Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Audi Q5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
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 Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Forester has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Q5 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 Q5 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 Q5:

	Forester	Q5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	186	284
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	44 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	34%

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 Q5:

	Forester	Q5
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	670 lbs.	817 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	219

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

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 Q5 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Forester 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Forester has a standard 620-amp battery. The Q5’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 29 points higher than the Q5.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forester third among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Q5 isn’t in the top three in its category.

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

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Q5 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Q5 running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
Q5
	AWD	55 TFSI e 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
		40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/29 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	22 city/29 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Forester has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q5 (5 to 7). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q5 every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Subaru Forester as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Audi Q5 is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

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 Q5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops much shorter than the Q5:

	Forester	Q5
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

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 Q5; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Touring handles at .83 G’s, while the Q5 45 TFSI Premium Plus pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (35.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 1000 pounds less than the Audi Q5.

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 Q5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5.

The front step up height for the Forester is 2.8 inches lower than the Q5 (15.5” vs. 18.3”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the Q5’s (17.25” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 25.8 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 54 cubic feet).

The Forester’s cargo area is larger than the Q5’s in almost every dimension:

	Forester	Q5
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/69.9”	36”/69”
Max Width	51.2”	48.5”
Min Width	43.3”	41”
Height	34.8”	29.7”

Towing

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 Q5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Q5 doesn’t offer a remote starting 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 Q5 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its 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.

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 Q5 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 Q5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Q5 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Q5 is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the Q5 because typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the Q5, including $251 less for a water pump, $518 less for a muffler, $96 less for front brake pads, $152 less for a starter, $150 less for a fuel pump, $93 less for front struts, $164 less for a timing belt/chain and $160 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 Q5/SQ5 by 81% during 2022.

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