As Bay Area crossovers go, you’ll get a great ride from the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Toyota RAV4. However, we know that savvy Daly City, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, shoppers need more details, so that’s where we come in. Daly City Mitsubishi put these two vehicles to the test to see how they measure up for your information.
Sometimes, maneuvering a car into a tight space takes excessive patience and skill. With its compact size, the Outlander Sport easily slips into those challenging spots. It reaches 171.9 inches in length, spans 71.3 inches in width, and stands at 64.8 inches high. Plus, it features a turning circle of 34.8 feet, which makes it even easier to maneuver.
The RAV4 measures larger in every way from the 180.9 inches in length to the 73 inches in width. It also stands taller at 67 inches high. With a turning circle of 36.1 feet, it will take more time and patience to get you into that tricky parking space.
From the very beginning, the Outlander Sport provides you with automatic climate control, so you don’t have to fiddle with any dials. For the Toyota RAV4, it offers manual climate control in the entry-level trim, which you must adjust yourself.
Despite the more compact size, you’ll get more room in the Mitsubishi. Its front headroom measures 39.4 inches, while the front legroom extends to 41.6 inches. It gives you 51.6 inches of rear hip room as well.
While the front legroom in the Toyota comes close at 41 inches, the front headroom only stretches to 37.7 inches. As for rear hip room, it’s much less at 47.7 inches.
Both vehicles provide multiple safety systems and driver-assist features. When you dig in, you’ll find some items included in the Mitsubishi as standard that are only available in the Toyota. Like the auto-dimming rearview mirror, which starts working once the sun goes down.
Heated power side mirrors give you great visibility, even when a layer of frost or condensation hangs around. Each Outlander Sport trim provides them to you. If you want them in the Toyota, make sure you check the trim first. They’re only in elevated trims.
Same goes for the front rain-sensing wipers. You’ll get to use them in any trim of the Mitsubishi, but the Toyota only offers them in higher trims.
Choose your own performance in the Outlander Sport. It supplies two separate engines, the standard 2.0L MIVEC 4-cylinder engine, or the optional 2.4L MIVEC 4-cylinder engine. A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) accompanies your Mitsubishi and comes with 2-wheel drive (2WD) capability.
Only one engine, the 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, rests under the hood of your RAV4. With this, you’ll shift gears through the 8-speed automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive comes standard.
While you may enjoy the ride in either the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Toyota RAV4, you should know the details first. We hope this review provided Daly City, San Francisco, and San Jose, CA, shoppers with the extra information they need to make the right decision. For more information or to take a test drive, contact Daly City Mitsubishi online.