Compare the2022 Subaru ForesterVS 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Forester are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Forester has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Honda CR-V Hybrid:

	Forester	CR-V Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	27%
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	70 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	293	309
Neck Injury Risk	31%	37%
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	276/243 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Honda CR-V Hybrid:

	Forester	CR-V Hybrid
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	71
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	122 G’s	142 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	386

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V Hybrid is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 27 points higher than the CR-V Hybrid.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Forester has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the CR-V Hybrid (16.6 vs. 14 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops shorter than the CR-V Hybrid:

	Forester	CR-V Hybrid
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	133 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the CR-V Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Touring handles at .83 G’s, while the CR-V Hybrid Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CR-V Hybrid Touring (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the CR-V Hybrid’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CR-V Hybrid (8.7 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1 inch higher than on the CR-V Hybrid (9.2 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the Honda CR-V Hybrid.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CR-V Hybrid (111.9 vs. 102.9).

The Forester has 3.2 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V Hybrid.

The front step up height for the Forester is 3.5 inches lower than the CR-V Hybrid (15.5” vs. 19”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the CR-V Hybrid’s (17.25” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CR-V Hybrid with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 68.7 cubic feet).

Towing

The Forester has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The CR-V Hybrid has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Forester uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the CR-V Hybrid. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s exterior PIN entry system. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Forester Touring is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The CR-V Hybrid’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The CR-V Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the CR-V Hybrid offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CR-V Hybrid.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.