Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In HybridVS 2023 Subaru Forester

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

Safety

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Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and Forester have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid offers an optional 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid weighs 767 to 1061 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	16%	23%
Neck Stress	149 lbs.	326 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	22 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	50/51 lbs.	248/368 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	244	293
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	31%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	213 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	66
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	246
Spine Acceleration	54 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
Hip Force	576 lbs.	673 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Forester’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are over 30 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Subaru.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 79 more horsepower (261 vs. 182) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	8.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	20.4 sec	23.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.5 sec	9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.8 sec	4.3 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.7 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	127 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Forester:

		MPGe
Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
	Electric Motor	79 city/72 hwy
Forester
		MPG
	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Forester:

		MPG
Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/32 hwy
Forester
	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 31 miles. The Forester can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Forester doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid stops shorter than the Forester:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has larger tires than the Forester (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the Forester (108.9 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid is 3.3 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited handles at .83 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has .8 inches more front legroom, 3.4 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear legroom, 2.7 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.4”/77.4”	35.7”/73.1”
Max Width	54”	51.5”
Min Width	43.4”	43.3”
Height	31”	34.8”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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.

Towing

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Forester doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the Subaru Forester, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Subaru Forester by 5493 units during 2022.