Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 GMC Terrain

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Terrain 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 Terrain 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 Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Terrain.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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

	Forester	Terrain
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	248/368 lbs.	363/349 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	293	376
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	264/236 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 GMC Terrain:

	Forester	Terrain
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	109
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	195 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	246	288
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	377
Hip Force	673 lbs.	730 lbs.

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 Terrain:

	Forester	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	107	131
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	8 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	544	733
Head Peak Forces	81 G’s	101 G’s
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	290 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.57 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	669 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 Terrain last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Forester’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

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 29 points higher than the Terrain.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 14 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (182 vs. 175) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

The Forester has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Forester has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Forester has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Terrain. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Forester’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Terrain:

	Forester	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.8 inches

Tires and Wheels

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires.

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

Suspension and Handling

The Forester has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Forester flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Terrain w/17” wheels’ (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 6.2 feet tighter than the Terrain w/19” wheels’ (35.4 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

Passenger Space

The Forester has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (111.6 vs. 103.2).

The Forester has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Forester. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

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

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Terrain has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Terrain 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 Terrain because it costs $255 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the Terrain, including $14 less for a water pump, $648 less for a muffler, $151 less for front brake pads, $293 less for a fuel pump, $196 less for a timing belt/chain and $425 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

The Subaru Forester outsold the GMC Terrain by 32% during 2022.

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