2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2024 Subaru Outback

The 2024 Subaru Outback maintained its rugged yet refined aesthetic, with the Wilderness trim receiving a subtle update featuring a new front fascia and LED fog lights. The dark grey cladding provided a striking contrast to the Autumn Green Metallic paint of the Premier XT model, a hue that was both unique and appealing. The Outback's various trims offered different levels of black and chrome exterior accents, with the Premier XT showcasing the most chrome, which was tastefully executed. Wheel designs varied across trims, with the Wilderness trim featuring matte black 17-inch alloy wheels, while the Onyx trim upgraded to 18-inch wheels in basic black, and the Limited and Premier XT trims added a machine finish.

Inside, the top-trim Premier XT impressed with its luxurious Java Brown Nappa leather upholstery, a step above Subaru's usual focus on capability over luxury. The Limited trims featured standard leather seating, while the Onyx and Wilderness trims used Subaru's StarTex synthetic leather. The Convenience and Touring trims came with cloth seats. The interior was well-appointed, with a focus on comfort and quality, making the Outback a pleasant place to spend time.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport exuded a sporty and athletic vibe, standing taller than most vehicles on the road. Its shorter wheelbase and chopped top contributed to its dynamic appearance, although from certain angles, it appeared a bit too tall and narrow. The SV Edition Two, the highest-performance model, featured 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood with an exposed patch, adding to its sporty allure. Despite its performance-oriented design, the Range Rover Sport maintained a minimalist aesthetic inside, with a focus on luxury and refinement.

The interior of the SV Edition Two was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with light-up "SV" inserts, and illuminated steering-wheel paddle shifters. The overall design was sleek and uncluttered, with a touchscreen, stubby shifter, and engine start button being the only interruptions on the dashboard and centre console. The high console, dash, and door panels created a cockpit-like feel, enhancing the sporty experience. Material quality was top-notch, although the use of reflective piano black plastic was a bit excessive.

The 2024 Subaru Outback was powered by a "Boxer" horizontally opposed engine, with the base model featuring a 2.5-litre flat-four engine producing 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. The XT trims, including the Wilderness, were equipped with a more powerful 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, delivering 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. This turbo setup increased the towing capacity from 1,225 to 1,587 kilograms. Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission were standard across the lineup.

The Premier XT test car, with its turbocharged engine, provided a more satisfying driving experience compared to the base engine, which felt underpowered. The CVT mimicked the sound and feel of eight distinct gears, enhancing the driving experience. The brake pedal, aided by an electronic booster, offered a reassuring feel, while the steering was adequate for a comfortable ride. The Outback's suspension and reasonably sized wheels contributed to a smooth and comfortable ride, making it an excellent choice for those seeking comfort.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base Dynamic SE model featured a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine with 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid variant based on the same engine delivered 454 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque. The Autobiography trim offered a more powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain with 543 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. A BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine, producing 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, was available for the Dynamic SE and Autobiography models.

The SV Edition Two, the most powerful Range Rover Sport model, featured the same twin-turbo V8 engine, but with output increased to 626 horsepower. This made it the most powerful production model in the Range Rover lineup, capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 290 km/h. The Range Rover Sport's sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring contributed to its agile handling and luxurious ride. The Terrain Response system and off-road capabilities ensured it remained true to the Land Rover brand's heritage.

The 2024 Subaru Outback offered impressive interior space despite its sleek proportions. It provided more headroom up front compared to the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, and offered more front-row legroom than both models. The cargo area measured 923 litres with all seats in place and 2,141 litres with the rear seats folded. While the RAV4 and CR-V offered more cargo space with all seats occupied, the Outback excelled when the rear seats were folded.

Feature availability was a strong point for the Outback, with dual-zone climate control standard on most trims, along with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a power-adjustable driver's seat. Heated outboard rear seats were available from the Onyx trim, while a powered front passenger's seat and ventilated front seats were exclusive to the Premier XT trim. The hands-free power liftgate and power moonroof were standard from the Touring trim, and the raised roof rails with retractable cross bars added practicality.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Range Rover Velar and the full-size Range Rover, offered a spacious interior for a midsize SUV. While it lacked a third row, it provided ample room for five passengers. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, while rear-seat headroom was only slightly less than competitors like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. The reclining rear seats and 20-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and memory added to the comfort.

The Range Rover Sport offered 835 litres of cargo space behind the second row, comparable to the Lexus RX but less than some competitors. With the rear seats folded, the available cargo space increased to 1,860 litres. The power-operated tailgate and "access height" setting for the air suspension made loading and unloading cargo easier. The Sport's towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models was competitive, while the plug-in hybrids were rated at 3,000 kilograms.

The 2024 Subaru Outback Premier XT featured a larger 11.6-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen, with the Subaru Starlink multimedia platform offering standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Wireless connectivity was available from the Touring trim. The climate controls were integrated into the touchscreen, with hard buttons for defoggers and temperature adjustments. Bluetooth and SiriusXM connectivity were standard, and most trims featured a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport shared its screen setup with the larger Range Rover, featuring a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The minimalist design, while visually appealing, relied heavily on the touchscreen for functions like climate control and drive mode selection. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition and various gauge cluster configurations.

The SV Edition Two test car featured "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers, which pulsed with the music from the Meridian audio system or vibrated in time with relaxation programs. While the experience was unique, it felt somewhat gimmicky.

The 2024 Subaru Outback earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. The EyeSight suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies was standard, including adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking, and lane-keep assist. Reverse automatic braking was standard from the Touring trim, and a wide-angle camera improved cyclist and pedestrian detection. The Premier XT trim featured a digital rearview mirror and a driver-attention monitor.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, although the parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of writing.