Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Genesis GV70

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 Genesis GV70 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 GV70 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Forester and the GV70 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, all wheel drive, 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 GV70 has not been fully tested, yet.

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Genesis 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 24 points higher than the GV70.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Genesis vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Genesis.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The GV70 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the GV70:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GV70 requires premium, 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 Genesis GV70 (5). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GV70 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 GV70 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Forester stops much shorter than the GV70:

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 GV70; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Forester Touring handles at .83 G’s, while the GV70 Advanced pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the GV70’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 950 pounds less than the Genesis GV70.

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 GV70 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Forester has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GV70 (111.6 vs. 104).

The Forester has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the GV70.

The front step up height for the Forester is 2 inches lower than the GV70 (15.5” vs. 17.5”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .1 inches lower than the GV70’s (17.25” vs. 17.3”).

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GV70 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 56.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Forester easier. The Forester’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the GV70’s liftover is 29.9 inches.

The Forester’s cargo area is larger than the GV70’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 GV70 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The GV70 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 GV70 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Connected Care can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 GV70 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $1385 to $3790 less than the GV70 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 GV70 only retains 51.14% to 51.23%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $17627 to $20571 less than for the Genesis GV70.

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.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Genesis GV70 by almost six to one during 2022.