Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2024 Subaru Forester

The Honda CR-V 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Forester’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Compared to metal, the CR-V’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 CR-V 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Honda CR-V is safer than the Forester:

The Honda CR-V achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Forester last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 1 year or 12,000 miles. Honda 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 over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Subaru.

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 8 more horsepower (190 vs. 182) and 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CR-V Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 22 more horsepower (204 vs. 182) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (247 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V is faster than the Subaru Forester:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Forester:

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

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the CR-V’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

The CR-V stops much shorter than the Forester:

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Forester (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CR-V’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Forester (106.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Forester doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the CR-V EX-L AWD is quieter than the Forester Limited (38 vs. 41 dB).

The CR-V has 1.5 inches more front hip room and 1.6 inches more rear legroom than the Forester.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Forester with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 28.9 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Forester with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 74.2 cubic feet).

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CR-V Sport Touring’s 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.

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The CR-V’s standard front power windows 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. The CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V has a standard Pushbutton Start that allows you to start the engine without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The CR-V’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The CR-V Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The CR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2023 issue and they ranked the Honda CR-V EX-L AWD three places higher than the Subaru Forester Touring.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2024 and 4 more times in the last 23 years. The Forester hasn’t been picked since 2006, and the Forester has only been chosen 3 times.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Forester has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Subaru Forester by over two to one during 2023.