Compare the2024 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Forester has standard Pre-Collision Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Land Cruiser doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Forester uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Forester and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Land Cruiser has not been tested, yet.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forester third among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Land Cruiser 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

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

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Forester’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a CVT.

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 Land Cruiser 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s tires have a lower 55 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 4.6 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (35.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (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 Land Cruiser (9.2 vs. 8 inches).

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1400 to 1600 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Forester is 11.1 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Forester is 6.2 inches narrower on average than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Forester is 8.6 inches shorter in height than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Forester’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Forester uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Forester has 5.1 inches more front headroom, 10.3 inches more front legroom, 4.3 inches more rear headroom and 12.7 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Forester and the Land Cruiser offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Land Cruiser.

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.