Compare the2024 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2024 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Rav4 Hybrid 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 Rav4 Hybrid XSE/Limited offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera 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.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and Forester offer Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/SE/Woodland) has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	284	293
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	95 lbs.	103 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 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Hip Force	246 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	246
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	508 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	40 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 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.47 in	.91 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	542	544
Neck Compression	223 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.83 in	1.26 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Rav4 Hybrid is 1.4% less likely to roll over than the Forester.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 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 Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Engine

The Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 37 more horsepower (219 vs. 182) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	9.6 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12 sec	15.5 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.7 sec	4.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the Forester:

		MPG
Rav4 Hybrid
	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 hwy
	Woodland 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/35 hwy
Forester
	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The Forester can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.6 inches

The Rav4 Hybrid stops shorter than the Forester:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	179 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Hybrid is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Forester’s (57.3% to 42.7%). This gives the Rav4 Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

The Rav4 Hybrid Woodland Edition handles at .78 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4 Hybrid	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	35.7”/69.9”
Max Width	59”	51.2”
Min Width	39.4”	43.3”
Height	36.6”	34.8”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Rav4 Hybrid Limited/XSE’s available 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

The Rav4 Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (1750 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Rav4 Hybrid and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rav4 Hybrid 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 Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid 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 Toyota service department.) The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rav4 Hybrid XLE/SE/XSE/Limited/Woodland’s optional 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.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 Hybrid Limited 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 Rav4 Hybrid 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 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XLE Premium/XSE/Limited offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Rav4 Hybrid Woodland has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, 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.

Recommendations

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Subaru Forester by almost four to one during 2022.