Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid

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 CR-V Hybrid 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 CR-V Hybrid.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Forester and the CR-V Hybrid 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V Hybrid has not been fully tested, yet.

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 Honda With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

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

The Forester has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the CR-V Hybrid (16.6 vs. 14 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Forester stops shorter than the CR-V Hybrid:

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 CR-V Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Forester Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring AWD (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the CR-V Hybrid’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.3 feet).

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the Honda CR-V Hybrid.

The Forester has 8.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CR-V Hybrid (111.6 vs. 103.5).

The Forester has 3 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V Hybrid.

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 CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Forester’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CR-V Hybrid’s (1500 vs. 1000 pounds).

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 CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the CR-V 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 CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

Both the Forester and the CR-V Hybrid 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 CR-V Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.