Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf 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 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Leaf has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Leaf SV PLUS has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Crosstrek Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Leaf and the Crosstrek Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available daytime running lights 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 Nissan Leaf is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Crosstrek Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	36%
Neck Stress	250 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches

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 Nissan Leaf is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Crosstrek Hybrid
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	131	138
Abdominal Force	137 lbs.	196 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	257	303
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	58 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	158	201
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	665 lbs.	824 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Leaf is much safer than the Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Crosstrek Hybrid
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	211	245
Head Peak Forces	no contact	55 G’s
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.14 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	158	231
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.54 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	335 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	13 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

There are over 69 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 21 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 66 more horsepower (214 vs. 148) than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Leaf PLUS	Crosstrek Hybrid
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.2 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	7 sec	9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.5 sec	3.6 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	15.7 sec	17.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87 MPH	92 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Crosstrek Hybrid running on electricity:

		MPGe
Leaf
	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
	SV PLUS Electric Motor	121 city/98 hwy
Crosstrek Hybrid
	Electric Motor	99 city/80 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Crosstrek Hybrid running its gasoline engine:

		MPGe
Leaf
	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
	SV PLUS Electric Motor	121 city/98 hwy
Crosstrek Hybrid
		MPG
	2.0 flat-4 Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy

The Leaf can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 149 to 212 miles. The Crosstrek Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 17 miles.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Leaf higher (10 out of 10) than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (6 to 7). This means the Leaf produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Crosstrek Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

Tires and Wheels

The Leaf SV PLUS’ tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Leaf has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Leaf’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Crosstrek Hybrid (106.3 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Leaf may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The Leaf has a much larger cargo volume than the Crosstrek Hybrid with its rear seat up (23.6 vs. 15.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Leaf easier. The Leaf’s trunk lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Crosstrek Hybrid’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

Ergonomics

The Leaf’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Recommendations

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

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