2025 Toyota Land Cruiser vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was designed to project a sportier image within the Range Rover family. Its tall stance was complemented by a shorter wheelbase and a chopped top, giving it a more athletic appearance compared to the traditional Range Rover. The front featured large air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders, enhancing its sporty look. However, from certain angles, the Sport appeared somewhat tall and narrow, lacking the wide, planted look of some other luxury SUVs. The lineup included SE, Dynamic SE, Autobiography, and SV Edition Two trims, with the Dynamic SE offering a Stealth appearance package. Our test car, the SV Edition 2, boasted 23-inch carbon-fiber wheels and a carbon-fiber hood, presenting a subtle exterior in Marl Grey. Inside, the SV Edition 2 featured red leather upholstery, sport seats with illuminated inserts, and a minimalist dashboard design, though the high console and dash created a slightly cramped feel.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, offered in two trims, the 1958 and the Land Cruiser, showcased a blend of retro and modern styling. The base 1958 model had a nostalgic look with round headlights and basic equipment, while the Land Cruiser trim offered a more upscale appearance with additional colors and off-roading features. Our test vehicle, equipped with the Premium Package, sported Heritage Blue paint, 20-inch wheels, and a roof rack. The interior featured Java-colored leather and dual 12.3-inch digital screens, providing a technologically advanced feel. Despite its utilitarian design, the Land Cruiser's interior was comfortable, though the second-row seats lacked thigh support. The vehicle's traditional two-box SUV design maximized off-road capabilities and visibility, with features like a front stabilizer bar disconnect and Multi-Terrain Monitor enhancing its off-road prowess.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a range of powertrain options, all paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base SE model featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine producing 355 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. 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 could be equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain delivering 543 hp and 590 lb-ft, or a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two, the most powerful model, used the same V8 engine but with an output of 626 hp, achieving 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. The Range Rover Sport excelled in both on-road performance and off-road capabilities, with features like sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and Terrain Response system enhancing its agility and comfort.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser featured Toyota's i-Force Max hybrid system, combining a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. This setup delivered 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, with a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 pounds. Standard features included Downhill Assist Control and Crawl Control, while the Land Cruiser trim added Multi-Terrain Select modes and a front stabilizer bar disconnect. Despite an EPA rating of 23 mpg combined, real-world testing yielded only 15.7 mpg. The Land Cruiser excelled as a daily driver and off-road adventurer, though it struggled on twisty roads due to its suspension tuning. Its high seating position provided excellent visibility, and off-road features like Crawl Control and Multi-Terrain Monitor enhanced its capabilities. However, its handling was less agile compared to the Range Rover Sport, with noticeable body roll and nose dive during braking.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, offered a spacious two-row, five-seater configuration. While it lacked a third row, it provided ample headroom and legroom for front-seat occupants, though competitors like the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 offered slightly more legroom. The sloping roofline did not significantly impact rear-seat headroom, and reclining rear seats were standard. The cargo space measured 31.9 cubic feet behind the second row, expanding to 53 cubic feet with the seats folded. The Sport's towing capacity reached 7,716 pounds for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 6,614 pounds. The vehicle's design included deep door pockets and large cupholders, while power operation and an "access height" setting facilitated loading and unloading.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, particularly in the Land Cruiser trim, offered a comfortable interior with SofTex artificial leather or real leather in the Premium Package. The front seats provided excellent support, but the second-row seats lacked thigh support and had an uncomfortable backrest angle. The rear window design was less practical compared to the 4Runner, and the center console's cool box reduced storage space. The Land Cruiser offered 46.2 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 82.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. However, the high load floor required effort when loading heavy items. Despite these drawbacks, the Land Cruiser's interior was utilitarian and functional, with features like heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel enhancing comfort.

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, while visually appealing, limited physical controls, requiring screen widgets for functions like climate control and drive mode selection. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition 2 test car included "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers, offering a unique but somewhat gimmicky experience. The Meridian audio system, with up to 29 speakers, provided excellent sound quality.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, in the Land Cruiser trim, upgraded to dual 12.3-inch displays with the Toyota Audio Multimedia system. It included wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts. Five connected service plans were available, with Drive Connect offering cloud-based navigation and a digital assistant. The Premium Package added a 14-speaker JBL sound system, wireless smartphone charger, head-up display, digital rearview mirror, and digital key technology. The voice recognition system performed well, providing accurate directions and information.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport came equipped with standard driver-assist features, including 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.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser included Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, featuring forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. The adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist provided semi-autonomous highway driving, though performance varied. Additional features included a road sign reader, automatic high-beam headlights, and Predictive Driving Assist. The Premium Package added front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, and Traffic Jam Assist. The NHTSA rated the Land Cruiser with four stars overall, with five stars in side-impact testing and three stars for rollover resistance.