Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 BMW X3

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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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 BMW X3 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 BMW X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 X3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the X3.

Both the Forester and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 BMW X3:

	Forester	X3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	64 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	31%	38%
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	183/114 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 BMW X3:

	Forester	X3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	153 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	670 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	281
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	43 G’s

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

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Forester 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 83 percent more Subaru dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Forester’s warranty.

Reliability

The X3’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Forester has a 6000 RPM redline.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forester third among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The X3 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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 3 places higher in reliability than BMW.

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 X3 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the X3:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
X3
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X3 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 BMW X3 (5 to 7). This means the Forester produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X3 every 15,000 miles.

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 X3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops much shorter than the X3:

	Forester	X3
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

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 X3; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the X3 xDrive30i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the X3’s (35.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X3 (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the X3 (9.2 vs. 8 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 750 pounds less than the BMW X3.

The Forester is 3.2 inches shorter than the X3, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 10.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X3 (111.6 vs. 101.4).

The Forester has .5 inches more front headroom, 3 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

The front step up height for the Forester is 3 inches lower than the X3 (15.5” vs. 18.5”). The Forester’s rear step up height is 1.3 inches lower than the X3’s (17.25” vs. 18.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X3 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 62.7 cubic feet).

The Forester’s cargo area is larger than the X3’s in almost every dimension:

	Forester	X3
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/69.9”	36.5”/69”
Max Width	51.2”	47”
Min Width	43.3”	43.3”
Height	34.8”	30.1”

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 X3 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Forester Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X3 doesn’t offer an easy entry 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 X3 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist eCall 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 X3 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 X3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $1150 to $3645 less than the X3 over a five-year period.

The Forester will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Forester will retain 56.38% to 59.98% of its original price after five years, while the X3 only retains 50.69% to 52.37%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the X3 because it costs $218 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the X3, including $419 less for a water pump, $804 less for a muffler, $83 less for front brake pads, $145 less for a starter, $6 less for fuel injection, $144 less for a fuel pump, $178 less for front struts, $461 less for a timing belt/chain and $1218 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $21696 to $28131 less than for the BMW X3.

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.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Subaru Forester Touring higher than the BMW X3 xDrive30i.

The Subaru Forester outsold the BMW X3 by over two to one during 2023.

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