Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 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
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Subaru Forester has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Blazer offers an optional HD 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.

Compared to metal, the Blazer’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 Blazer 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, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Blazer	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	182	186
Neck Injury Risk	22%	23%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	104/435 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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Blazer	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	369 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	40 G’s

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Blazer is 1.4% to 2.2% less likely to roll over than the Forester.

Warranty

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

There are almost 5 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second 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 Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 44 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 long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

Engine

The Blazer’s standard 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. The Blazer’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 126 more horsepower (308 vs. 182) and 94 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Blazer	Forester
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	9.6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	10 sec	15.5 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3 sec	4.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.5 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 Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The Forester doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (19.4 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 5.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (21.7 vs. 16.6 gallons).

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

	Blazer	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	12.64 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Blazer stops much shorter than the Forester:

	Blazer	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Blazer has larger standard tires than the Forester (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (265/45R21 vs. 225/60R17).

The Blazer RS/Premier’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 Blazer has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Subaru Forester only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer 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 Blazer’s wheelbase is 7.6 inches longer than on the Forester (112.7 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 4.9 inches wider in the front and 4.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Blazer RS 4x4 handles at .87 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Blazer RS 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Forester Touring (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Blazer 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 Blazer RS 4x4 is quieter than the Forester Limited:

	Blazer	Forester
At idle	38 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	74 dB	74 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Blazer has 1.5 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Blazer RS/Premier’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

Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is limited to 3000 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

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

Servicing Ease

The Blazer 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 Blazer’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Forester does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Blazer and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Blazer 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 Blazer’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Forester’s standard power windows’ passenger windows don’t open automatically. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to lower them fully.

On a hot day the Blazer’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.

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

The Blazer’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 Blazer RS/Premier 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 Blazer 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 Chevrolet Blazer offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Blazer offers an optional 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.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the Forester because typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the Forester, including $218 less for a starter, $236 less for fuel injection and $161 less for front struts.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.