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 family. Its tall stance 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, the Sport appeared somewhat tall and narrow, lacking the wide, planted look of some luxury SUVs. The lineup included SE, Dynamic SE, Autobiography, and SV Edition Two trims, with the Dynamic SE offering a Stealth appearance package. The SV Edition 2, the highest-performance model, featured carbon-fiber wheels and a hood with an exposed patch of carbon fiber, giving it a sleeper look in Marl Grey. Inside, the SV Edition 2 boasted red leather upholstery, sport seats with light-up “SV” inserts, and illuminated steering-wheel paddle shifters, while all models maintained a minimalist aesthetic with a touchscreen, stubby shifter, and engine start button.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE, last redesigned in 2020 and facelifted in 2024, retained a unique identity within the Mercedes lineup. It shared some visual bulk with the GLS, GLC, and GLB classes but featured a more rounded profile reminiscent of previous generations. The GLE's styling included squared-off wheel arches, a horizontal grille, and headlights that gave it a wide stance, contrasted by sharply tapering side glass and a rakish windshield and back window. The GLE Coupe models exaggerated these proportions with a bulky lower body and fastback-style roofline. For 2025, Mercedes introduced new paint colors and Manufaktur interiors, offering more personalization options. The Yacht Blue interior of our test car was striking, and the GLE's interior featured upscale elements like chunky air vents, mesh speaker grilles, and 64-color ambient lighting, creating a 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 SE model featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine producing 355 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The Dynamic SE offered a higher output of 395 hp and 406 lb-ft, along with a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain rated at 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim could be equipped with the plug-in hybrid powertrain, delivering 543 hp and 590 lb-ft, or a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two used the same V8 but with output increased to 626 hp, making it the most powerful production Range Rover. It could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and reach 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. Off-road capabilities were enhanced by the Terrain Response system, hill descent control, and ascent control, with the Autobiography offering a two-speed transfer case for low range.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered six powertrain options, including a plug-in hybrid and two AMG variants. The GLE 350 featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid assistance, producing 255 hp and 295 lb-ft, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The GLE 450 4Matic had a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with mild-hybrid assistance, delivering 375 hp and 369 lb-ft. The GLE 450e 4Matic combined a turbo-four with electric assist for 381 hp and 479 lb-ft, offering 50 miles of electric range. The GLE 580 4Matic featured a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with mild-hybrid assistance, producing 510 hp and 538 lb-ft. The AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ used an uprated inline-six for 429 hp and 413 lb-ft, while the AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic+ had a hand-assembled twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 producing 603 hp and 627 lb-ft, achieving zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The GLE's refinement impressed, but even in AMG spec, it felt larger than it was, with adaptive air suspension and an active anti-roll system unable to make it nimble on backroads.

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 similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, 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 GLE also provided 3.1 inches of additional second-row legroom. The Range Rover Sport had 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, more than a Lexus RX but less than an MDX, X5, GLE, or Genesis GV80. With the rear seats folded, it offered 53 cubic feet of cargo space. The Sport's maximum towing capacity was 7,716 pounds for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 6,614 pounds.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE was available in two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations, although third-row space specs weren't published. The GLE offered similar headroom to rivals, with the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, and Genesis GV80 providing slightly more legroom. The GLE's high seating position was SUV-like, but outward visibility was limited. Second-row passengers enjoyed slightly more space than in most competitors, with headroom nearly identical to the BMW X5 and more legroom than the BMW, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, and Lexus RX. The GLE had 33.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 74.9 cubic feet with all seats folded. Its maximum towing capacity was 7,700 pounds, matching the Audi Q7 and surpassing the Acura MDX, Genesis GV80, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC90.

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 screens were visually appealing, but the minimalist design left few options beyond the touchscreen, making some functions less intuitive. Steering-wheel controls offered limited alternatives, but the Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive and included natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition 2 test car had "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers that pulsed with music or vibrated in time with relaxation programs, 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, creating a continuous horizontal display. The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) included wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in navigation. Multiple access methods, including a center-console touchpad, steering-wheel touchpads, and voice recognition, provided flexibility, although they could be confusing. The AMG GLE 63 S Coupe test car had additional settings for drive modes, damper firmness, stability control, and exhaust noise, accessible via steering-wheel dials. Some GLE models offered an off-road display and a "transparent hood" function for the 360-degree camera system, enhancing off-road capabilities.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport came with standard driver-assist features, including 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. The IIHS and NHTSA had not released safety ratings for the current-generation Range Rover Sport at the time of publication.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered a comprehensive suite of driver-assist features, with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, crosswind assist, parking assist, a driver attention monitor, and a 360-degree camera system as standard. The Pre-Safe system mitigated collision effects by tightening seatbelts, closing windows, and emitting a protective sound. Adaptive cruise control was part of the optional Driver Assistance Package, which added features like evasive steering assist and expanded driver monitoring. The IIHS named the GLE-Class a 2025 Top Safety Pick+, although its front-crash prevention tech received "Marginal" and "Acceptable" ratings.