Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

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

Safety

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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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Subaru Forester achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Toyota Land Cruiser has not been tested.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Forester uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Forester and the Land Cruiser 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, all wheel drive, 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 Toyota Land Cruiser:

	Forester	Land Cruiser
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	198	205
Neck Injury Risk	24.4%	38.7%
Neck Stress	263 lbs.	517 lbs.
Neck Compression	39 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	276/274 lbs.	393/328 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	211	238
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.1%	38.5%
Neck Stress	242 lbs.	277 lbs.
Neck Compression	53 lbs.	84 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	236/225 lbs.	414/404 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

	Forester	Land Cruiser
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
HIC	167	332
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	42 G’s
Hip Force	589 lbs.	702 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Forester, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 7.2% less likely to roll over than the Land Cruiser, which received a three-star rating.

The Subaru Forester ((except Wilderness)) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Land Cruiser has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Reliability

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 33 points higher than the Land Cruiser.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

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

Engine

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

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser:

			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
Land Cruiser
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	22 city/25 hwy

Both the Forester and Land Cruiser have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Forester has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (6 out of 10) than the Toyota Land Cruiser (5). This means the Forester produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Land Cruiser every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

	Forester	Land Cruiser
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	190 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	132 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	158 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 Land Cruiser 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Forester Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

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 Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .69 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forester Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester Premium/Limited Hybrid’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (35.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (35.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Land Cruiser (9.2 vs. 8.7 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1500 to 1850 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Forester is 1 foot, 1.7 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Forester is 5.8 inches narrower on average than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Forester is 7.6 inches shorter in height than the Land Cruiser, making the Forester much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Forester’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Forester uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 10.3 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more rear headroom and 12.7 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

The front step up height for the Forester is 7.5 inches lower than the Land Cruiser (15.5” vs. 23”). The Forester’s rear step up height is 7.3 inches lower than the Land Cruiser’s (17.25” vs. 24.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Land Cruiser with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 55.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Forester easier. The Forester’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.9 inches, while the Land Cruiser’s liftover is 35.6 inches.

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

	Forester	Land Cruiser
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	36.5”/70.7”	43”/63.6”
Max Width	51.2”	50”
Min Width	43.3”	43.2”
Height	34.9”	35.9”

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Forester’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 38% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

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 Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 Land Cruiser has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Toyota Land Cruiser isn't recommended.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by almost seven to one during 2024.

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