Compare the2022 Subaru ForesterVS 2022 Hyundai Tucson

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.

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.

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, 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.

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 Tucson.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Forester is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better fuel mileage than the Tucson AWD (26 city/33 hwy vs. 24 city/29 hwy).

The Forester has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tucson (16.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson every 15,000 miles.

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.

The Forester stops shorter than the Tucson:

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tucson’s standard 65 series tires.

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.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Tucson’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tucson (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Tucson (9.2 vs. 8.3 inches).

The Forester has 3.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tucson (111.9 vs. 108.2).

The Forester has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson.

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.

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Tucson is limited to 2000 pounds. The Forester offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

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.

The Forester’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Tucson’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

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.

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 Tucson 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 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.

The Forester’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Tucson SE doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

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.

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.

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