Hello everyone,

New here and collecting some info ahead of my first Land Rover purchase. I'm looking at used Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports, ideally with the Td6 engine but considering gas as well. I will be towing (aluminum trailer with a car) and in researching the towing capacities of these two models with the different engine options it seems they mostly (except the 4cyl and the SVR) are listed with the same towing capacity despite significant differences in hp and torque (copy/paste below from dealership website). The 7716 lb capacity is easily enough for my application but it doesn't make sense and I'm hoping someone might be able to shed a little light on this for me. Thanks!

HOW MUCH CAN THE 2021 RANGE ROVER SPORT TOW BY ENGINE?

Standard on the 2021 Range Rover Sport SE and HSE, the MHEV V6 offers excellent towing as standard across Middletown by delivering:

• Up to 355 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 7,716 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination (5/5+2 seats): 14,440/14,715 lbs.

Available on the 2021 Range Rover Sport SE and HSE, the turbodiesel V6 engine offers:

• Up to 254 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 7,716 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination (5/5+2 seats): 14,440/14,660 lbs.

Standard on the 2021 Range Rover Sport HST trim, the MHEV V6 engine offers:

• Up to 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 7,716 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination: 14,400 lbs.

Available on the 2021 Range Rover Sport HSE and Autobiography Dynamic, the PHEV 4-cylinder engine offers:

• Up to 398 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 5,511 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination: 12,566 lbs.

Standard on the 2021 Range Rover Sport HSE Dynamic or available with the Autobiography Dynamic, the supercharged V8 engine offers:

• Up to 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 7,716 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination (5/5+2 seats): 14,550/14,715 lbs.

Standard on the 2021 Range Rover Sport SVR, the upgraded supercharged V8 engine turns even a commute from Newark into an exceptional experience thanks to:

• Up to 575 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque
• Maximum Towing Capacity: 6,613 lbs.
• Maximum Vehicle & Trailer Combination: 13,227 lbs.

 

Towing capacity is determined by vehicle weight, braking power, design. Power output of an engine is not the primary factor. Case in point, a 300HP Jeep Wrangler has a pretty small towing capacity because its a lighter vehicle with a pretty anemic frame design.

 

I agree with that but these are the same models with similar vehicle weights aside from the engines. Those engines do have different outputs which should impact towing capacity. I was thinking perhaps LR is being conservative or some other part of the chassis is the limiting factor.

 

Yes, what DakotaTravler is saying, I believe, and I agree with him, is that the towing limits for most of these models are determined by the vehicle chassis, not what engine they're equipped with, except in the case of the 4 cylinder PHEV.

So you could have a 2000hp drag race engine in your Autobiography Range Rover, but that isn't going to increase it's towing capacity, because after a certain engine power (which it looks like all engine choices but the 4 cyl. exceed) the tow rating is limited by the vehicle's size, weight, frame, brakes and tuning.My guess is that only the 4 cylinder PHEV engine is the limiting factor with tow ratings for all these models.

For the SVR, I'd guess it's both a suspension factor that lowers it's tow rating a bit, as well as engine and transmission being tuned more for speed than towing, compared to all the others with the 7700lb rating. But you'd have to ask Land Rover to get the real story there.