Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Ford Escape FHEV

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV.

Both the Forester and the Escape FHEV 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 Ford Escape FHEV:

	Forester	Escape FHEV
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	23 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	31%	36.3%
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	220/169 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 Ford Escape FHEV:

	Forester	Escape FHEV
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	197
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	191 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	670 lbs.	816 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	344

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 Subaru Forester is safer than the Escape FHEV:

	Forester	Escape FHEV
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	107	391
Head Peak Forces	no contact	93 G’s
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.1 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.77 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.5 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	1093 lbs.

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 Escape FHEV last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Reliability

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 33 points higher than the Escape FHEV.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 11 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Forester is faster than the Ford Escape FHEV:

	Forester	Escape FHEV
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.2 MPH	84.7 MPH

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

Fuel Economy and Range

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

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops shorter than the Escape FHEV:

	Forester	Escape FHEV
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 Escape FHEV’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 Escape FHEV; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Escape FHEV AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Escape FHEV AWD (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Escape FHEV’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.2 feet).

Passenger Space

The Forester has 9.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Escape FHEV (111.6 vs. 102.2).

The Forester has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape FHEV.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Escape FHEV with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 60.8 cubic feet).

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

	Forester	Escape FHEV
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/73.1”	36.7”/68.3”
Max Width	51.5”	57.3”
Min Width	43.3”	41.4”
Height	34.8”	32.8”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Escape FHEV is limited to 1500 pounds. The Forester offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Escape FHEV. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

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 Escape FHEV’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Forester’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape FHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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 Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV’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 Escape FHEV offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the Escape FHEV offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Escape FHEV.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $45 to $1285 less than the Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV only retains 49.07% to 49.62%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $63 to $3333 less than for the Ford Escape FHEV.

Recommendations

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.