2019 Honda CR-V vs. 2019 Subaru Forester: Which Is the Stronger Compact-SUV Choice?
2019 Honda CR-V vs. 2019 Subaru Forester: Which Is the Stronger Compact-SUV Choice?
Posted on October 11, 2023
By: Car & Driver Source: Mike Sutton
Published: June 3, 2019
The latest Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester are quite similar as solid examples of their kind, but one is better than the other.
2019 Honda CR-V Touring
Highs: Strong turbo engine, responsive handling, lots of cargo space.
Lows: Noisy engine, clunky shifter, not as efficient as the Forester.
2019 Subaru Forester Touring
Highs: Smooth ride, great visibility, attractive cabin, stingy on fuel.
Lows: Slow, floppy handling, annoying driver-attention monitor.
Within the compact-crossover class, both the 2019 Honda CR-V and the 2019 Subaru Forester are high-profile stalwarts that float toward the top of a crowded and hotly contested segment. As one of Honda’s big sales guns, nearly 380,000 CR-Vs found homes last year. While Subaru moves only about half that many Foresters, the brand’s conservative development approach means that Subie devotees should continue to find the fresh-for-2019 Forester entirely agreeable. Setting brand loyalties aside, which of these two is actually the better small SUV?
The Matchup
To find out, we lined up top-level Touring models of each and broke out our microscopes. All Foresters come standard with all-wheel drive, but adding it to a CR-V tacks on an extra $1400, which brought the as-tested prices of our two examples to near parity at a smidge more than $35K. Neither vehicle offers any factory options other than paint color at this loaded level. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the entry-level CR-V LX starts at $25,395 versus $25,270 for the starter Forester 2.5i.
Aside from their different engine formulas—a 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four in the Honda to the Subaru’s 182-hp naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four—both test vehicles are remarkably similar on paper. Both have continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) and a 29-mpg combined fuel-economy estimate from the EPA. Their exterior dimensions and five-seat interior packaging are pretty much the same. And at this price point, both come well stocked with convenience amenities, plentiful touchscreen infotainment tech, and each brand’s suite of active-safety gear, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, automatic forward emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. The CR-V’s anti-collision warning system is easier to excite into action than the Forester’s, sometimes annoyingly so (something we also noticed with our long-term 2018 Honda Accord). But the Subaru’s standard DriverFocus driver-attention monitor is equally quick to yell at you if it thinks your eyes are wandering away from the road.