Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 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 Outback 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 its 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 Outback 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 Outback 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 Outback 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 Outback (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 Outback. But it costs extra on the Tucson.

Both the Outback 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 Outback is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Outback	Tucson
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	172
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	97 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 Outback is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Outback	Tucson
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	94
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	107 lbs.
Hip Force	247 lbs.	356 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	241
Spine Acceleration	51 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	146	312
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	674 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 Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 81 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tucson is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Reliability

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

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 Outback’s reliability 22 points higher than the Tucson.

Engine

The Outback 2.5i’s standard 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 Outback 2.5i’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. The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 79 more horsepower (260 vs. 181) and 102 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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

	Outback 2.5i	Outback XT/Wilderness	Tucson 2.0	Tucson 2.4
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	5.9 sec	9.7 sec	8.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.6 sec	14.6 sec	17.2 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.1 MPH	95.9 MPH	81.1 MPH	84.1 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Tucson doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
		XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 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 stoplights the Outback’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Tucson doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Outback has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tucson (18.5 vs. 16.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Transmission

The Outback 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 Outback’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Tucson:

	Outback	Tucson
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches

The Outback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tucson are solid, not vented.

The Outback stops shorter than the Tucson:

	Outback	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT 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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outback’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Tucson (108.1 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tucson SE (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tucson (8.7 vs. 6.4 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 3.1 inches higher than on the Tucson (9.5 vs. 6.4 inches).

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Outback 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 Outback 2.5i 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 Outback has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tucson (109 vs. 102.2).

The Outback has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson.

The rear step up height for the Outback is 1.5 inches lower than the Tucson (18.5” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tucson with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 31 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tucson with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 61.9 cubic feet).

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

	Outback	Tucson
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42”/75”	34.3”/69.5”
Max Width	51”	53”
Min Width	43.3”	40.7”
Height	32.1”	35.2”

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

Towing

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tucson’s (2700 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Tucson is only 2000 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback 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 two different drivers share the Outback Limited/Touring, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Tucson doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Outback’s standard front power windows 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 Tucson’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. 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 Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). 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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Outback Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Tucson’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Outback’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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Outback owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Outback with a number “5” insurance rate while the Tucson is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the Tucson because typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the Tucson, including $311 less for a muffler, $88 less for fuel injection and $148 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Outback and the Hyundai Tucson, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Hyundai Tucson by 14% during the 2021 model year.