Compare the2023 Lexus UXVS 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 Lexus UX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Forester doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the UX deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The UX’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Forester’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The UX has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies 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 UX 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 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 UX has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the UX’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 UX 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, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

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 Lexus UX is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	UX	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	52	66
Hip Force	323 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	96	246
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	633 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	16 inches

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 Lexus UX is safer than the Forester:

	UX	Forester
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.91 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	150	544
Head Peak Forces	no contact	81 G’s
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	1.69 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	402 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the UX is 2.9% less likely to roll over than the Forester.

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 UX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Forester is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Warranty

The UX comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the UX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Forester. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Forester ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

Reliability

The battery on the UX is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the UX’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Forester’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the UX second among small premium 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 Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 34 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 Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus second in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Lexus UX is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	UX	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.3 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the UX gets better mileage than the Forester:

			MPG
UX
	FWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	43 city/41 hwy
	AWD	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 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 UX’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 UX’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	UX	Forester
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.6 inches

The UX stops shorter than the Forester:

	UX	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The UX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester’s standard 60 series tires. The UX’s tires are lower profile than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the UX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the UX can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Forester doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The UX 250h F Sport Handling AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Forester Touring pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the UX’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Forester’s (34.2 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The UX is 5.7 inches shorter than the Forester, making the UX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

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

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Subaru. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 45% lower rating, Subaru is ranked 16th.

Ergonomics

The UX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning 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 UX’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’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the UX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The UX Premium/F Sport’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The UX offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Forester doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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

Model Availability

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

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