Price
Winner: 2018 Subaru Forester
The Forester has the lower base price, at $22,795, undercutting the RAV4 by about $1,600. Fully decked out, both come to just over $36,000, so pricing them out is a matter of comparing options.
The RAV4 comes with slightly more standard equipment (six speakers as opposed to four, plus voice recognition), but the Forester has an available panoramic moonroof, which the RAV4 does not.
Reliability
Winner: 2018 Toyota RAV4
J.D. Power predicted reliability data isn’t yet available for either 2018 model. However, the 2017 models are almost identical, so we can get an idea of what to expect. The 2017 Subaru Forester gets a 2.5 out of five, which is below average, while the 2017 Toyota RAV4 gets a three out of five, which is average.
Both come with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Seat Comfort
Winner: 2018 Subaru Forester
Both the RAV4 and Forester seat five on standard cloth upholstery. The Forester offers leather as an upgrade, while the RAV4 has Toyota’s SofTex, which is a not-particularly convincing imitation leather.
The front seats in both are supportive and comfortable, but the rear seats in the RAV4 are narrow and have low cushions, causing rear passengers to feel a bit folded in. The Forester offers good rear legroom and doors that open wide for easy entry and exit .
Cargo Space
Winner: 2018 Toyota RAV4
The Subaru Forester is tough to beat when it comes to cargo space, but the Toyota RAV4 does it with 38.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up, edging the Forester by four cubic feet.
The Forester has slightly more cargo space with the rear seats folded down (74.7 cubic feet to 73.4), but the RAV4 has an available hands-free liftgate for loading and unloading.
Interior Quality
Winner: 2018 Subaru Forester
While neither vehicle will be confused for a luxury car from the inside, both mix some soft-touch surfaces with harder plastics to adequate effect. The quality of those soft-touch materials isn’t as impressive as the quality of the interiors of class leaders, the SofTex imitation leather upholstery in the RAV4 being the best example of that.
Interior Features
Winner: 2018 Toyota RAV4
Standard features are nearly identical, with a 6.1- or 6.2-inch touch-screen infotainment system, Bluetooth, and USB. The RAV4 adds voice recognition standard and has six speakers instead of four.
The RAV4 runs away with it on optional features, however. Satellite and HD Radio, smartphone integration, a proximity key, push-button start, and a household-style power outlet help overcome the Forester’s panoramic moonroof option.
Acceleration
Winner: 2018 Subaru Forester
In base form, it’s a close race between these two, but Subaru offers something in the Forester that Toyota just doesn’t have for the RAV4: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.
The RAV4’s base engine makes 176 horsepower, as compared to 170 in the base Forester, but that’s the only engine Toyota offers in the RAV4. Acceleration is just adequate with both base engines.
Fuel Economy
Winner: 2018 Subaru Forester
If you want the best possible mileage between these two, go for the Forester with the 2.5-liter engine and the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). That one gets 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. The base model comes with a manual transmission and gets 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
The RAV4 gets 23 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway in base form (28 mpg on the highway with all-wheel drive).
Ride and Handling
Winner: Tie
The RAV4’s precise electric power steering and optional 18-inch wheels give it more grip than you might expect considering its overall height. The 17-inch wheels make for a softer ride, but either way handling is tight. It’s well suited for a long road trip.
The Subaru Forester has a soft suspension that swallows up road bumps and renders a quiet, comfortable ride. The Forester is capable of some light off-roading, but its soft suspension and high center of gravity don’t make it as comfortable around corners as the RAV4.
Safety
Winner: Tie
Both the RAV4 and Forester received five-star overall crash ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with five-star ratings in side crash testing, and four-star ratings for frontal and rollover crashes. Both vehicles also earned Good scores for the crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), except in the passenger-side crash test. The Forester earned a Marginal score, whereas the RAV4 earned a Poor score.
However, the RAV4 makes up for it with a wealth of standard features: a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. All of those features are optional on the Forester.
Though the Forester has marginally higher crash test scores, the RAV4’s longer list of safety features makes this a tie.
The Winner Is …
2018 Subaru Forester
The Toyota RAV4 is a practical choice that offers a lot of features and good cargo capacity. Some people may prefer its styling, or place more trust in the Toyota brand.
It takes a lot to compete in this crowded segment, and the Subaru Forester is more up to the challenge with standard all-wheel drive, better fuel economy, an optional turbocharged engine, and a nicer, more comfortable overall package.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
To learn more about the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, look at their reviews. Then, see how they compare to the rest of the class by scrolling through our compact SUV rankings. When you’re ready to buy, use our Best Price Program to get the best deal on your new car purchase.
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Forester vs. RAV4: Which Compact SUV Is Right for You?
Cargo space, fuel economy, and maneuverability are, for many, what the compact SUV segment is all about. These vehicles appeal to people who need a little bit of everything from their car and don’t want to spend a lot to get it.
The 2018 Subaru Forester and 2018 Toyota RAV4 are two classic examples in a crowded segment. Both offer good fuel economy, precise steering, plenty of cargo space, and a smooth ride. But the Forester is a better off-road vehicle and has a more powerful engine available, while the RAV4 has more interior features.
Which one is best? In this slideshow, we’ll determine that by using our rating system to compare these two compact SUVS across a number of different individual categories, from seat comfort and cargo space to acceleration and handling. Keep in mind that our ratings are being updated constantly as new information comes in, so some scores may not match those found in our reviews.