2023 Subaru Forester vs. Toyota RAV4: Solid Comes Standard

When the mood for adventure strikes, you need something that isn't afraid to drive off the beaten track. But every off-roader spends most of their time trundling around on pavement. Such is life. The ideal all-arounder remains ready to tackle tough weather or explore a dirt road while still meeting everyday needs. Two such vehicles that have been at it the longest are the lightly rugged 2023 Subaru Forester and the ever-popular 2022 Toyota RAV4.

Both have decades-long pedigrees of versatility and all-wheel-drive capability built into a just-makes-sense package. As you consider your daily needs and weekend warrior whimsies, is the Forester or RAV4 better?

Our competitors are equipped with fixings expected from a modern crossover: all-wheel drive, techy amenities, and numerous driver assist features. But the specific RAV4 and Forester trims tested here have unique personalities.

The 2022 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road presents as the more trail-ready of the two. Its black, flow-formed 18-inch wheels are shod in all-terrain tires, with their motions controlled by a TRD-tuned suspension. Underbody skidplates and thick rubber floormats provide additional protection from the elements. Our previous drives left us thinking the RAV4 TRD Off-Road actually isn't nearly as tough as its appearances suggest, but if you want the ruggedest RAV4, this is it.

The Forester Wilderness would be the most direct equivalent to the RAV4 TRD Off-Road, but for this comparison, we opted for something more upscale. The 2023 Subaru Forester Touring is the range-topping model in the Forester lineup, equipped with niceties like leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, built-in navigation, a premium audio system, and—drumroll, please—a CD player. Sure, the Touring isn't the best Forester for bashing down a trail with, but how often do you realistically do that?

The RAV4 and Forester make similar power with similarly sized engines, but the commonalities more or less end there. The Forester is more fuel efficient, earning a 26/33 mpg city/highway rating to the RAV4's 25/32 score. With 37.5 cubic feet, the RAV4 offers more cargo space behind its second row, and with 69.8 cubic feet while those seats folded, the RAV4 also offers more max cargo space (though on lesser Foresters without a sunroof, max volume bumps up to 74.2 cubic feet). Embarrassingly for the RAV4, its rival's approach and departure angles, as well as ground clearance, are slightly more advantageous should a rock or rut appear.

There's a disparity in pricing after you option up, too. The Forester Touring totals $37,720, undercutting the RAV4 TRD Off-Road's $38,930 base price. However, options including two-tone paint, a digital rearview mirror, and ventilated front seats raise this test RAV4 to $41,710.

Even with one cast as a gruff explorer and the other a posh cruiser, differences in this pair's instrumented performance are slim. The RAV4 beat the Forester to 60 mph, hitting the mark in 8.2 seconds against 8.5 seconds. That split shrinks a bit through the quarter mile and 45-65-mph passing maneuver. Both vehicles held the skidpad with 0.81 g of average lateral grip and completed the figure eight in 27ish seconds at 0.62 g average. The two diverged most in 60-0-mph braking, where the Forester stopped in 125 feet and the RAV4 in 117 feet, despite those TRD-spec all-terrain tires.

Numbers won't determine the winner here. Rather, it's how these SUVs feel that sets them apart. Each has attributes that will better suit one's personal preferences, but only one can finish first.

Look, neither of these crossovers has a particularly powerful engine. Without turbochargers or hybridization, both can feel strained when driving up a grade. Features editor Christian Seabaugh called the RAV4's mill "loud, agricultural, unrefined—no power to be found until the tach swings north of 4,000 rpm." Associate road test editor Erick Ayapana was kinder to the Forester's engine, deeming it "more than adequate," but he conceded that "its droning can be a bit much at times."

Things improve for the Forester elsewhere in its powertrain. Its CVT doesn't hunt for gears like the RAV4's eight-speed automatic does, because, well, it doesn't have gears. The RAV4's upshifts are generally smooth, but they occur too early, as the vehicle is mapped to deliver better fuel economy. It struggles to downshift, and when it does, changes are rough. Furthermore, Subaru's full-time all-wheel drive provides a more sure-footed feeling than Toyota's on-demand system. Aside from a somewhat abrupt throttle tip-in, the Forester's powertrain has less to apologize for.

Hop from one driver's seat to the next, and the Toyota is clearly the more comfortable one. Although off-road suspension is generally soft so it can better conform to trail obstacles, the TRD Off-Road's feels harder than a standard RAV4's. That said, the body is well isolated from surfaces beneath. It rides firmly over bumps, yes, but a limited amount of motion is transferred to the cabin, so you don't get tossed around so much. This is enhanced by the weighty steering, which is surprisingly nice. Quick and direct, it provides decent feel and feedback. These attributes give the RAV4 a hefty, solid feeling.

The Forester's chassis does a better job of absorbing impacts, but it's less sure-footed. "Nothing goes unnoticed by the suspension," features editor Scott Evans said. "It's not that impacts are brutal, but I can feel every bump in the road." That's due to incessant body motions resulting from even minor pavement undulations, sending the Forester wandering about in a lane. That, combined with steering that feels awful, soft, bland, and with no road feel at all, means constant small corrections are needed to keep the car pointed straight. Still, though: Larger impacts arrive without harshness like in the RAV4. The Forester has the cushier ride of this pair.

Although its stopping distance is longer than the RAV4's, our drivers tended to prefer the Forester's brake feel. Pedal travel is long, but there's a linear buildup of stopping power through the stroke. It does so while remaining reactive, whereas the RAV4 gives good initial bite before going flat with more pressure on the pedal.

If one of these drove vastly better than the other, we'd be able to call this comparison now. Because that isn't the case, practical considerations largely determine our winner.

Enter the RAV4, and you get an amusing impression it's trying to come across as a big, chunky SUV. Its wide hood and large side mirrors seem like they belong on something a category up. Oversized door handles and knobs are nice to grab, especially given their textured rubber finish. You'll find plenty of places to stash things around the cabin; the shelves left of the steering wheel and ahead of the passenger make clever use of space.

The Forester's interior doesn't have as many storage compartments, and its design is visually busy. "My goodness, what a cornucopia of trim, textures, and shades of black," Ayapana said. But it's a space that works to make driving easy. There's extensive soft-touch finishing, giving every limb a plush place to rest, even beyond the highly adjustable front seats. One thing we will never fault Subaru for is its commitment to large windows and low beltlines. It doesn't always work with the latest styling trends, but it ensures the best outward visibility.

In the RAV4, materials quality and tech appointments are only decent. The doors sound hollow, and a jiggly shift knob doesn't suggest it's very well screwed together. The small, grainy infotainment touchscreen on this RAV4 left us unimpressed, and its user interface is a mess. (Note the 2023 RAV4 has larger and improved displays.) The Forester's infotainment setup looks only slightly better but is easier to use. Furthermore, a secondary display sitting high up on the dashboard keeps useful information in the driver's line of sight.

Not often do second-row seats feel as nice as those ahead, but that's the case with the Forester. Materials quality seems undiminished, and there's ample headroom. Both the Forester and RAV4 provide air vents and USB ports for rear passengers, but given the Subaru's back-seat trimmings, spaciousness, and ease of access, it's the nicer place to ride.

Commendable as it is that Toyota includes so many driver assist features, the functionality of those features falls behind. The adaptive cruise control tends to react a moment later than would be ideal, but more irksome is how much the lane keep system allows the RAV4 to weave within the lines. Again, improvements to these systems are part of its 2023 updates. Subaru's hypochondriacal equivalents beep alarmingly at any hint of driver malfeasance—the system accuses you of taking your eyes off the road even when stopped in traffic—but nevertheless provide more confidence and relaxation.

As has long been the case, the RAV4 and Forester remain worthy rivals. Each has evolved significantly over the years, yet there's more old-school drudgery in the Toyota than the Subaru.

Would the RAV4 have fared better if not for the TRD Off-Road spec? Aside from looks, we've never been able to discern the benefit of this variant, neither in this on-pavement assessment nor during our previous dirt excursions. It strikes us as nonsensical to pay more expecting trail chops only to receive a firmer suspension that roughens the ride. Rough, too, is the engine, and the operation of its tech and driver aids. The RAV4 checks the compact SUV boxes, but it's not the better option here.

Even though very little about how the Forester drives will endear you to it, this Subaru succeeds in being downright agreeable. Its cushy ride, spacious cabin, excellent visibility, and useful assist features make it so easy to live with. If ever the desire for dirt arises, the Forester's indefatigable AWD and reasonable ground clearance will help it venture off-road. The premium features brought by choosing the Touring trim sweeten the deal, considering its lower price than the Toyota. Can't complain about better fuel economy, either.

Verdict: Feeling in many ways like an old SUV in a newer wrapper, the RAV4 gets the job done but not as well. If you must have one, choose a hybrid or the improved 2023 model.

Verdict: Likable infinitely more for what it can do than how it drives, Subaru's compact crossover simply makes too much sense not to take the win.