Compare the2023 Mitsubishi Outlander SportVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Both the Outlander Sport 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, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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, results indicate that the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is safer than the Subaru Forester:

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

The Outlander Sport 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.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander Sport 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.

The Outlander Sport’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Forester’s (7 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mitsubishi vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mitsubishi above average in long-term dependability. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The Outlander Sport stops shorter than the Forester:

The Outlander Sport SE 4WD handles at .80 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Outlander Sport’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Forester’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

The Outlander Sport is 10.8 inches shorter than the Forester, making the Outlander Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Outlander Sport’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Outlander Sport’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.

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

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outlander Sport is less expensive to operate than the Forester because it costs $236 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Outlander Sport than the Forester, including $1 less for front brake pads, $87 less for a starter, $187 less for fuel injection, $65 less for front struts and $105 less for a timing belt/chain.