Compare the2023 Kia SorentoVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Both the Sorento and Forester have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Forester’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Sorento Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Sorento has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sorento has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Forester and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Sorento’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Sorento and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Subaru Forester:

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

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Forester’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Forester. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Forester ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

There are over 22 percent more Kia dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sorento has a standard 760-amp battery. The Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 81 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 22nd.

The Sorento’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (191 vs. 182) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 99 more horsepower (281 vs. 182) and 135 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Subaru Forester:

The Sorento has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (17.7 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Sorento’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

The Sorento stops much shorter than the Forester:

For better traction, the Sorento has larger standard tires than the Forester (235/65R17 vs. 225/60R17). The Sorento’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (255/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The Sorento’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Forester (110.8 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Forester Touring pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Forester Touring (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Forester can only carry 5.

The Sorento has 1.5 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Forester.

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Sorento Prestige’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the Sorento’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Sorento SX/Prestige’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Forester doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Sorento’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sorento Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Sorento Prestige has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Sorento is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.