2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2024 Subaru Outback

The 2024 Subaru Outback maintained its rugged yet refined appearance, with the Wilderness trim receiving a subtle update featuring a new front fascia and LED fog lights. The dark gray cladding provided a striking contrast to the Autumn Green Metallic paint of the Touring XT model, which was described as a "green-tinged dark khaki." This color choice was surprisingly appealing, offering a fresh take on the typical beige tones. The Outback's various trims showcased different levels of black and chrome exterior fittings, with the Touring trim featuring the most chrome, which was tastefully executed. Wheel designs varied by trim, with standard black 17-inch alloy wheels and a matte black version for the Wilderness trim, while the Onyx Edition and higher trims sported larger 18-inch wheels with a machine finish.

Inside, the Outback's top-trim model impressed with its luxurious Java Brown Nappa leather upholstery, which was both attractive and comfortable. The interior quality exceeded expectations for a brand known more for capability than luxury. The Outback Limited offered standard leather seating, while the Onyx Edition and Wilderness trims featured Subaru's StarTex synthetic leather. Base and Premium trims came with cloth seats, providing a range of options for different preferences and budgets.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport emphasized its sporty nature with a taller stance and a shorter wheelbase, giving it a more athletic appearance compared to the traditional Range Rover. Large front air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders added to its aggressive look, although from certain angles, it appeared a bit too tall and narrow. The 2025 lineup included SE, Dynamic SE, Autobiography, and SV Edition Two trims, with the Dynamic SE offering a Stealth appearance package featuring Carpathian metallic-gray paint, gloss black trim, and black 23-inch wheels. The SV Edition 2, the highest-performance model, boasted 23-inch carbon-fiber wheels and a carbon-fiber hood with an exposed patch, giving it a unique and understated presence.

The interior of the SV Edition 2 was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with illuminated "SV" inserts, and light-up steering-wheel paddle shifters, creating a distinctive and luxurious atmosphere. All Range Rover Sport models maintained a minimalist aesthetic, with a touchscreen, stubby shifter, and engine start button seamlessly integrated into the dashboard and center console. The high console, dash, and door panels created a cockpit-like feel, enhancing the sporty character of the vehicle. Material quality met luxury segment standards, although the use of reflective piano black plastic was a bit excessive.

The 2024 Subaru Outback stayed true to its roots with a "Boxer" horizontally opposed engine. The base model featured a 2.5-liter 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-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, delivering 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. This turbo setup increased the towing capacity from 2,700 to 3,500 lbs. Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) were standard across the lineup. The Touring XT model, with its turbo engine, provided a more satisfying driving experience, managing the vehicle's weight effectively. 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 its smooth and comfortable ride, making it an excellent choice for those seeking comfort.

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 (4WD). The base SE model featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine producing 355 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The Dynamic SE offered a higher output of 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, along with a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain rated at 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim featured the plug-in hybrid powertrain with increased output of 543 hp and 590 lb-ft, and an optional BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two utilized the same V8 engine, but with output pushed to 626 hp, making it the most powerful production model in the Range Rover lineup. It could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and had a top speed of 180 mph. 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, hill descent control, and ascent control ensured off-road capability, while the air suspension provided impressive ground clearance and approach angles.

The 2024 Subaru Outback offered ample interior space despite its sleek proportions. It provided more headroom up front compared to the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, and slightly less rear-seat headroom than the RAV4. The Outback excelled in front-row legroom and rear-seat legroom compared to its competitors. The cargo area measured 32.6 cubic feet with all seats in place and 75.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. While the RAV4 and CR-V offered more cargo space with all seats occupied, the Outback surpassed the RAV4 when the rear seats were folded. The Outback's feature availability included dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, and a power-adjustable driver's seat starting with the Premium trim. The Limited trim added a powered front passenger's seat and heated rear seats. Ventilated front seats were exclusive to the Touring trim, and a heated steering wheel was available from the Onyx Edition. The hands-free power liftgate was optional on the Premium trim and standard on higher trims, while the Onyx Edition included a power moonroof. Raised roof rails with retractable cross bars were standard, providing convenient storage options.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport positioned itself between the Range Rover Velar and the full-size Range Rover in terms of dimensions. It offered more room than the Velar but remained a midsize SUV with a two-row, five-seater configuration. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, while the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 provided slightly more legroom. The sloping roofline did not significantly impact rear-seat headroom, with only the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class offering marginally more. The Range Rover Sport featured reclining rear seats and 20-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and memory. The cargo space measured 31.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 53 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, offering more space than a Lexus RX but less than competitors like the MDX, X5, GLE, and Genesis GV80. The Range Rover Sport's towing capacity was 7,716 pounds for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 6,614 pounds. It offered more towing capacity than the Acura MDX, Genesis GV80, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC90.

The 2024 Subaru Outback Touring trim featured a CD player, appealing to those who appreciate old-school features. The technology package included both USB-C and USB-A ports on all but the base trim, which had USB-A only. The top-trim model boasted an 11.6-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen, while the base trim retained a dual-7-inch-screen system. The Subaru Starlink multimedia platform, though dated in appearance, offered standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, with wireless capability starting from the Premium trim. The climate controls were managed through the touchscreen, with hard buttons for defoggers and temperature adjustments. Wi-Fi capability was available on all but the base trim, and most trims featured a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system, except for the base model with a four-speaker system and the Premium trim with six speakers.

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 functions. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The screens offered a clean and minimalist design, but the reliance on the touchscreen for various functions posed some usability challenges. Steering-wheel controls provided limited alternatives, but the Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive and featured natural-language voice recognition. The gauge cluster offered various configurations for information display. The Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2 test car included "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers that pulsed with the music or provided relaxation programs. While the experience was unique, it felt somewhat gimmicky.

The 2024 Subaru Outback earned a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and received a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The EyeSight suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies was standard, including adaptive cruise control with lane-centering, automatic pre-collision braking, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency steering. Blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert became standard on the Onyx Edition. The Touring trim added a wide-angle camera, digital rearview mirror, and driver-attention monitor. Reverse automatic braking was standard from the Onyx trim level, and a backup camera and high-beam assist were standard across the lineup.

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. The standard 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking and visibility. However, the parking sensors were overly sensitive, and a shortcut button for camera activation would have been appreciated. At the time of publication, the IIHS and NHTSA had not released safety ratings for the current-generation Range Rover Sport.