Compare the2023 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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The Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV 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.

The Escape FHEV has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Escape FHEV has standard Cross Traffic Alert to warn the driver of approaching traffic and automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the Escape FHEV and the Forester 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 and available all wheel drive.

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

	Escape FHEV	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	143	186
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	23%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	248/368 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	293
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	213 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	103 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 Ford Escape FHEV is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Escape FHEV	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	240 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	246
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	673 lbs.

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

Warranty

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 Escape FHEV’s warranty.

Reliability

The Escape FHEV 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.

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.

Engine

The Escape FHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 more horsepower (200 vs. 182) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape FHEV is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Escape FHEV	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.7 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.7 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Escape FHEV gets better mileage than the Forester:

			MPG
Escape FHEV
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	42 city/36 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	42 city/36 hwy
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Escape FHEV’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Forester doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Escape FHEV 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape FHEV higher (8 out of 10) than the Subaru Forester (7). This means the Escape FHEV produces up to 5.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Forester every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Escape FHEV	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Escape FHEV stops shorter than the Forester:

	Escape FHEV	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escape FHEV offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escape FHEV’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Forester (106.7 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

Cargo Capacity

The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (34.4 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

Towing

The Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Forester can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Escape FHEV and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Escape FHEV 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 Escape FHEV SEL/Titanium’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.

The Escape FHEV’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 Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Escape FHEV 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 Ford Escape FHEV offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

The Ford Escape outsold the Subaru Forester by 20% during 2022.