Compare the2022 Subaru ForesterVS 2021 Hyundai Tucson

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
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 Hyundai Tucson 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 Tucson 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 Tucson 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 Tucson 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 Tucson doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Tucson.

Both the Forester and the Tucson have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Hyundai Tucson:

	Forester	Tucson
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	97 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	31%	37%

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 Hyundai Tucson:

	Forester	Tucson
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	94
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.8 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	121	312
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	673 lbs.	1028 lbs.

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 Tucson is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Forester has a standard 620-amp battery. The Tucson’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (182 vs. 161) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 150) than the Tucson’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 1 more horsepower (182 vs. 181) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Subaru Forester is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Forester	Tucson 2.0	Tucson 2.4
Zero to 30 MPH	3.7 sec	4 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	9.2 sec	11 sec	9.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.6 sec	6.9 sec	4.9 sec
Quarter Mile	17.2 sec	18.3 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85 MPH	80.2 MPH	83 MPH

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

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Tucson:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
Tucson
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/25 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Forester’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Tucson doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Tucson (5 to 7). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tucson doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Tucson:

	Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring	Tucson
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches

The Forester stops much shorter than the Tucson:

	Forester	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	142 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 Tucson; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Tucson Limited AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tucson SE (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tucson (8.7 vs. 6.4 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 2.8 inches higher than on the Tucson (9.2 vs. 6.4 inches).

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Forester has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Tucson uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Forester uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tucson doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 9.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tucson (111.9 vs. 102.2).

The Forester has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 1.8 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson.

The front step up height for the Forester is 3.5 inches lower than the Tucson (15.5” vs. 19”). The Forester’s rear step up height is 2.8 inches lower than the Tucson’s (17.25” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tucson with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 61.9 cubic feet).

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

	Forester	Tucson
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/73.1”	34.3”/69.5”
Max Width	51.5”	53”
Min Width	43.3”	40.7”
Height	34.8”	35.2”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Forester Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Tucson doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Forester. The Tucson doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Tucson is limited to 2000 pounds. The Forester offers up to a 3000 lbs. 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 Tucson 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 Tucson. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

When five different drivers share the Forester Touring, the memory system makes it convenient for each of them. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle and climate settings. The Tucson doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Forester Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tucson doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Forester’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the switch, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Tucson’s standard power window’s switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches, and its driver’s window also automatically closes. With the Tucson Value/SEL/Sport/Limited/Ultimate’s power windows, only the driver’s window opens or closes automatically.

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 Tucson doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 Tucson’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 Tucson offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the Tucson offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forester has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Forester with a number “1” insurance rate while the Tucson is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the Tucson because typical repairs cost less on the Forester than the Tucson, including $186 less for a muffler and $142 less for a power steering pump.

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.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2019 issue and they ranked the Subaru Forester Limited two places higher than the Hyundai Tucson Ultimate AWD.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Hyundai Tucson by 18% during the 2021 model year.