Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Audi Q3

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Forester are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Forester 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 Q3 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q3 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Forester Touring’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the Q3 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, 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 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 Subaru Forester is safer than the Audi Q3:

	Forester	Q3
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	186	326
Neck Injury Risk	23%	39%
Neck Stress	326 lbs.	343 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	35 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	293	346
Neck Injury Risk	31%	35%
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	261/249 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 Forester is safer than the Audi Q3:

	Forester	Q3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	88
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.7 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	504
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	47 G’s

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 Forester is safer than the Q3:

	Forester	Q3
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	107	190
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.06 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	290 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1406 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.73 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	1049 lbs.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q3 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2018.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Forester 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Forester’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 22 points higher than the Q3.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi 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 Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Audi.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Forester is faster than the Audi Q3:

	Forester	Q3
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.2 MPH	85.4 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Q3 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Q3:

		MPG
Forester
	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
Q3
	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Q3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops shorter than the Q3:

	Forester	Q3
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Q3; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Q3 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Forester Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Q3 (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the Q3’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Audi Q3.

The front grille of the Forester uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q3 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 27.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q3 (111.6 vs. 84).

The Forester has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 3.3 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 3.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q3.

The front step up height for the Forester is 2 inches lower than the Q3 (15.5” vs. 17.5”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the Q3’s (17.25” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q3 with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 23.7 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q3 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 48 cubic feet).

The Forester’s cargo area is larger than the Q3’s in almost every dimension:

	Forester	Q3
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/69.9”	34”/65”
Max Width	51.2”	54”
Min Width	43.3”	39”
Height	34.8”	28”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q3 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Audi Q3 is limited to 1500 pounds. The Forester offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Forester uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q3 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Q3. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Forester Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Q3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s exterior PIN entry system. The Q3 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Forester’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q3’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Forester has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Forester’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Q3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Q3 Premium Plus’ cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Forester’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

When the Forester Touring is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Q3’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Forester and the Q3 offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q3.

On extremely cold winter days, the Forester’s optional (except Base/Premium/Sport/Wilderness) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Q3 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Forester with a number “1” insurance rate while the Q3 is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the Q3 because typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the Q3, including $194 less for a water pump, $19 less for front brake pads, $129 less for a starter, $325 less for front struts, $141 less for a timing belt/chain and $778 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Audi Q3 by almost five to one during 2022.