Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

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 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Forester 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Forester and the Tucson Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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.

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 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid:

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

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 Tucson Hybrid has not been fully tested, yet.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 6 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

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

The Forester has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tucson Hybrid (16.6 vs. 13.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Forester stops much shorter than the Tucson Hybrid:

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 Tucson Hybrid Blue’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 Tucson Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Tucson Hybrid’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Forester has 3.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tucson Hybrid (111.6 vs. 107.9).

The Forester has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson Hybrid.

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is limited to 2000 pounds. The Forester offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

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

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 Tucson Hybrid 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.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $200 to $2055 less than the Tucson Hybrid 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 Tucson Hybrid only retains 48.97% to 49.88%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $2564 to $3382 less than for the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

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.