Compare the2023 Ford BroncoVS 2023 Subaru Forester

The Bronco has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Forester doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Bronco (except Base/Big Bend/Black Diamond/Everglades) offers an optional 360-Degree Camera 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.

Compared to metal, the Bronco’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 Bronco and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Ford Bronco weighs 677 to 2279 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are almost 5 times as many Ford dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco’s warranty.

The Bronco has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Forester doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Bronco has a standard 800-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 Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The Bronco’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 118 more horsepower (300 vs. 182) and 149 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Bronco’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 148 more horsepower (330 vs. 182) and 239 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Bronco Raptor’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 236 more horsepower (418 vs. 182) and 264 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ford Bronco is faster than the Subaru Forester (automatics tested):

The Bronco Raptor’s standard fuel tank has 4.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (21.2 vs. 16.6 gallons).

The Bronco has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

The Bronco’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Forester are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Bronco has larger standard tires than the Forester (255/70R16 vs. 225/60R17). The Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 225/60R17).

The Ford Bronco’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Subaru Forester only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Bronco Badlands has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Forester doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Bronco offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Forester’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Bronco’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Forester doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 11 inches longer than on the Forester (116.1 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 6.8 inches wider in the front and 6.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Forester with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 28.9 cubic feet). The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Forester with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 74.2 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The Forester doesn’t offer a sliding load floor.

The Bronco’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the right swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Forester’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The Bronco offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Bronco can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Bronco can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Forester can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Bronco’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Forester does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Bronco and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Bronco 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 Bronco’s front power windows 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’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

On a hot day the Bronco’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 Bronco’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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Bronco Outer Banks/Badlands/Wildtrak/Raptor offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Bronco (except Base) offers an optional 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 Ford Bronco comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the Subaru Forester isn’t available as a soft top.

The Bronco was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2022. The Forester has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Ford Bronco outsold the Subaru Forester by 9% during the 2022 model year.