Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2025 Hyundai Kona

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Kona 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 Kona doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Both the Forester and the Kona have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert 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 Forester is safer than the Kona:

	Forester	Kona
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	103	251
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.1 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	915 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	193	282
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.89 in	2.09 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.61 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (180 vs. 147) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 132) than the Kona SE/SEL’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Sport/Touring 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/32 hwy
Kona
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/32 hwy
	AWD	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/29 hwy
		SEL 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy

The Forester has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Forester has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kona N Line/Limited’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons).

The Forester has a tether attaching its gas cap to prevent its loss. The Kona’s gas cap isn’t tethered, so it can be left at a gas station if the driver forgets to screw the cap back in.

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 Hyundai Kona (6). This means the Forester produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Kona every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Forester	Kona SE	Kona AWD/SEL/1.6T
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

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 Kona are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Forester has larger standard tires than the Kona (225/60R17 vs. 215/60R17).

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Forester has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kona 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Forester has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Forester flat and controlled during cornering. The Kona 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Forester’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the Kona’s (59.3% to 40.7%). This gives the Forester more stable handling and braking.

The Forester Sport handles at .80 G’s, while the Kona N Line AWD pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Kona (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Kona N Line/Limited (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches).

Passenger Space

The Forester has 9.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona (110.8 vs. 101.2).

The Forester has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 25.5 cubic feet). The Forester has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 63.7 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Forester Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Kona doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Forester has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kona has no towing capacity.

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 Kona doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Kona. 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 Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 58% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 29th.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Forester Touring, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle and climate settings. The Kona doesn’t offer a memory system.

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 Kona doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Forester’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Kona’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Forester’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Kona’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Kona 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 Kona doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Forester Touring is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Kona’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Kona offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the Kona 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 Kona.

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 is only available on the Kona SEL/N Line/Limited.

Both the Forester and the Kona offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kona doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Subaru Forester outsold the Hyundai Kona by almost two to one during 2023.

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