Compare the2025 Toyota Land CruiserVS 2025 Subaru Forester

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

Safety

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The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Forester doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Toyota Land Cruiser has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Forester doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Land Cruiser has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Forester doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Land Cruiser has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Land Cruiser has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Parking Support Brake automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Land Cruiser’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Land Cruiser and the Forester 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 and available around view monitors.

The Toyota Land Cruiser weighs 1414 to 1935 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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, results indicate that the Toyota Land Cruiser is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	56
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.4 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	84 lbs.
Hip Force	109 lbs.	349 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	19	208
Spine Acceleration	20 G’s	58 G’s
Hip Force	217 lbs.	640 lbs.

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

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Land Cruiser for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Land Cruiser’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the Land Cruiser is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Land Cruiser’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Forester’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 13th.

Engine

The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 146 more horsepower (326 vs. 180) and 287 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 178) than the Forester’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 144 more horsepower (326 vs. 182) and 289 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 176) than the Forester Wilderness’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 132 more horsepower (326 vs. 194) than the Forester’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Land Cruiser is faster than the Subaru Forester 4 cyl.:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.7 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

The Land Cruiser has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (17.9 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Land Cruiser	Forester Wilderness	Forester Hybrid
Front Rotors	13.1 inches	12.4 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.1 inches	11.2 inches	11.8 inches

The Land Cruiser stops much shorter than the Forester:

	Land Cruiser	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Land Cruiser has larger standard tires than the Forester (245/70R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Land Cruiser’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (265/60R20 vs. 235/50R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Land Cruiser has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Land Cruiser’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Touring.

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Subaru Forester only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Forester doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Land Cruiser has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Forester doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Land Cruiser’s wheelbase is 7.3 inches longer than on the Forester (112.2 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Land Cruiser is 4 inches wider in the front and 4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Land Cruiser’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.6% to 50.4%) than the Forester’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Land Cruiser more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

The Land Cruiser has .7 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Land Cruiser has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 29.6 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Land Cruiser. The Forester doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Land Cruiser’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Forester’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The Land Cruiser’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (6000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Land Cruiser’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Forester does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Land Cruiser and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Land Cruiser is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Land Cruiser’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Land Cruiser the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Land Cruiser has a standard Smart Key System that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The Land Cruiser’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Land Cruiser’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Both the Toyota Land Cruiser and Subaru Forester offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Land Cruiser features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Forester’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Land Cruiser has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Forester Limited/Touring.

The Toyota Land Cruiser has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Subaru charges extra for Homelink® on the Forester.

The Land Cruiser has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its October 2024 issue and they ranked the Toyota Land Cruiser higher than the Subaru Forester Sport.

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