Buying a used Range Rover Sport (2013-2017)

Land Rover’s first attempt at building a luxury SUV came more than 50 years ago, and versions that followed just kept getting better, but also heavier.

Finally in 2005 came a slimmed-down, more versatile version of the imperious Range Rover – the all-new Range Rover Sport – which also brought in a new and younger ownership group.

Three years later, when the time came for those initial Range Rover Sport adopters to update, the design had moved on as well.

With Land Rover under new ownership at Indian-based Tata, the basic engine was a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, with 5.0-litre petrol V8s (supercharged or naturally aspirated) as options. A 3.6-litre diesel V8 also carried over from the previous line-up.

Move onwards four years and second-generation L494 versions that appeared in 2013 took the Range Rover Sport’s attributes to new heights and delivered them in sensible and advanced packaging.

The shape was lower, shorter and sleeker. It sat on a lengthened wheelbase with new aluminium monocoque construction that helped deliver weight savings of up to 360kg.

A range of engines, beginning with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel and including a hybrid were available, but not in all markets. Locally, the most common variants were V6 and V8 turbo-diesels and the Jaguar-sourced petrol V8, with or without supercharger.

Eight-speed automatic transmission with manual ‘Sport’ override was used in all Australian-spec L494 Range Rover Sport models.

Environmentally aware production techniques and close attention to the recycling potential of components were implemented as Tata sought ways to ensure more effective end-of-life disposal.

Buying Used: Range Rover Sport 2013-17 – Quick Checklist
• Check before buying which major services are falling due and factor those costs into your purchase budget.
• Owners have reported faults occurring soon after the warranty period has expired. Ensure any Range Rover Sport you are considering has a thorough pre-purchase check.
• Twelve safety-related recalls involving the L494 Range Rover Sport were issued between 2013 and 2018. Issues requiring rectification or replacement of defective components included indicators failing to work, a potential under-bonnet fire hazard, and seat belt and airbag failures.
• Suspension components can fail, even when the vehicle hasn’t been subjected to off-road conditions.

The Range Rover Sport differs significantly from the ‘full-sized’ Range Rover. Shorter, lighter and lower, the Sport offers relatively affordable access to multi-functional luxury and the choice of (fairly) eco-friendly V6 diesels or a completely uncompromising 375kW supercharged V8.

Australia in 2013 saw four headline models, which over time spawned a variety of subordinates with names like Autobiography, Black, Silver and Dynamic.

Only somebody with access to Land Rover’s groaning database could detail all the differences between versions or understand why a vehicle that was well equipped from the outset could still be optioned to an on-road price not far short of $250,000.

Least costly of the mid-2013 releases, but still listed at over $100,000 before on-road costs and options were added, was the TDV6. It sat on 19-inch alloys, with five seats and a seven-seat option. The trim was leather and even at entry level the front seats had electric adjustment. A memory pack to automatically reset seat and mirror positioning added $1890 to the starting price.

Climb from $102,800 to $113,600 plus ORCs and you encountered the SE version. It came also with the turbo-diesel V6, but added 20-inch wheels, sports seats, an uprated sound system and extra dash embellishment. If you opted for additional seats in the cargo area you also deleted the full-size spare wheel while spending an extra $3700.

Next came the HSE with a choice between the TDV6 or three V8s. Most efficient of these was the 4.4-litre turbo-diesel which developed a monster 740Nm of torque and would tow 3500kg.

Top-of-the-tree Autobiography versions with a 5.0S V8 cost more than $190,000 and included loads of features like a sunroof, cooler box, heated seats with massage function and a 19-speaker stereo. Even then there was an options list that detailed eight different alloy wheel designs and included a 29-speaker sound system.

Heavy towing with the big petrol V8 wasn’t really recommended, however what the 5.0S could do with supreme nonchalance was launch 2.3 tonnes away from the lights and to 100km/h (where permitted) in 5.3 seconds.

Early 2015 brought a new single-turbo version of the diesel V6 and a power gain of 35kW. For 2016 and a year ahead of a significant update, Land-Rover added some comfort and convenience items including Auto Access Height to make entry easier and a ‘Gesture’ tailgate which could be opened with a swipe of the foot.

Primary and secondary safety were for decades integral to Range Rover design and especially obvious in the Sport. Tested against stringent European standards, the 2013-17 model scored an almost perfect 15.19/16 and very easily qualified for ANCAP’s maximum five-star rating.

Owning a Range Rover Sport might rank as supremely enjoyable or one of the most confronting experiences of a car buyer’s life.

For starters, all Range Rover models are not the kind of vehicles that enhance anonymity. Being filmed bringing new Royal babies home from hospital and the like helps with conferred status, but they are also regularly sighted carting Hollywood celebrities away from the courthouse after a riotous evening out.

Should you suffer one of the failures for which Range Rovers have become equally and regrettably famous, those living around you might not be able to supress a bit of a chuckle as the ‘Queen’s Car’ gets carted away by tilt-tray.

Range Rover Sport interiors are spacious and even the lower-spec models are packed with features.

Seats are thickly padded and comforting in shape, and even though the Sport driving position was deliberately lowered, you still see enough to properly position the car, even in rough going.

Driving a Sport when everything is functioning correctly should be serene. However, there will be the constant worry of a light or chime from the dash announcing that one of the car’s complex systems is tossing a tanty.

Extreme amounts of insulation mask mechanical and road noise, making freeway speeds seem slow and cruise control to avoid fines a wise idea.

Rear seat accommodation is excellent, with firm support from the seats, plenty of headroom and adequate legroom.

Providing you use the boot area as load space and not to carry more people, there is abundant room for luggage and baby paraphernalia, with good height under the tailgate.

Less obvious are attributes that make these one of the world’s most competent off-roaders and at home in the most extreme conditions. Most who own a Range Rover Sport will never take it to many of the places it is equipped to go, just in case brushing a rock or diving too hard into a washaway might result in some costly panel or plastics damage.

If you are experienced in off-road driving you also may not want to bother with the Sport’s array electronic driver aids. For the rest of us though, its Terrain Response system is well worth exploring.

Roll through the range of options accessed by a levitating control on the console and you find optimum levels of assistance for mud, sand and even for bouncing $150K worth of car over big rocks.

‘Lightness’ and ‘agility’ are words that appear frequently in Land Rover’s publicity material for the Sport, and while it is fair to acknowledge that this model is much lighter than the one before, the lightest 2013-17 Range Rover Sport still weighs 2115kg.

When loaded to its maximum GVM of 3000kg and towing a trailer of maximum permissible weight, the driver is then responsible for steering and stopping 6.5 tonnes barrelling along a freeway or trying to snake its way through an Outback track.

Most Sport models will very likely be used as urban commuter cars, with all of that marvellous off-road technology allowed to decay from lack of use.

And that gives rise to another potential problem for used car buyers who intend to go exploring. If you get yourself into strife on a rough track, systems that once did work could remain mute and leave your family stranded.

The steering and suspension systems used from 2013 were sources of great pride for Land Rover, which claimed they would deliver an “effortless, supple feel” and provide an “engaging and responsive” driving character.

Diesels of the 3.0-litre kind are commonly found in affordable versions of the Range Rover Sport. They are a workable, reasonably durable unit with good fuel usage figures – but see our ‘What to check when buying used’ list below.

The later 225kW V6 was claimed to manage 7.5L/100km when combining its urban and highway cycles.

Buy a Range Rover Sport with a strong service history, ensure any new issue is immediately investigated, don’t travel too far from a service agent and the answer is probably yes.

As a comfy, well-equipped and prestigious means of getting about, there is little to touch a Range Rover.

Sport versions aren’t the ultimate in Range Rover specification, but they are still packed with convenience features.

They aren’t going to be flustered by a gravel road or being flung up the hills to a snow-bound lodge. Just make sure that service intervals aren’t skipped and any mechanical noise or electronic warning is investigated.

There are just so many complex systems in these cars that gremlins manage to hide from Land Rover’s quality controllers, and for years thereafter, before deciding to manifest.

• Diesel engine failures. Sudden and catastrophic, requiring complete replacement of the power unit. Reasons given include poor crankshaft design and metallurgy, oil pump failure or extending the service intervals. Regrettably, it remains impossible to pick which engines are going to suffer a problem and in what kilometre range.
• Air suspension issues. In some situations, the vehicle body will be raised to the desired height then immediately sink back to minimum clearance. At other times, a fault will occur that prompts a dashboard warning symbol, and nothing will work at all.
• Front suspension arms can be damaged due to off-road impacts, or the bushings can just collapse with normal use. Knocking when braking gently indicates a problem.

Used vehicle grading for Range Rover Sport 2013-17
Design & Function: 12/20
Safety: 16/20
Practicality: 13/20
Value for Money: 10/20
Wow Factor: 12/20
Score: 63/100

Also consider: BMW X5, Lexus RX350, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover Discovery, Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series