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2018 Subaru Outback vs. 2018 Toyota RAV4: Which Is Best?
2018 Subaru Outback hero ・ Photo by Subaru
Today’s comparison looks at two of the country’s top crossover-style SUVs: the 2018 Subaru Outback and 2018 Toyota RAV4. Both offer many of the mainstream’s most popular technologies, and that includes the kind of driver-assistance measures that are more often found in premium vehicles. Both can also serve up their fair share of infotainment technologies, along with the added benefit of all-wheel drive.
Yet the Outback and RAV4 do have some important differences. Right out of the gate, the Subaru is more than 6 inches longer than its Toyota rival, while the RAV4 distinguishes itself as the only one of the pair to supply a hybrid powertrain. Of course, as you’ll find out below, that doesn’t necessarily give the Outback all of the advantages when it comes to cargo space. Nor is the RAV4 always the most fuel-efficient option.
Performance and Fuel Economy
The 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid provides 197 horsepower, electrically enabled all-wheel drive and unmatched EPA ratings of 34 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined. Yet many SUV drivers prefer traditional non-hybrid powertrains. And in that department, Subaru comes out ahead.
In the entry model 2018 Subaru Outback, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine produces 175 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. The RAV4’s standard engine a 2.5-liter with 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. But the Outback — with standard all-wheel drive — can post EPA ratings of 25 mpg city/32 mpg highway/28 mpg combined. That’s better than even the two-wheel-drive RAV4. Subaru then offers a 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine with 256 horses, 247 pound-feet of torque and EPA ratings of 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway/22 mpg combined. The RAV4 doesn’t have a six-cylinder engine option.
Subaru Outback
Photo by Subaru
Capability
All 2018 Subaru Outbacks come standard with the company’s “symmetrical” full-time all-wheel drive. For the 2018 Toyota RAV4, you have to pay extra for all-wheel drive. But there’s more to being a capable SUV than handling tough driving conditions. For example, if you need maximum towing capability, the RAV4, even without a V6, can pull up to 3,500 pounds in some trims. The Outback has a top trailer rating of 2,700 pounds.
Inside, the RAV4 makes the most of its slightly smaller exterior dimensions. It can fit 38.4 cubic feet of gear behind its rear seats. With these seats folded, cargo capacity expands to 73.4 cubic feet. In both cases, that’s a tad more than in the Outback. All this means the RAV4 is a bit more capable, too.
Toyota RAV4
Photo by Toyota
Safety Ratings and Technology
The 2018 Toyota RAV4 jumps out to an early lead in this category, given that it provides automatic emergency braking, a forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, a lane-departure alert, lane-keeping assistance, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and a rearview camera as standard content. The RAV4 is also available with blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert, and it earned a Top Safety Pick Rating from the IIHS.
The thing is, you can get all the same equipment in the 2018 Subaru Outback as well. The rearview camera is standard and the other technologies are optional. The Outback, however, raises the bar with available reverse automatic braking, adaptive headlights, and a more-impressive IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. Key differences between the two vehicles included the Outback's higher grades for front-passenger protection in small overlap crashes, headlight performance, and the number of child-seat anchors.
Subaru Outback
Photo by Subaru
Infotainment
Although the 2018 Toyota RAV4 and 2018 Subaru Outback are well-matched in many areas, the Outback has a clear advantage in terms of infotainment technology. It offers standard features that are completely unavailable for the RAV4, including Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and apps for AHA and Pandora Internet radio. Additionally, the Outback’s standard 6.5-inch touchscreen is larger than the RAV4’s 6.1-inch unit. Each vehicle also can be configured with a navigation system and an upsized display, but in the Outback, the nav touchscreen is 8 inches. The comparable system in the RAV4 relies on a 7-inch touchscreen.
As for uplevel audio systems, both vehicles can boast 576-watts of power and high-efficiency GreenEdge speakers. But the Outback’s Harman Kardon system features 12 of them — one more than with the JBL system for the RAV4.
Subaru Outback
Photo by Subaru
Exterior Design
Like many modern-day vehicles, the 2018 Subaru Outback and 2018 Toyota RAV4 can each be detailed by LED headlights and LED daytime running lights, and the Outback can add mirror-mounted LED turn signals. But years ago, the original Outback was first introduced as a station wagon version of the Subaru Legacy mid-size sedan.
The vehicle’s design has certainly changed since then, but the 2018 Outback still has more car-like proportions than the 2018 RAV4. As a result, the Toyota is better looking as an SUV, and especially in its rugged “Adventure” trim. This model shows off cues like additional ground clearance and large fender flares. The RAV4 also brings more substance to go with that bold style. One notable advantage for the Toyota is that it offers a hands-free liftgate that’s missing from the Outback.
Toyota RAV4
Photo by Toyota
Interior Design
Functionally speaking, the 2018 Toyota RAV4 and 2018 Subaru Outback have relatively spacious cabins with seating for five. There are minor differences that may impact some owners, though: In models without a moonroof, the Outback has an extra inch of front headroom. In models with that feature, it’s the RAV4 with nearly a half-inch advantage. In all trims, the Subaru supplies almost an extra inch of rear-seat legroom. So it’s a pretty close call here.
The winning difference for the Outback is a more attractive interior. Subaru designers created a sophisticated multipiece dashboard where the upper level flows smoothly into the center console. A prominent setting for the center-stack controls makes operating the Outback easy. The RAV4's dash is no doubt expressive, but it’s a tad too busy for our tastes.
Subaru Outback
Photo by Subaru
Luxury Features
In the current automotive marketplace, even mainstream brands can deliver the sort of premium content that used to be reserved for yesterday’s luxury vehicles. The 2018 Subaru Outback, for instance, offers leather upholstery in four different shades, heated front and rear seats, and a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Outback, remember, also is available with previously mentioned high-end touches ranging from LED steering-responsive headlights to a Harman Kardon audio system.
Now, you can get some of that stuff — like heated front seats and a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel — on the 2018 Toyota RAV4. What you can’t get are heated rear seats, and while that’s not really a surprise, this is: The RAV4 is not available with real leather seats. Your choices are fabric or Toyota’s SofTex synthetic-leather material. That alone would probably have given this category to the Outback.
Photo by Subaru
Pricing and Value
The 2018 Toyota RAV4, with an MSRP of $24,660, is priced $1,235 below the starting point of the 2018 Subaru Outback. It’s roughly a 5 percent difference. Further, the RAV4 comes standard with advanced safety technology that’s not available for the entry model of the Outback.
On the other hand, the Outback’s standard equipment includes all-wheel drive, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. Right off the bat, upgrading to all-wheel drive with the RAV4 eats up Toyota’s entire pricing advantage: The least expensive all-wheel drive RAV4 is $26,060, while the Outback opens at $25,895. Next, as we mentioned above, Toyota doesn’t offer the latest Android/Apple smartphone-integration technology. So, despite having the highest starting price of the two, the Outback is a better value.
Photo by Subaru
The Final Verdict
If you’re interested in one of the industry’s most fuel-efficient compact SUVs, the 2018 Subaru Outback simply can’t match the EPA ratings for the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Nor do you make many sacrifices for the hybrid, since it also showcases electronically enabled all-wheel drive and a fair amount of cargo space.
That said, comparing gas-only models, the Outback checks in with more safety technology, higher safety ratings, higher levels of luxury content, and a more impressive package of infotainment technology — with larger touchscreens. Perhaps surprisingly, the Outback also has better fuel economy ratings than the gas-only version of RAV4. With that in mind, and considering how close the two vehicles are for cargo and passenger space, we think the Outback will satisfy more of today’s SUV customers.
Photo by Subaru