Compare the2022 Land Rover Range Rover SportVS 2022 Nissan Armada

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 Nissan Armada 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 Armada doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Range Rover Sport and Armada 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 Armada’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 Armada.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Range Rover Sport’s standard Hill Descent Control allow you to creep down safely. The Armada doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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 Armada uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Range Rover Sport and the Armada 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Armada’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Range Rover Sport’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Armada’s (6 vs. 5 years).

The Armada’s redline is at 60050 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Range Rover Sport has a 6800 RPM redline.

The Range Rover Sport’s optional 5.0 supercharged V8 produces 118 more horsepower (518 vs. 400) and 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (461 vs. 413) than the Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8. The Range Rover Sport SVR’s standard 5.0 supercharged V8 produces 175 more horsepower (575 vs. 400) and 103 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 413) than the Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Land Rover Range Rover Sport supercharged V8 is faster than the Nissan Armada:

As tested in Motor Trend the Range Rover Sport SVR 5.0 supercharged V8 is faster than the Nissan Armada (390 HP engine):

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

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

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Range Rover Sport’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. 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). The Armada doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Range Rover Sport has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Armada (27.5 vs. 26 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Armada.

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

The Range Rover Sport stops much shorter than the Armada:

The Range Rover Sport’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Armada S/SV’s standard 70 series tires. The Range Rover Sport’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Armada Platinum’s 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 Armada S/SV.

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 Armada 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 Armada, which uses coil springs in front. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Range Rover Sport offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Armada’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Range Rover Sport SVR handles at .87 G’s, while the Armada Platinum 4x4 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Range Rover Sport SVR executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.2 seconds quicker than the Armada Platinum 4x4 (25.2 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Range Rover Sport’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Armada’s (40.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Range Rover Sport SVR has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Armada S/SV (10.8 vs. 9.1 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 1.7 inches higher than on the Armada SL/Platinum (10.9 vs. 9.2 inches).

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 800 pounds less than the Nissan Armada.

The Range Rover Sport is 1 foot, 4.8 inches shorter than the Armada, 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 Armada 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 Armada doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Range Rover Sport’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by waving your foot, leaving your hands completely free. The Armada doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) is standard on all models of the Range Rover Sport, using the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. Only the Armada SL/Platinum offers a trailer sway program.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Armada SL/Platinum, 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 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Armada doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Range Rover Sport’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Armada’s parking brake has to released manually.

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 Armada doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Range Rover Sport’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Armada S/SV/SL’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Armada 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 Armada 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 Armada.

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 Armada 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 Armada is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Range Rover Sport is less expensive to operate than the Armada because typical repairs cost much less on the Range Rover Sport than the Armada, including $159 less for a muffler and $656 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 Armada has never been chosen.

The Land Rover Range Rover Sport outsold the Nissan Armada by 186 units during the 2021 model year.