Compare Subaru Forester to the Competition | Subaru Dealer RI

Forester vs Honda CR-V

The 2019 Subaru Forester and the 2019 Honda CR-V are two competitive compact SUVs you may be considering. They both offer all-wheel drive, good fuel economy, and room for five passengers.That being said, looking at value, capability, and interior accommodations, the Forester shows real advantages over its competitor. Comparing similar trim levels, The Forester is the more affordable car, with a lower MSRP. It’s also more capable with half an inch more ground clearance than the CR-V and a standard roof rack to carry your gear.  Forester will take you farther thanks to its larger fuel capacity. That gives the Forester superior city and highway range compared to the Honda.  The Forester is easier to drive in tight spaces too, thanks to its tighter turning circle. Plus, you and your passengers will be more comfortable in a Forester, with standard power lumbar support, more headroom and legroom for passengers up front, and more passenger volume than CR-V.

Forester vs Mazda CX-5

The 2019 Subaru Forester and the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring are two competitive compact SUVs you may be considering. They both offer all-wheel drive, good fuel economy, and room for five passengers.That being said, looking at value, capability, and interior accommodations, the Forester shows real advantages over its competitor. Comparing similar trim levels, The Forester is the more feul efficient SUV with better MPG in the city and highway. It’s also more capable with over an inch more ground clearance than the CX-5 and a standard roof rack and cargo cover to carry your gear.  Forester will take you farther thanks to its larger fuel range. Your passengers will be more comfortable in a Forester, with better front seat shoulder room, and more leg room. The Forester also has more cargo space and passenger volume than Mazda.

Forester vs Jeep Cherokee

The 2019 Subaru Forester and the 2019 Jeep Cherokee are two capable compact SUVs you may be considering. Both offer all-wheel drive, Apple CarPlay, and plenty of space for five passengers. However, considering the cost, standard features, and efficiency of the two vehicles, the Forester demonstrates strong advantages over its competitor. Comparing similar trim levels. The Forester is the better value, with an MSRP and average purchase price over three thousand dollars less than the Cherokee. Despite its lower price, Forester offers standard driver safety features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and pre-collision braking. It also offers a sunroof and cargo cover as standard; they’re costly options in the Jeep. Forester is a much more efficient car than Cherokee, returning higher city and highway fuel economy numbers. It also has a significantly longer range than the Jeep. Lastly, Forester has enough room for whatever you need, boasting more cargo space than the comparatively cramped Cherokee. These are just some of the advantages of the 2019 Subaru Forester for you to consider.

Forester vs Toyota RAV4

The 2019 Subaru Forester and 2019 Toyota RAV4 are two popular Japanese compact SUVs you may be considering. Both offer seating for five, standard driver assist features, and four-cylinder engines. However, looking at value, efficiency, and interior space, the Forester shows strong advantages over its competition from Toyota. Comparing similar trim levels, The Forester is the more affordable car of the two, with an MSRP nearly two thousand dollars less than the Toyota and a lower average purchase price. Forester’s four-cylinder engine produces more horsepower than the engine in the RAV4 but still manages to return better fuel economy in the city and on the highway. The Forester also has a much longer range than the Toyota. Forester has a tighter turning circle too, for more control in tight areas. Lastly, you and your passengers will have more space in a Forester, with superior leg room front and rear, plus greater passenger volume compared to a RAV4. These are just some of the advantages of the 2019 Subaru Forester for you to consider.

Forester vs Ford Excape

The 2019 Subaru Forester and 2019 Ford Escape Titanium are two popular compact SUVs you may be considering. Both offer seating for five, AWD, and four-cylinder engines. However, looking at value, efficiency, and interior space, the Forester shows strong advantages over its competition from Ford. Comparing similar trim levels, The Forester is the more affordable car of the two, with an MSRP over two thousand dollars less than the Ford and a lower average purchase price. Forester has better fuel economy in the city and on the highway. The Forester also has a much longer range than the Ford. Forester has a tighter turning circle too, for more control in tight areas. Forester comes with superior safety technology standard, like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and pre-collision braking. These are optional on the Ford Escape. Lastly, you and your passengers will have more space in a Forester, with superior passenger volume compared to a Escape. These are just some of the advantages of the 2019 Subaru Forester for you to consider.

2019 Subaru Forester Review

2019 Subaru Forester: Modern Crossover

By Duncan Brady

When Subaru introduced the first Forester in 1997, it did so with a rather catchy turn of phrase. They called it "SUV tough, car easy," an ideology that has come to define automotive product design across the industry as of late. Crossovers and small SUVs have taken over sales floors and freeways throughout America so much so that manufacturers don't even sell their best hatchbacks and wagons in the states. Ford dropped their entire lineup of small cars in favor of their slightly lifted plastic-clad crossover counterparts.

The original Forester executed its product mission with an SUV's all-wheel drive and higher seating position incorporated into a car the size of a small station wagon. It's a wonderfully compact little thing and drives as such, though it had the capability to tackle a nasty New England winter. That concept developed in the same market space as larger vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V and by its third generation, the Forester had begun its transition from tall wagon to small crossover.

In steps the fifth-generation 2019 Forester, all new for this year. It's a little wider, a little taller, a little longer, and a little heavier than the car it replaces, and that all means theForester's transformation into a little SUV might just be complete.

The big story here has to do with safety. Last year's Forester was a very safe car, earning a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS. Problem is, it only earned that certification with the inclusion of Subaru's optional EyeSight active safety package, available solely on pricey top trim Touring models. For this year, every Forester model from the $25,270 Forester2.5i to the $35,270 Forester Touring come with all of EyeSight's safety measures as standard, a big step forward. EyeSight includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, and pre-collision throttle management. It works pretty seamlessly for the most part and the Forester is all the better for it.

Subaru did save a bit of safety tech for the top line Forester Touring. DriverFocus, new for 2019, aims to address the issue of distracted driving with hidden sensors and cleverly-written code. Facial recognition software recognizes up to five different drivers and provides an audiovisual warning to alert the driver that they may be distracted. Luxury manufacturers have been exercising a similar approach for years and it's great to see this addition in a more accessible automobile.

Infotainment is handled by an 8.0-inch touchscreen on Limited and Touring models or a 6.5-inch screen on more affordable trim levels. The more modest screen in our ForesterPremium tester was plenty large for our purposes, though the larger unit is likely worth the upgrade for those with strained eyes or big fingers. A nine-speaker Harman Kardon stereo is available for audiophiles, music enthusiasts, or customers who want more than the standard six-speaker setup can deliver.

The interior is a nice place across all models to be but there's a secret hiding in the lineup. The premium gray cloth upholstery in our test car is really just lovely. German luxury sedans have been telling us for years that leather is the superior seating surface but these cloth seats challenge that notion. They're quite handsome, breathe better than leather, and cloth makes for a better companion to the Forester's especially cushioned and rather comfortable front buckets. Plus, the lack of cow hide plays more nicely with Subaru's environmentalist brand identity. That said, if the saddle brown leather is anything like the upholstery in the Ascent Touring we drove last month, it must be fabulous. Dashboard trim makes use of interestingly textured plastic that compliments the rest of the interior.

Motivation comes on behalf of a 2.5-liter four cylinder engine producing 182 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, slight increases from last year. This motor, like the originalForester and most Subarus, utilizes a horizontally-opposed "boxer" engine architecture. Instead of the pistons moving up and down they operate from side to side, lowering the engine's center of gravity. Power is transmitted through a CVT automatic to all four wheels via Subaru's hallmark Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. We'd be remiss not to bemoun the loss of the fourth-gen car's available manual transmission and the Forester XT's excellent 250-horse turbocharged engine, though both decisions make sense for the market segment. Fuel economy sees a slight improvement from last year, returning 29 mpg on the combined cycle.

The new Forester drives pleasantly, allowing the driver to forget what's propelling them along. We were lucky enough to have a 2005 Forester L.L. Bean Edition along for our test and driving the two back to back reveals one difference above all others. Visibility on an empty road is excellent in the old car as well as the new, though something is immediately apparent on a crowded highway. The 2019 car sits a fair bit higher than its elder and that allows the driver to see around more traffic. When the L.L. Bean car was new in 2005, its seating position provided ample sight lines around the small hatchbacks and comparatively low-roofed sedans populating roads at the time but among today's traffic it feels like a much smaller car.

With that fundamental change in size and seating position we can comfortably say that the new fifth generation Forester is no longer a Frankenstein wagon but a crossover SUV to compete with the best of them. It's well-rounded, supremely comfortable, and though we'll miss the boosted engine and manual trans, the changes Subaru have made in safety and efficiency make this new model the Forester buyers want. Plus, with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and some of the best ground clearance in the segment, the new Forester is modern SUV tough,  modern SUV easy.