2021 Toyota Venza vs 2021 Subaru Outback

The 2021 Toyota Venza was a sleek and stylish SUV that many critics noted bore a striking resemblance to a Lexus. Its design, from the grille to the elongated profile, blurred the lines between the Toyota and Lexus brands, evoking the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept. The Venza was available in three trim levels—LE, XLE, and Limited—and offered a choice of seven paint colors. Standard features included LED headlights and taillights, automatic high beams, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior boasted a wireless charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, among other amenities. The top-tier Limited trim added a digital rearview mirror, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and the optional Star Gaze panoramic roof.

The 2021 Subaru Outback, redesigned for the 2020 model year, retained a familiar and comfortable feel reminiscent of older Subaru models. The interior featured analog gauges, a steering wheel with more buttons, and seats with a similar form. The base trim had two 7-inch touchscreens, while higher trims boasted an 11.6-inch portrait display. The Outback's interior quality was a significant improvement over pre-2015 models, with substantial window switches, dash padding, and surface materials. The Onyx Edition XT trim featured gray and black StarTex upholstery with lime green contrast stitching. The exterior design included gray cladding on the wheel arches, sills, and bumpers, with chrome flourishes on the window trim and LED running lights. The Outback's high ground clearance and smooth styling made it a versatile and practical choice.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors, resulting in a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system utilized an electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT) with a sequential-shifting feature for regenerative braking. While the Venza's acceleration was smooth, it was not particularly rapid, and the engine noise was noticeable during acceleration. However, the Venza excelled in fuel economy, achieving an EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway, 37 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg combined. The Venza's handling was confident and typical of a Toyota, with a comfortable and predictable driving experience.

The 2021 Subaru Outback offered two engine options. The base 2.5-liter flat-four engine produced 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, but it struggled to move the vehicle's weight, resulting in slow and noisy performance. The XT trims featured a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine with 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, providing a significant improvement in performance. The turbocharged engine was quieter, smoother, and more powerful than the base engine. The Outback's fuel economy for the turbo XT was slightly lower, at an EPA-estimated 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, compared to the base engine's 26 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. The Outback's handling was designed for long-distance cruising, with a comfortable ride and excellent off-road capability thanks to its high ground clearance and electronically-variable AWD system.

The 2021 Toyota Venza offered a practical and well-appointed interior. The cabin featured premium materials, with a unique design that set it apart from other Toyota and Lexus models. The center stack included piano black capacitive buttons for climate and infotainment controls, with a deep center console housing various controls and storage options. The Venza's seating was comfortable for both front and rear passengers, with ample headroom and legroom. The Venza's cargo space was 55.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, which was less than some competitors but sufficient for daily use. The quick-flip releases on the 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks made arranging the cargo space easy.

The 2021 Subaru Outback offered impressive interior space and practicality. With 76 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 33 cubic feet with them raised, the Outback provided ample storage. The cargo area was wide, flat, and free of intrusive elements. The Outback's seating was comfortable and supportive, with excellent headroom and legroom in all four outboard positions. The vehicle's outward visibility was superb, thanks to thin pillars and a low shoulder height. Storage options included large map pockets, bottle holders, and handy pockets in the front center console. However, some features like push-button start and rear climate vents were only available on higher trims. The Outback's standard roof rails with integrated crossbars were a standout feature, providing convenience and cost savings.

The 2021 Toyota Venza featured the Entune infotainment system, with an 8-inch screen on the LE and XLE trims and a 12.3-inch touchscreen on the Limited trim. While the system was responsive, it was not the easiest to use, requiring multiple menu trips for some functions. The Venza included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, and a Wi-Fi hot spot as standard features. A nine-speaker JBL premium audio system was available on the XLE and standard on the Limited trim. Toyota connected services, such as Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Service Connect, were also included, with varying trial periods.

The 2021 Subaru Outback's infotainment system had a dated appearance, with graphics and typefaces reminiscent of older technology. The base model featured a dual-screen setup, while higher trims had a single 11.6-inch touchscreen. The system included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, with optional navigation. Subaru EyeSight, a suite of driver-assist features, was standard on all trims, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and forward automatic emergency braking. However, the system relied solely on forward-looking cameras, which could be less effective in certain conditions compared to systems that also use radar.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which included a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist. Additional safety features included eight airbags, a rearview camera, hill start assist, parking distance sensors, and tire pressure monitoring. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was standard, with an upgrade to automatic braking available on the XLE and Limited trims. The Venza also had two full sets of LATCH connections on the rear outboard seats.

The 2021 Subaru Outback featured a stronger and stiffer chassis, with standard driver’s knee and passenger seat-cushion airbags. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was optional on the Premium trim and standard on higher trims. Rear emergency braking was optional on the Onyx Edition XT and standard on the Limited 2.5 and Touring trims. A driver-attention monitor was standard on the Limited XT and Touring trims. The Outback earned a 2020 IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" award and received top ratings in all six crash tests. The NHTSA awarded the Outback an overall five-star rating, with four stars for the front passenger in a frontal crash and four stars for the rollover test.