Compare the2024 Subaru SolterraVS 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Solterra have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Ford Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Solterra 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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Solterra. But it costs extra on the Mustang Mach-E.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Solterra’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

Both the Solterra and the Mustang Mach-E have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

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 Solterra is safer than the Mustang Mach-E:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Solterra its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang Mach-E was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

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 Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Ford.

On the EPA test cycle the Solterra gets better mileage than the Mustang Mach-E:

The Solterra Premium can travel longer on a full charge than the Mustang Mach-E eAWD (227 miles vs. 224 miles).

The Solterra’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Mustang Mach-E are solid, not vented.

The Solterra stops shorter than the Mustang Mach-E:

For better traction, the Solterra has larger tires than the Mustang Mach-E (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R18).

For better maneuverability, the Solterra’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Mustang Mach-E’s (36.7 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Solterra has a 2.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Mustang Mach-E (8.3 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Solterra to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Solterra has .2 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Mach-E.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Solterra’s rear seats recline. The Mustang Mach-E’s rear seats don’t recline.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Solterra Limited/Touring has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Solterra Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Mustang Mach-E’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Solterra has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT. The Solterra Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Solterra Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.