Range Rover Sport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Yukon XL can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Range Rover Sport has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Range Rover Sport has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Optional air conditioned the front and second row seats keep the Range Rover Sport’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Range Rover Sport Autobiography offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Yukon XL.

The Range Rover Sport’s optional Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Insurance will cost less for the Range Rover Sport owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Range Rover Sport with a number “1” insurance rate while the Yukon XL is rated higher at a number “6” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Range Rover Sport is less expensive to operate than the Yukon XL because typical repairs cost much less on the Range Rover Sport than the Yukon XL, including $137 less for a water pump, $649 less for a muffler, $11 less for a fuel pump and $472 less for a power steering pump.

The Range Rover Sport was selected by Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine as their 2014 4x4 of the Year. The Yukon XL has never been chosen.