Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

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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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe.

Both the Forester and the Santa Fe 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 blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	Forester	Santa Fe
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	198	460
Neck Injury Risk	24.4%	28%
Neck Stress	263 lbs.	273 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	276/274 lbs.	290/423 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	211	369
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	53 lbs.	140 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	236/225 lbs.	726/652 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	Forester	Santa Fe
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.4 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	84 lbs.	85 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	38 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Santa Fe:

	Forester	Santa Fe
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	1227 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 56 points higher than the Santa Fe.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 10th.

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

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On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Santa Fe:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 flat-4 Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Sport/Touring 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/32 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
Santa Fe
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
		XRT 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/26 hwy

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

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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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer a CVT.

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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 Santa Fe are solid, not vented.

The Forester stops shorter than the Santa Fe:

	Forester	Santa Fe
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

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The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester Premium/Limited Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (35.1 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.7 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Santa Fe XRT (9.2 vs. 8.3 inches).

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The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 850 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Forester is 7.5 inches shorter than the Santa Fe, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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The Forester has a much larger cargo volume than the Santa Fe with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

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The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Fe. 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 third in service department satisfaction. With a 66% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 30th.

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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 Santa Fe’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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

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Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by 49% during 2024.