Compare the2023 Buick EnvisionVS 2023 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability

Safety

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The Envision (except Preferred) offers an optional Surround Vision 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 Envision 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 Envision has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Forester and its not available on the Base.

Both the Envision and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 Buick Envision is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Envision	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	175	186
Neck Injury Risk	21.3%	23%
Neck Stress	195 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	153/386 lbs.	248/368 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	223	293
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	23.1%	31%
Neck Stress	111 lbs.	213 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 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 Buick Envision is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Envision	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	261 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	52 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	572 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	313 lbs.	673 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Envision’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Forester’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Envision’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (228 vs. 182) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Buick Envision is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Envision	Forester
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	9.2 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.4 sec	4.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	17.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	85 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

The Envision 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 Envision’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	Envision	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Envision’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.

The Envision stops shorter than the Forester:

	Envision	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	130 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Envision has larger standard tires than the Forester (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Envision’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (245/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The Envision’s optional 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 Envision has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Envision’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

Suspension and Handling

The Envision offers an available continuously variable suspension system. Using sensors on steering angle, speed and other driver inputs, the shocks soften to improve ride, or stiffen when appropriate to aid handling on tricky roads or off-road. The Forester’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Envision’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 Envision’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Forester (109.4 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Envision is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

Chassis

The Envision 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.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Envision’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.

Servicing Ease

The Envision 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Subaru. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 20% lower rating, Subaru is ranked 16th.

Ergonomics

The Envision (except Preferred) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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 Envision and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Envision 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 Envision’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its front windows also automatically close, 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 open automatically.

On a hot day the Envision’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 Envision’s optional 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.

The Envision’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.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Envision Avenir 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 Envision Avenir offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Forester.

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

The Envision Avenir 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 Envision Avenir’s Enhanced Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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