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 C-HR doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
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 C-HR 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 C-HR doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Forester has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The C-HR doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
Both the Forester and the C-HR have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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 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 Toyota C-HR:
|
Forester |
C-HR |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
23% |
27% |
Neck Compression |
22 lbs. |
24 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
248/368 lbs. |
383/344 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.7 inches |
.8 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
31% |
41% |
Neck Stress |
213 lbs. |
238 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
105/93 lbs. |
155/276 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 Toyota C-HR:
|
Forester |
C-HR |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
66 |
80 |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
122 G’s |
126 G’s |
Hip Force |
389 lbs. |
419 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
246 |
333 |
Spine Acceleration |
56 G’s |
58 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
121 |
243 |
Spine Acceleration |
40 G’s |
40 G’s |
Hip Force |
673 lbs. |
714 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 C-HR is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.