Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Toyota Venza

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Venza doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Venza doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Outback and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

	Outback	Venza
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	29.3%
Neck Stress	281 lbs.	306 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	400/388 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 Subaru Outback is safer than the Toyota Venza:

	Outback	Venza
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	83
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	138 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	146
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	299
Hip Force	674 lbs.	835 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Outback is safer than the Venza:

	Outback	Venza
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	69	120
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	67 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1026 lbs.	1093 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head Injury Criterion	387	542
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Engine

The Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 176 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. ) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (260 vs. 219) and 277 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. ) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Venza:

	Outback	Venza
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	7.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	15.8 sec	20.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	89 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Venza doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the Outback and Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Outback has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Outback has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (18.5 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Outback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venza:

	Outback	Venza
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.1 inches

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

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Venza; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outback’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Venza (108.1 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venza Limited (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Venza (8.7 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the Venza (9.5 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Toyota Venza.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 10.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (109 vs. 98.3).

The Outback has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 9.6 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venza.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

The Outback’s cargo area is larger than the Venza’s in every dimension:

	Outback	Venza
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42”/75”	39.2”
Max Width	51”	49.8”
Min Width	43.3”	39.7”
Height	32.1”	27.6”

Towing

The Outback has a 2700 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Venza. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Venza doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Outback’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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

When the Outback Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Venza’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Outback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Outback and the Venza offer available heated front seats. The Outback Limited/Touring/Onyx XT/Wilderness also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Outback and the Toyota Venza, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Toyota Venza by over four to one during 2022.