Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 Chevrolet Equinox

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 Chevrolet Equinox 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 Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Subaru Forester has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Forester’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 14 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru Forester is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

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

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

The Forester has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Forester has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Forester has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Equinox. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

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

The Forester stops much shorter than the Equinox:

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 Equinox LS/LT’s standard 65 series tires.

The Forester has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Forester flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Equinox’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 6.2 feet tighter than the Equinox RS’ (35.4 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Equinox (8.7 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester’s minimum ground clearance is .7 inch higher than on the Equinox w/18” Wheels (8.7 vs. 8 inches).

The Forester has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (110.8 vs. 103.2).

The Forester has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear hip room and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

The front step up height for the Forester is 1.7 inches lower than the Equinox (15.5” vs. 17.2”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .3 inches lower than the Equinox’s (17.25” vs. 17.5”).

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 63.9 cubic feet).

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

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Equinox. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Chevrolet. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Chevrolet is ranked 14th.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Equinox’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Forester to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Equinox doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Forester 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 costs extra on the Equinox and isn’t available on the Equinox LS.

The Forester’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Equinox LS doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.