2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was designed to project a sportier image within the Range Rover lineup. Its tall stature was complemented by a shorter wheelbase and a chopped top, giving it a more athletic appearance compared to the traditional Range Rover. The large front air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders added to its sporty look, although from certain angles, it appeared a bit too tall and narrow, lacking the wide, planted stance of some other luxury SUVs. The SV Edition Two trim, which was the highest-performance model, featured unique elements like 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood with an exposed patch. Despite its subtle exterior, the interior was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with light-up “SV” inserts, and illuminated steering-wheel paddle shifters, maintaining a minimalist aesthetic with a focus on luxury.

In contrast, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE, last redesigned in 2020 and facelifted in 2024, maintained a distinct identity within the Mercedes lineup. It shared some visual bulk with other Mercedes SUVs but featured a more rounded profile reminiscent of its predecessors. The GLE's styling included squared-off wheel arches and a horizontal grille and headlights, giving it a wide stance, while the side glass tapered sharply inward. This design created odd proportions, especially in the GLE Coupe models, but it remained unmistakably a Mercedes. The interior offered a variety of colours beyond the typical black, grey, and tan, with features like chunky air vents, mesh speaker grilles, and 64-colour ambient lighting, creating an upscale and special atmosphere.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a range of 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 producing 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid variant based on the same engine delivered 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim offered a more powerful plug-in hybrid with 543 hp and 590 lb-ft. Additionally, a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine was available, producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two, the most powerful model, used the same V8 but with 626 hp, achieving 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 290 km/h. The Range Rover Sport excelled in both on-road performance and off-road capability, with features like sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring enhancing its agility and comfort.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered five powertrain options, including a plug-in hybrid and two AMG variants. The GLE 350 featured a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 255 hp and 295 lb-ft, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and standard 4Matic all-wheel drive. The GLE 450 4Matic had a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six producing 375 hp and 369 lb-ft, while the GLE 450e 4Matic combined a turbo-four with electric assist for 381 hp and 479 lb-ft, offering 80 km of electric range. The AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ delivered 429 hp and 413 lb-ft, achieving 0-100 km/h in 5.0 seconds. The AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic+ featured a hand-assembled twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with 603 hp and 627 lb-ft, reaching 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. Despite its impressive powertrains, the GLE felt larger than it was, with adaptive air suspension and an active anti-roll system unable to make it as nimble as some competitors.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Range Rover Velar and the full-size Range Rover, offered a midsize two-row, five-seat configuration. While it provided more room than the Velar, it lacked a third-row option. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, but the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 offered slightly more legroom. The sloping roof didn't significantly impact rear-seat headroom, with only the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE offering marginally more. The Range Rover Sport had 835 litres of cargo space behind the second row and 1,860 litres with the rear seats folded. It featured power operation and an “access height” setting for easier loading and unloading. The maximum towing capacity was 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 3,000 kilograms.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE was available in two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations, although third-row space specs were not published. The GLE offered similar headroom to most rivals, with slightly more legroom than the BMW X5, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, and Lexus RX. The GLE provided 894 litres of cargo space behind the second row and 1,790 litres with all seats folded. The centre console offered reasonable storage space despite housing the infotainment system’s touchpad controller. The GLE's maximum towing capacity was 3,500 kilograms, matching the Audi Q7 and surpassing some competitors.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration. The minimalist design, while visually appealing, had functional limitations, as many functions required touchscreen interaction. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition Two test car included “Body and Soul Seats” with embedded transducers, offering a unique but somewhat gimmicky experience.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE featured a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment, with the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) system offering wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in navigation. Multiple access methods, including a centre console touchpad and steering wheel controls, could be confusing, but the voice recognition system was effective. The AMG GLE 63 S Coupe test car had additional settings for drive modes and chassis adjustments, accessible via steering wheel dials. Some GLE models offered off-road displays and a “transparent hood” function for the 360-degree camera system.

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, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver attention monitor. 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.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered standard safety features like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, crosswind assist, parking assist, a driver attention monitor, and a 360-degree camera system. The optional Driver Assistance Package added adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, and expanded driver-monitoring capabilities. The IIHS named the GLE a 2025 Top Safety Pick+, although its front-crash prevention tech received “Marginal” and “Acceptable” ratings. NHTSA ratings were not available at the time of writing.