Compare the2024 Toyota Land CruiserVS 2024 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Forester doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Toyota Land Cruiser 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.

The Land Cruiser has standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically apply 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 Land Cruiser offers an optional Multi-Terrain Monitor 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.

The Land Cruiser 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Land Cruiser has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Parking Support Brake automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser 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 and rearview cameras.

The Toyota Land Cruiser weighs 1418 to 1584 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Land Cruiser for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, 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 Land Cruiser’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the Land Cruiser is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Land Cruiser’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’ 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 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 6th.

Engine

The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 144 more horsepower (326 vs. 182) and 289 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Land Cruiser is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86.1 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the Land Cruiser’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Forester doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Land Cruiser has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (17.9 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Land Cruiser	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.3 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The Land Cruiser’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Forester are solid, not vented.

The Land Cruiser stops much shorter than the Forester:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Land Cruiser has larger standard tires than the Forester (245/70R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Land Cruiser’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (265/60R20 vs. 225/60R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Land Cruiser has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Land Cruiser’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Subaru Forester only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Forester doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Land Cruiser’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the Forester (112.2 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Land Cruiser is 4.1 inches wider in the front and 4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Land Cruiser is quieter than the Forester Limited:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
At idle	30 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	74 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Land Cruiser has 1.3 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Land Cruiser has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

The Land Cruiser’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Forester’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The Land Cruiser’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (6000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Land Cruiser’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Forester does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction and driver assistance information 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 power windows standard on both the Land Cruiser and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser has standard Smart Key System that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The Land Cruiser’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Forester.

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

The Land Cruiser 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.