Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2021 Subaru Forester

Both the Sorento and Forester have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Forester’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Compared to metal, the Sorento’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Sorento and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Forester’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Forester. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Forester ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

There are over 20 percent more Kia dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sorento has a standard 760-amp battery. The Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sorento first among midsize suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 27th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 28 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 17th.

The Sorento 2.5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (191 vs. 182) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 99 more horsepower (281 vs. 182) and 135 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Subaru Forester:

The Sorento has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (17.7 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Sorento’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

For better traction, the Sorento has larger standard tires than the Forester (235/65R17 vs. 225/60R17). The Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (255/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Forester (110.8 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Forester.

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Forester can only carry 5.

The Sorento has 1.5 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Forester.

The Sorento’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 1500 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Sorento’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sorento Prestige/X-Line keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Sorento is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.