Compare the2023 Honda PassportVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Forester’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Passport 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Passport 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 Passport’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 Passport and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and rearview cameras.

The Honda Passport weighs 609 to 808 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Passport	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	149	186
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/243 lbs.	248/368 lbs.

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

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Passport	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	122 lbs.
Hip Force	269 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	233	246
Spine Acceleration	42 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	304 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	16 inches

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

Warranty

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Passport for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are over 68 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

Reliability

The engine in the Passport has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Forester has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Passport third among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Subaru.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 2 places higher in reliability than Subaru.

Engine

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 98 more horsepower (280 vs. 182) and 86 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Passport	Forester
Zero to 30 MPH	2.2 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	9.6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	10.5 sec	15.5 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.1 sec	4.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Forester doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Passport has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (19.5 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Passport 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.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Passport	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Forester (245/60R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (265/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The Passport EX-L/Elite’s 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 Passport TrailSport has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Passport EX-L/Elite’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Passport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Forester doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Passport’s wheelbase is 5.8 inches longer than on the Forester (110.9 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 5.4 inches wider in the front and 5.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Passport Elite handles at .78 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Passport uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Forester doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Passport Elite is quieter than the Forester Limited:

	Passport	Forester
At idle	39 dB	41 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Passport has 3.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Forester (114.9 vs. 111.6).

The Passport has 5 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 4.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Forester with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 28.9 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Forester with its rear seat folded (77.7 vs. 74.2 cubic feet).

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

	Passport	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.5”/76”	35.7”/73.1”
Max Width	52”	51.5”
Min Width	45.5”	43.3”
Height	30”	34.8”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Passport Elite’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under 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.

Towing

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Passport’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.

If the windows are left open on the Passport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or 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 Passport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Passport Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

Consumer Reports rated the Passport’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Forester’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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

The Passport’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 Passport Elite 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.

The Passport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Passport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Passport TrailSport/Elite has a 115-volt a/c outlet, 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.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Passport and the Subaru Forester, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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