Outback vs Rav4 2023

In the Pacific Northwest, the compact SUV is an understandably popular car type whose versatility makes it ideal for those who want to be able to explore in the mountains and wilderness but also have convenient transport in cities.

Within this market, there are many top choices like the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, and Chevy Equinox, as well as the Subaru Outback and Toyota RAV4. All of these cars have similar features and people in the market frequently find themselves looking into multiple mentioned above, but each has its own particular strengths and weaknesses.

Today, though, we’re going to be focusing just on the Toyota RAV4 and the Subaru Outback, simply because a rundown on every car in this market would get overwhelming pretty fast.

Table of Contents:

·   Seating & Size

·   Fuel Efficiency

·   Further Capabilities, & Specs

·   User Experience, Features, & Technology

·   Pricing

Seating & Size for the 2023 Outback vs The 2023 RAV4

For many people, SUV size is a big factor in choosing a compact SUV. It’s often a matter of needing a lot of space in your vehicle — whether that’s for family, work, or recreational and outdoor activities — but wanting superior fuel-efficiency and maneuverability than a traditional SUV.

For these needs, both the RAV4 and Outback are fantastic. Depending on the specifics you’re prioritizing, however, one or the other might be better-suited.

Take seating: The 2023 Toyota RAV4 can seat up to five people, while the 2023 Subaru Outback can sit seven. If you don’t find yourself needing as much interior space and prefer the road feel of a slightly smaller vehicle, the RAV4 is probably up your alley. For those who will be driving more passengers, the Subaru Outback probably suits your needs better.

This theme continues with the space in general.

As you’d expect since the RAV4 seats two fewer people, it is a slightly smaller interior space, with 99 cubic feet of passenger volume and just under 38 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. That goes up to 70 cubic feet of cargo space when the rear seats are folded down.

The Outback being a seven-seater has about 10 more cubic feet of passenger volume at 109. For cargo, it has slightly less space when carrying all seven passengers — that leaves 32.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats — but with the rear seats folded it then has just under 76 cubic feet.

Fuel Efficiency

As you could probably anticipate, with a slight difference in size comes a slight difference in fuel efficiency.

Both the Outback and RAV4 have a standard 2.5-liter engine — although the Outback XT model has a slightly smaller 2.4-liter engine — and as the smaller of the two, the RAV4 edges out the Outback just a bit for fuel efficiency: The Toyota RAV4 gets 28 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway, while the Subaru Outback gets 26 MPG in the city and 33 on the highway.

Both cars also have all-wheel drive capabilities, the use of which reduces the fuel efficiency but not by a lot. When all-wheel drive is engaged, the RAV4 gets 27 MPG in the city and 34 on the highway, while the Outback is estimated at 26 and 32, respectively.

While the all-wheel drive engagement lowers the fuel efficiency by about one mile per gallon for each, this feature is extremely helpful for driving on the winter roads we get in the Pacific Northwest that are slick, wet, and steep. That’s especially true if you plan on driving in the mountains, where picking a car with all-wheel drive is the responsible choice.

Further Capabilities & Specs

As we’ve established, both have all-wheel drive. They also are the same in their transmission, which is an eight-speed automatic. When comparing the Subaru Outback vs Rav4, there are additional capabilities and specs to consider:

The power and towing capacities are where the two differ, albeit nothing drastic. The standard RAV4 has 203 horsepower and 184 lb-foot of torque — the hybrid version actually has greater horsepower at 219. The standard Outback has a bit less at 182 horsepower, but the turbo 2.4-liter engine increases that to 260 horsepower.

The towing capacity is flip-flopped here: If you’re looking at just the standard engine models, the RAV4 has a capacity of 1,500 pounds while the Outback can tow up to 2,700 lbs. (It is worth noting that both Toyota and Subaru offer trims that can tow up to 3,500 pounds.)

As you can start to see from the details we’ve covered so far, a general picture emerges of two cars that offer similar experiences and capabilities but slightly emphasize different aspects of what they bring to the table.

First and foremost, they’re both practical vehicles in being both maneuverable and not inconvenient ly huge (and fuel-inefficient), while also having lots of interior space and hardiness that makes them well-suited towards outdoor adventures plus the Pacific Northwest’s topography and inclement weather.

Then, while their differences are pretty minor, a trend emerges in that the RAV4 sacrifices interior cargo and passenger space to be a bit smaller, zippier, and have just a smidgeon better fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, the Outback can pack more people and cargo into it and is more powerful, but is a bit slower to accelerate and goes about a mile or two less per gallon.

It’s kind of like the car version of a Siberian Husky versus an Alaskan Malamute.

So that’s the practical hardware and driving features, but what else?

User Experience, Features, & Technology

To start, the console:

Both the Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Outback standard models feature a seven-inch touchscreen setup. Where they differ is on the higher trim versions — an upgraded RAV4 can have the eight-inch screen, while the upgraded Outback has a much larger 11.6-inch vertical-style touchscreen. Both of these support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too, so you can easily connect your phone and audio.

Other technology includes safety features for each.

The Outback comes standard with EyeSight, which is Subaru’s own lane assist system that alerts you if you accidentally begin to veer out of your lane.

Then the 2023 RAV4 standard trim comes with a suite of heavy-duty safety features called Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. These include a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert plus steering assist, automatic high beams, full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, and road sign assist.

Pricing

As the somewhat smaller of the two, the Toyota RAV4 is unsurprisingly a bit cheaper, starting at just over $26,000 for the lowest trim. The top-of-the-line trim starts at just under $35,000, while the hybrids start at about $29,000 and go up to just over $37,000 for the limited hybrid model.

The Outback then is a bit more, with MSRP new inventory starting around $36,000 — although if you’re in the Seattle area and end up deciding on an Outback you’ll find Carter Subaru often has dealer discounts of a few thousand dollars off.

Final Thoughts

Like we discussed above, these are both great cars for the Pacific Northwest, and they do many of the same things quite well — whichever is right for you mostly depends on the specifics of your needs and priorities.

For some, a slightly more compact, zippier car like the RAV4 will be preferable, while others will get more out of the extra-spacious Outback interior that allows for more people and cargo. Crucially considering that so many RAV4 and Outback drivers are outdoor recreation enthusiasts, they both have all-wheel drive and pretty good gas mileage especially when you get out of the city.

Carter Subaru Shoreline is here to help. If you are looking at midsize SUVs, the Subaru Outback may be the perfect fit for you. Come to Carter Subaru Shoreline to test drive a new Subaru Outback today!