2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2021 Lincoln Corsair

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, which launched in 2005 and entered its second generation in 2014, received a significant refresh in 2018 that carried over into 2021. This refresh introduced the dual-screen center console, a defining feature of Land Rover interiors. The 2021 model offered a plug-in hybrid variant and included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Range Rover Sport came in various trims, from the base SE with leather upholstery and dual-zone climate control, to the high-end SVR Carbon Edition with a powerful V8 engine and carbon fiber accents.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair, introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, rode on the new C2 platform shared with the Ford Escape. This model marked a departure from Lincoln's lettered naming convention, offering a refined design with slab sides and blacked-out rear pillars. Inside, the Corsair featured a flowing dash, floating center touchscreen, and "Piano Key" shifter buttons. While it shared design cues with more expensive Lincoln SUVs, the Corsair had more hard-touch materials. The trims included Standard, Reserve, and the Grand Touring plug-in hybrid, each offering a range of features from synthetic leather upholstery to a 14-speaker Revel premium stereo system.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a variety of powertrains. The base P360 mild-hybrid powertrain, available in the SE and SE Silver Edition, combined a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt electrical system, producing 355 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. The HST model featured the P400 powertrain, delivering 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The HSE Silver Edition could also be equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, generating 398 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque, or a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 with 254 hp and 443 lb-ft. The HSE Dynamic and Autobiography trims boasted a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 518 hp and 461 lb-ft, while the SVR and SVR Carbon Edition had an even more powerful version of this engine, making 575 hp and 516 lb-ft. All models featured an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive, with a towing capacity of up to 7,716 pounds (except the SVR, which could tow 6,613 pounds).

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair's base engine was a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. An optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine offered 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and the 2.3-liter exclusively in all-wheel drive. The Corsair featured unique drive modes like "Conserve" and "Excite," with the latter providing a sportier driving experience. The Grand Touring trim introduced a plug-in hybrid powertrain, combining a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a CVT, battery power, and electric motors, producing a combined 266 hp. It offered 28 miles of pure EV driving and an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode, plus 33 mpg combined in hybrid mode.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport provided a maximum of 63.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 31.7 cubic feet with the second row in use. An optional third row increased seating capacity from five to seven, though it reduced cargo space to 10.8 cubic feet. Both the first and second rows offered ample headroom and legroom, while the third row was best suited for children.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair featured a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and plenty of storage space. However, the pronounced lip when stepping in or out of the vehicle was a notable downside. The test model had reclining and sliding rear seats, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, both average for the segment. It came standard with a power liftgate and was available with a hands-free power liftgate.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport's interior was dominated by a dual-screen center console. The lower screen controlled climate settings and vehicle functions, while the upper screen handled infotainment. Though not always intuitive, the system featured multifunction dials for various controls. The upper touchscreen had reasonably sized icons for easy navigation between menus, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Despite a learning curve, the system was functional, though not the best on the market.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running SYNC 3. The screen was user-friendly, with a logical menu layout and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Reserve trim added features like wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display with crisp graphics.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport came with standard driver assistance features like forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and front-and-rear parking sensors. Optional features included adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a surround-view parking camera, traffic sign recognition, driver drowsiness monitoring, and parallel and perpendicular park assist. A head-up display was also available.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a comprehensive suite of standard safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. The Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus package added adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair was an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus when equipped with high-feature headlights.