Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Toyota RAV4: Exterior

Finding a parking space should not be a chore or a feat to eliminate from your bucket list. Cross it off for the Mitsubishi, though. This vehicle makes its compact size a boon. It stands at a height of 64.8 inches, spans 71.3 inches in width, and reaches 171.9 inches in length. With a turning circle of 34.8 feet, you’ll swiftly and accurately get that spot.

The Toyota has much larger exterior dimensions, which means more maneuvering may be needed to get that prime spot. It stands at 67 inches high, spreads 73 inches across the back, and extends out to 180.9 inches in length. A turning circle of 36.1 feet may give you a little more of a struggle. 

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Toyota RAV4: Interior

Let’s see the differences between the interior dimensions now. In the front, the headroom reaches 39.4 inches and the legroom stretches to 41.6 inches in the Mitsubishi. Rear hip room extends to 51.6 inches.

With the Toyota, you receive nearly comparable front legroom at 41 inches, while the front headroom provides less room with 37.7 inches. For the RAV4, much less hip room can be found in the back at 47.7 inches.
In every Outlander Sport trim, you can ventilate the cabin with automatic climate control. It adjusts to the preferred temperature right away. The entry-level trim of the RAV4 provides manual climate control, so you may spend extra time figuring out the ideal temperature for your car.

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Toyota RAV4: Safety

We dug into the menu of features to find some less overt safety tools that you can get in these crossovers. Outside of the Mitsubishi, you’ll see heated power side mirrors, which can thaw out any smidgen of frost. The Toyota supplies you with a comparable set, but only in higher trims.

When the sun goes down, your Outlander Sport auto-dimming rearview mirror instantly acclimates to less outdoor light. This reduces the glare that may come from behind. 
Get a head start on clearing your windshield with the Mitsubishi too. It gives you front rain-sensing wipers from the start. Again, the theme continues, with the Toyota offering this instrument, but not until you reach higher trims.

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Toyota RAV4: Performance

The advantage sways toward the Mitsubishi because you can choose between two engines. In one corner, you get the standard 2.0L MIVEC 4-cylinder engine, while in the other, you’ll find the available 2.4L MIVEC 4-cylinder engine. With these engines, you can rely on the Continuously Variable Transmission and conquer the roads with 2-wheel drive (2WD) capability.

Although you do get a rewarding engine in the Toyota, there’s only one. You’ll see the 2.5L 4-cylinder engine in each RAV4 model. This uses an 8-speed automatic transmission and provides front-wheel drive (FWD), which may not be able to handle the tougher terrain.