Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

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 Alfa Romeo Stelvio 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 Forester are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Stelvio 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 Stelvio 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 use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Stelvio 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 Stelvio.

Both the Forester and the Stelvio 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, 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.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Stelvio has not been tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Forester 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Stelvio. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Stelvio ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 5 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Forester’s warranty.

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 45 points higher than the Stelvio.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Alfa Romeo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 19 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Alfa Romeo.

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

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Stelvio requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (7 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (5). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stelvio 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 Stelvio doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Forester stops much shorter than the Stelvio:

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 Stelvio; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Stelvio’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Forester has 14 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stelvio (111.6 vs. 97.6).

The Forester has 1 inch more front headroom, 6.7 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 7.5 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stelvio.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats recline. The Stelvio’s rear seats don’t recline.

The front step up height for the Forester is 1.5 inches lower than the Stelvio (15.5” vs. 17”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the Stelvio’s (17.25” vs. 18”).

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Stelvio with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

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

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Forester’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

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 Stelvio’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $1995 to $3555 less than the Stelvio over a five-year period.

The Forester will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Forester will retain 54.16% to 57.43% of its original price after five years, while the Stelvio only retains 51% to 52.5%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $14893 to $18870 less than for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio isn't recommended.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by almost 15 to one during 2022.