Ford Explorer vs Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The Explorer was one of the first truly family-friendly SUVs, and continues in that role today as a midsize three-row crossover competing against the likes of the Chevrolet Traverse, the Honda Pilot, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Nissan Pathfinder, and the Toyota Highlander. The current-generation Explorer has been around since the 2020 model year, and the big news for 2026 is a Tremor model that replaces the Timberline as the most off-road-capable Explorer. The available BlueCruise driver-assist system also gets an update.

Verdict: Ford’s SUV stalwart still gets the job done, but lacks personality unless you go for the ST or Tremor models.

A base-model Range Rover Sport costs about the same as a mid-tier trim of any other midsize luxury SUV. Land Rover plays in the big leagues, which require a minimum of $85,000 or a lease payment approaching $2,000 per month. Even with such immense outlays, the Range Rover Sport is Land Rover's second most-popular model in the U.S. and far surpasses the Velar, the Evoque, and the Discovery. This is the lens from which we evaluate the Range Rover Sport. The particular 2026 model we tested—the SV Carbon—is also the fastest, most extreme vehicle the company has ever made, providing further context for its roughly $200,000 MSRP. At that price, the choices narrow to a new Porsche Cayenne Turbo, or a lightly-used Aston Martin DBX or Lamborghini Urus.

Verdict: Anywhere it goes, the Range Rover Sport is at the top of its class.