2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2025 Subaru Outback

The 2025 Subaru Outback stood out in a dwindling field of wagons in the United States, embracing crossover trends with its rugged design elements like chunky wheel-arch flares and skid plate-inspired fascias. Its Crimson Red Pearl paint and black leather interior made a striking combination, though earthy tones were deemed more fitting for its adventurous spirit. Subaru's focus on off-road capabilities paid off, as the Outback, along with the Crosstrek and Forester, became top sellers by appealing to a niche market of crossover buyers. The 2025 model saw no major changes, but the Limited trim gained features like a power moonroof and Subaru’s DriverFocus technology. The Touring XT trim offered Nappa leather and ventilated front seats, enhancing the interior's comfort and functionality.

The Outback's interior was well-executed, with minimal use of chrome and glossy black plastic, and featured easy-to-read gauges flanking a digital display. The vehicle's design and features catered to those who appreciated a rugged exterior with a practical and comfortable interior. Subaru's strategic focus on off-road capabilities and practical design elements resonated with buyers, making the Outback a popular choice among those seeking adventure without sacrificing comfort.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport reinforced its sporty SUV positioning with a taller stance and athletic appearance, though it appeared narrow from some angles. The model 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 elements and a subdued Marl Grey exterior, making it a sleeper among luxury SUVs. The interior boasted red leather upholstery, sport seats with illuminated inserts, and a minimalist dashboard design, though the high console and dash created a cockpit-like feel that could feel cramped.

The Range Rover Sport's interior was luxurious, with high-quality materials and a minimalist aesthetic. The vehicle's sporty mission was evident in its design, though the use of reflective piano black plastic was excessive. Despite its sporty focus, the Range Rover Sport maintained a calm and confident demeanor, offering a luxurious ride at normal speeds. The model's off-road capabilities were supported by Land Rover's Terrain Response system, though only the Autobiography trim offered a two-speed transfer case for more challenging terrains.

The 2025 Subaru Outback featured a horizontally opposed "Boxer" engine available in two forms: a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine producing 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Both engines ran on regular unleaded gas and were paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). The turbocharged engine provided a more spirited drive, making the XT model a recommended choice for those who could afford the upgrade. The Outback's 8.7 inches of ground clearance and X-Mode system optimized traction on slippery surfaces, with the Wilderness model offering even more ground clearance and off-road features.

The Outback's ride was smooth and comfortable, with a soft suspension and thick tire sidewalls absorbing road imperfections. Its steering was light, throttle smooth, and brakes powerful, making it a pleasant companion on rough roads. However, the stop/start technology was intrusive, and the CVT could be slow to respond during transitions between gentle and stern throttle applications.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive (4WD). The base SE model featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with 355 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, while the Dynamic SE offered a higher output of 395 hp and 406 lb-ft, along with a plug-in hybrid powertrain rated at 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim increased the plug-in hybrid's output to 543 hp and 590 lb-ft, and offered a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two pushed the V8's output to 626 hp, making it the most powerful Range Rover model.

The Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2 accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of 180 mph. Its sport-tuned air suspension and four-wheel steering provided agility and a luxurious ride, while carbon-ceramic brakes offered impressive stopping power. The Terrain Response system and standard air suspension enhanced off-road capabilities, though only the Autobiography trim offered a two-speed transfer case for more challenging terrains.

The 2025 Subaru Outback's wagon shape offered practicality with easy entry and exit, a low roof height for loading, and a low center of gravity for quick direction changes. Its cargo space measured 32.6 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 75.6 with the bench folded, providing a flat floor and square shape for maximum utility. The Outback's total passenger volume of 109 cubic feet was larger than its crossover competition, offering more front headroom and legroom, though the rear seat was slightly smaller. The Outback's towing capacity increased from 2,700 pounds to 3,500 pounds with the turbocharged engine option.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, offered a midsize two-row, five-seater configuration. Front-seat occupants found similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, though the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 offered more legroom. The sloping roof didn't significantly impact rear-seat headroom, and reclining rear seats were standard. The Range Rover Sport provided 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 53 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Its 7,716-pound maximum towing capacity for turbo-six and V8 models was competitive, though plug-in hybrids were rated at 6,614 pounds.

The 2025 Subaru Outback's technology package included an 11.6-inch touchscreen with large icons, though the Starlink infotainment system was slow to respond, especially at startup. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were included, with wireless functionality except for the base model. The Harman Kardon audio system was effective, though navigational commands limited audio to the rear speakers. The dashboard featured a mix of physical controls and touchscreen functions, with a CD player and USB-A and USB-C ports for connectivity.

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 left few options beyond the touchscreen, requiring widgets for climate control and drive mode adjustments. Steering-wheel controls offered limited alternatives, but the Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition 2 included "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers for a unique audio experience, though it felt somewhat gimmicky.

The 2025 Subaru Outback's EyeSight driver-assist technology included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency steering. The system kept the Outback in its lane, though with more side-to-side movement than desired. Higher trims added blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist, and rear cross-traffic alert. The DriverFocus system monitored for driver distraction, though it occasionally issued false notifications. The 2024 Outback earned a Top Safety Pick designation from the IIHS and a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, with the 2025 model expected to perform similarly.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features like 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, though parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of publication.