Ever wondered what the difference is between Land Rover and Range Rover?
You're not the only one. After all, both are rugged SUVs built by the same people, but while Land Rover is all about utilitarian SUV meets family car, the Range Rover is more of an executive express that can tackle almost any terrain you care to throw at it.
Land Rover vs Range Rover – styling
Look at a Land Rover - in this case a Defender - and a Range Rover side by side and its clear the two cars have many similarities. They're both chunky SUVs with tall ride heights and huge road presence, but get a magnifying glass out and you will start to see some differences.
While the Range Rover has a swept back grille, lashings of chrome and long rear overhangs which makes it look more elegant, the Defender's design prioritises function over form. It's blunt front end means there's a tiny overhang to help it climb unbelievable angles, it swaps the Range Rover's fancy chrome gills for simple plastic affairs and low profile tyres are shunned for meatier rubber than can better absorb off-road hits.
The same is true when you compare any of the other models in Land Rover and Range Rover's line-ups. The Discovery Sport is that little bit less glitzy than an Evoque, the standard Discovery is that bit more 'farmyard' than a city-slicking Range Rover Sport and the Velar – Range Rover's coupe-come-SUV – falls so wide of the mark of Land Rover's remit, it doesn't even build a direct rival.
Land Rover vs Range Rover – interior
We'll stick with the Defender vs Range Rover comparison to compare the cars' interiors, where the differences are much more stark.
Inside, the Defender is all about black plastics that are mostly soft and wielding, but also hide marks and scuffs better than the interior you'll find in the Range Rover.
The Range Rover in our pics, meanwhile, has the kind of light interior that's the stuff of nightmares to anyone who uses their SUV as a working vehicle or just spends most of their time ferrying around children, their stuff and mud-soaked hounds.
It's on the inside that the Range Rover's luxury-SUV status is most apparent. It's not just the seats that are covered in leather, most of the surfaces are too. There's lashings of wood panelling and brushed aluminium that look great and feel expensive to touch.
The Defender does without all that razzle and dazzle, but it's a much more practical interior with cubbies hidden all over the shop – including a massive space under the huge centre armrest and novel tray that runs the length of the dashboard.
Land Rover vs Range Rover – infotainment
One thing the Land Rover Defender, Dicovery, Dicovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque and Velar all share in common is Land Rover's Pivi Pro infotainment screen.
It is 10 inches in size and has a fully customisable home screen so you can set the display up exactly as you want it, plus it has all the latest features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, mobile connectivity via the Land Rover remote app and on-board Wifi. It has crystal clear graphics, recognises screen gestures like pinch and swipe and has a powerful processor that makes it very slick to operate.
Surprisingly, the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport – both of which are older designs – have the less up-to-date Touch Pro Duo system, which isn't as slick to use, but does have an extra screen which takes the place of conventional heater controls.
Land Rover range
Now you know that Land Rovers are a Range Rovers' tougher, more workhorse like cousins, let's take a closer look at all the models in the range.
The lineup kicks off with the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Discovery Sport's rivals – cars like the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Audi Q5, Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 – are relatively soft off-roaders with a raised ride height and four-wheel drive that will let them deal with slippery surfaces and rough tracks, but not a lot else.
The Discovery Sport is unique in being a mid-sized family SUV that can genuinely handle a tough off road circuit, helped by its Terrain Response system that can automatically set the car up for a variety of surfaces – from snow and ice to sand, mud and ruts. As a result, the Discovery Sport isn't quite as composed as the competition on road. But it still has the latest tech and lots of interior space with room for up to seven people.
Next in line is the regular Land Rover Discovery, which is a class up in terms of size, rivalling the likes of the BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. With air suspension that lets it raise its body over rough terrain and more powerful six-cylinder engines, the Discovery is even more rugged than the Discovery Sport and has significantly more room inside.
Finally, you have the Defender, which is smaller than the Discovery but sits at the top of the range in terms of off-road ability. The Defender is highly customisable with a choice of 90 or longer 110 body shapes. You can have it as a van, a six-seater (with three front seats) or a seven-seater.
Range Rover range
Range Rover's lineup gets underway with the Range Rover Evoque, which actually shares many of its parts with the Discovery Sport and shares the same rivals but while the Discovery Sport has seven-seats and a mainstream feel, the Evoque is five-seater with a plush cabin and concept car like styling.
The Range Rover Velar is next in line and, confusingly, it shares its parts with the Jaguar F-Pace. The Velar looks even more stylish than the Evoque so, if you're considering buying one, you'll likely also be considering cars like the Audi Q3 Sportback, Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and BMW X4.
Inside, the Velar gets an infotainment-heavy design and a posh cabin, while it trades some off-road prowess for sharp on-road handling.
Above the Velar you'll find the Range Rover Sport which shares its German rivals with the Land Rover Discovery – the Range Rover costs more, mind, and feels plusher as a result. While the Sport feels slightly sportier to drive than the full-sized Ranger Rover, it's still a burley SUV that excels off-road. That said, the V8 SVR model sounds epic and can claim to compete with sporty SUVs like the Audi Q8 and Porsche Cayenne Coupe.
Finally, you have the full-sized Range Rover, which rivals big posh SUVs like the BMW X7, Mercedes GLS and G-Class. The Range Rover looks posh and imposing on the outside and smotheringly luxurious on the inside. It has a range of powerful engines to choose from and suspension that makes it very comfortable over distances. It combines all these talents with excellent off-road ability.
Land Rover vs Range Rover – engines
In much the same way that Land Rover and Range Rover share infotainment screens, you'll find many models share the same engine.
You can have a 204PS 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in the Land Rover Discovery Sport, but also the Range Rover Evoque and Velar. The 2.0-litre diesel is the most economical engine you can have in your Land Rover or Range Rover if you do a mixture of drives.
Do a lot of short trips in your Discovery Sport, Evoque or Velar? Then the 309PS P300e is worth considering. It uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine that's hooked up to an electric motor and batteries, to give you a pure-electric range of 34 miles. If you have somewhere at home to charge it, it could save you lots of money on petrol.
Larger models such as the Land Rover Defender and Discovery, plus the Range Rover Sport and full-sized Range Rover also share engines – all four can be specified with 300PS 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel.
There are idiosyncrasies of the range, though, so while you can have the Land Rover Defender with a 525PS 5.0-litre V8, the grand daddy – the 565PS version of that engine – is reserved for the Range Rover, while the Range Rover Sport SVR performance variant gets it tuned to 575PS.
Land Rover – which builds Range Rovers – came sixth in our sister title, HonestJohn.co.uk's, satisfaction survey for the least reliable car brands. Patchy reliability was an issue across the line-up, although owners loved the luxury and comfort.
Land Rovers are slightly more utilitarian and, as a result, are cheaper to buy than Range Rovers. Range Rover's are basically Land Rovers with extra glamour, they get extra chrome on the outside and posher interiors on the inside. Range Rovers also get the pick of the engine range with powerful V8s that aren't available on standard Land Rovers.
That depends what you're looking for. The Range Rover is the posher SUV with a glitzier exterior and a posher interior that's lavished with leather wood and tech. The Range Rover is also the better off roader if you're a novice because it can adapt automatically to the terrain you're tackling. The Land Cruiser is a more basic machine both to look at inside and out and in its technology, however it's also seen as far more robust – often topping owner satisfaction surveys that the Range Rover gets slaughtered in.
