Land Rover Defender vs Subaru Outback
What's the difference?

Land Rover Defender

$96,255 - $325,532

2026 price

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Subaru Outback

$48,990 - $62,690

2026 price

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Mercedes-Benz EQ-Class

Mercedes-Benz Eqb250

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLA35

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLC300

Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

Mitsubishi Pajero

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Summary

2026 Land Rover Defender

2026 Subaru Outback

By Laura Berry

By Marcus Craft

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Twin Turbo V8, 4.4L

Turbo 4, 2.4L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

13.1L/100km (combined)

9.7L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Black elements make design even more appealing
Smooth and powerful 4.4L turbo-petrol V8
Practical but super luxurious

Maintains Outback spirit
All-around drivability
Off-road capability

Dislikes

Quite thirsty
No third-row seating
Annoying speed warning system

Gold edging
Needs better all-terrain tyres
More off-road goodies would add to the appeal

2026 Land Rover Defender Summary

This feels wrong to say this, but it’s so refreshing not to be driving an electric vehicle. There I said it.

After testing so many EVs lately reviewing a car that has an actual engine is a nice change. And this car definitely has an internal combustion engine - it's the Land Rover Defender Octa Black with a twin-turbo petrol V8.

The Defender Octa is the ultimate form of the 110 Defender. It’s wilder looking, more powerful and more capable, while the Black edition adds darkened elements inside and out for even more visual appeal.

While the Defender Octa Black is special, it’s not alone in a world of high-performance luxury SUVs and its head-to-head rival would be Mercedes-AMG’s G63.

I had the Defender Octa Black for a week and while I didn’t take this beast off-road where it is superbly capable, I put it to the test on some challenging tarmac as well as some challenging real-world family duties.

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2026 Subaru Outback Summary

The Subaru Outback holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers everywhere. It’s long been regarded by its fans as a genuine mix of decent on-road manners, family-friendly practicality and sound off-road capability. Just right for light-duty off-roading.

Now, Subaru claims, it has made the Outback even better and a new off-road-focussed variant called the all-wheel-drive Wilderness now sits near the top of the line-up.

The Wilderness is equipped with a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine, 240mm of ground clearance, improved approach/departure angles and electronically controlled dampers.

But is this new Outback all it’s cracked up to be? Read on.

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Land Rover Defender 2026 Subaru Outback

Verdict

The Land Rover Defender Octa Black could well be the ultimate form of the Defender. There's also the combination of Land Rover style and utility, but with one of the best V8 powerplants gifted to it from BMW. The Black edition adds extra appeal and highlights how stealthily something this good can fly under the radar against rivals like the Mercedes-AMG G63.

Verdict

If you’re a Subaru fan chances are the Wilderness will float your boat. It’s an appealing mix of on-road refinement and more than satisfactory capability on bush tracks.

The Wilderness engine-and-CVT combination helps to make this Subaru well refined and highly responsive on-road and it benefits from punchier low-rev output in off-road scenarios.

Subaru has made a habit of producing practical vehicles and this new addition to the upgraded Outback line-up doesn’t disappoint.

Does anyone need a Wilderness version of the Outback? Probably not. Will anyone want a Wilderness edition Outback? I reckon a lot of Outback fans would fall over themselves to get their hands on one of these.

Land Rover Defender vs Subaru Outback What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Land Rover Defender vs Subaru Outback
What's the difference?