To me, the outback is more of an suv and the forester is more of a station wagon. That said, we just got a crosstrek which is a smaller crossover.

Hmm, lucho, we're a Honda family, we've had 5 between us, so I'm also thinking of the CRV. My friend has one, though, and she finds long rides in it uncomfortable. So much so, she rents something else for the college runs.

Mdln, even in that picture I can't tell them apart. On the road I saw different year models, so just when I decided an outback was more SUV-ish, a forester came along that was more SUV-ish, or an outback that looked more like a wagon.

When I was looking for a new station wagon after I crashed my XC70, I looked at Subaru and several sources said the Outback was superior to the Forester. I can't remember by what criteria, though.

I’m on my second Forester. The Foresters are slightly smaller in width and length and slightly taller in height than the outbacks. Foresters handle more like an SUV. Imo, foresters haul stuff a little better because they are boxier in the back, even though they technically have fewer cubic feet. I also think the Forester is better with big dogs because the back area is taller.

Check the engine size, because I think typically the outbacks have come standard with a bigger engine than the foresters.

Thr outback is a little more expensive, though it’s going to depend on the trim level and options (cheapest outback may well be less than the most expensive Forester)

I think this is a pretty good explanation of the differences: http://www.stanleysubaru.com/outback-vs-forester.htm

I also seriously looked at the crosstrek which is smaller than the Forester. I chose the Forester over it for the extra legroom in the back seat because I regularly have two kids, including a growing 15 year old boy, in the back seat. I did not look at the outback very seriously because it is just too big to suit me. If I’m going to go that big, I would want a third row out of it (Dh drives the VW Atlas for the third row and bigger hauling capacity).

For me, the all wheel drive is the biggest single Subaru selling point. It is widely considered the best. The high clearance is a bonus as Dh does do some backcountry flyfishing. And they are more reliable and cheaper than jeeps from my perspective.

I was really happy with my first Forester and am all very happy with my second at nearly 2 years into owning it.

The two have the same engine, just a different body configuration.

I absolutely loved my Forester (for me that configuration works better than the Outback configuration).

I have no experience with Suburus, but just yesterday morning, my son’s friend got in a horrible accident on his way to school with two passengers, including one in the front passenger seat. They were hit by a tow truck. I don’t know which model Subaru they were in, but here are photos of his mangled car. All three boys walked away from this accident, thankfully. Obviously, the Suburu’s safety features must’ve been top notch for none of them to have been injured when you see these photos. We will be in the market for another car for our kids soon - Subaru will be on the list. My sister in law has one as do several friends. I hear nothing but great things about them.

They do not necessarily have the same engine.

Want more power? Of course you do; neither model is particularly peppy in base form. In the Forester, the top-spec engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 250 hp and 258 lb-ft. of torque. In the Outback, it’s a 3.6-liter flat-six which delivers 256 hp and 247 lb-ft. The CVT and all-wheel drive remain in both cases.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/subaru-outback-vs-subaru-forester/

If you are looking used, and you care about the engine, check the model you are looking at.

I am on my third Forester - it is definitely the more SUV type - It sits higher than the Outback. That picture above(a Forester) looks like mine after the garbage truck backed into it. I also walked away without a scratch, car was totaled. The car is very stable in bad weather and goes through snow with little problems. It does fine on the highway and in city driving and has nice pickup.

Holy smokes, 4kids, those kids were very lucky. Makes me want to get a Subaru. I had one back in the 80s and it was one of my favorite cars. They are a little too outdoorsy looking for me now.

4kids, that's what I'm talking about!

Consumer Reports has the Outback grouped with Station Wagons in their reviews. The Outback offers a 4 & 6 cylinder engine while the Forrester only has the 4. The 6 cylinder engine is noticeably quieter and offers more power than the 4. Of course you sacrifice some mpg. Both have lots of safety features an score well on all safety tests.

FWIW I bought an Outback 6 cylinder.

I prefer the boxier look of a Forester. In fact, it's one of the reasons I'm considering something other than a CRV, since those have become more rounded in the back. As a single woman with one car, I need good cargo space for the odd BBQ, Christmas tree, or helping a friend with a move.

How's the visibility on the right, toward the back? The one thing I've never liked about my CRV (and I do love that car!) is a blind spot when looking for cars coming up on my right.

Bunny, I have to admit that I have taken the head rest off the right back seat for that reason - now I can see fine. No one ever rides back there and if they do, it's easy to replace.

chessey35, that's exactly what I did a couple of months ago! I can't believe it took me so long to figure out that the right back headrest blocks visibility. I also can't believe how long it took me to figure out easy it was to remove. I rarely have people riding back there.

The Forester has great visibility. It’s one of the things that drew me to it in the first place.

Bossman just bought an Outback. Personally I like the look of the Forester, more SUV like compared to the Outback.

I just left this thread and went to Facebook where This article about a Subaru recall was on my feed. Big brother or coincidence?

Big brother. They track everything you do online to serve you relevant ads.

Lol. Clearly I had my vehicles twisted regarding the Outback and Forester. In any case we really did get a Crosstrek ( no confusion there)--------and I drive a Legacy.

My friend has a cute red Crosstrek.

We bought an Outback two years ago. DH preferred the way the Outback drove over the Forester. He says there was less play in the steering wheel and turns were tighter. I don't notice those things but he went from a Porsche to this so I wanted him to enjoy the drive. He also felt the Outback interior seemed to be a better quality overall.

We have the 4 cylinder. I don't notice any noise. The 6 cylinder is recommended for climbing hills and merging into highway traffic but we mostly do city driving.

I'm not sure on those models.......but I will attest to the safety of the Subaru. My DS has been in 2 accidents with his WRX.

1. Hit from behind with car going 40ish & then another car hit the rear of the car that hit him. Both cars were totaled &DS just needed a new rear bumper.

2. DS swerved to avoid hitting a deer--at 65mph. Went off the road & hit 2 street signs. Car totaled-side air bag deployed--DS not a scratch.

This teenage son driving stuff is making me gray!! And very, very grateful. I can definitely see another Subaru in our future. And it's dog approved:)

The Forester’s CVT is sluggish, and translates to a less than peppy get up and go. The boxer engine gives it great stability though for an SUV, which are notably top heavy and tippier than a car.

You can do some unexpectedly great cornering with one of the stick shifts where you control whats happening. And they only make a manual in a base model, but that still has more pep than you think it should.

The CVT is also one of the more expensive transmissions to repair or replace. So factor in a repair or replace for it between 60-120K miles.

I had a 2003 Forrester I bought new and drove to almost 150K miles, and I have a 2010 Outback 3.6L V6 with 111K miles right now. I had a 5-speed in my Forrester which I missed a lot. It was the most plain Jane car and didn't even have heated seats. Outbacks are no longer made with manual. The Forrester is taller/has more headroom, but the Outback has more cargo room. I will probably get another Outback in 2 years unless something necessitates I get one sooner, though I've seen the redesigned Forrester for 2019 in photos and it looks awesome. I have to take my Outback in for service.

The Crosstrek is really too small IMO.

Bp, my sister and BIL have both an Outback and Forrester. They live in Buffalo, so the AWD comes in handy. If we get snow, school is canceled, but DH often takes my Outback over his Honda Accord.

They also have great service and my dealer is close to my house, so that is also a factor.

Update: saw this article the V6 is scheduled to be gone in the redesigned 2020 model. No surprise; I kind of saw this coming. They want to use the 4 cyl turbo that is in the Ascent.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-subaru-outback-what-to-expect/

I've got my maintenance and state inspection scheduled for Monday, so I will see if the new Forrester is in the showroom.

We have 2015 and 2017 Outbacks. I guess you could say we're fans. They're great in snow and ice which is routine here. Both have Eyesight (collision avoidance) and blind spot / cross traffic detection which is great for backing out of driveways and parking spots. Inevitably the world's most colossal vehicles will park on either side of me making it impossible to see....grr. I still find it stressful, but the x-traffic alert does a great job. It also visually prompts you (on side mirrors) to cars in either blind spot.

The safety features are not exclusive to the Outback model, btw.

It's extremely comfortable to drive and has a solid feel. Visibility is good, apparently the Forrester is better, but I have no complaints. I'm short but have the seat height adjusted for me.

It will haul 8-10' long thingies that are not too substantial....moulding, rolled up rugs, misc stuff that will fit between the two front seats, or if you lay the passenger seat down, it will hold something fairly long and wide. Our three dogs have clip-in harnesses in the back seat.

Ah, and the heated seats. Those are nice too.

We have a 2008 CRV and a brand new Forester. The Outback was more car than what we wanted. I like both the CRV and the Forester. The Forester by virtue of the fact that it is 10 years newer than our CRV, has a lot more safety features but I find driving the two of them very similar.

One of our sons has the Impreza and the other one just sold his WRX and his GF has the Forester. My nephew has the Outback.

I was riding in a CRV today, I found it a bit constricting. Not a fan of the "cockpit" feel. I suppose the Outback and Forester are similar? Also the seat wasn't comfortable for a long drive, as my friend had warned me.

I have some test-driving to do! And I'm still looking at Subarus on the road to see if I can tell the difference. They still look alike to me! Hmm, I do seem to have a diminished facial recognition ability, does that carry over to cars lol?

As we live in the land of ice and snow, and at the end of a mile long, private (not exclusive, just meaning the town doesn't maintain it, residents do), one lane dirt road, so at least one AWD vehicle is a must for us, and Subaru is our vehicle of choice. Right now I have an Outback V6, in the past I've had a 4 cylinder Outback and their larger SUV Tribeca, which was my fav car ever, but the gas mileage, yikes, the Outback is much better. If you are going Subaru I'd go with the largest engine, much better pick up and, per my mechanic, better overall because AWD vehicles are heavy and the V6 engine doesn't have to work as hard to pull the weight of the vehicle.

My daughter has a 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid that we bought new, and while the mileage and fit and finish is very good, my 2004 (yep) Outback with 204k rides better even now than the Civic brand new, IMO anyway. Hondas have a well deserved reputation for being reliable and good in accidents, but they are not the best riding cars and yes, they are tight, the Subaru feels much more spacious in the cab. YMMV, of course, just my perspective, I am 5'9" and my DH is over 6'2" and a big guy, he barely fits in the Honda, but the Outback is no problem.

I'm 5'4" and my 2004 CRV seems plenty roomy in front. Whenever I have a tall person in the passenger seat, I'm always telling them, "The seat goes back," but they say they're fine. Rarely do I have 3-4 passengers. I'm in the Bay Area, so rain is as bad as the weather gets. I live in town and pretty much stick to paved roads. I can see where the CRV isn't great on the butt over 100 miles, but I'm not doing too many trips longer than that. I take my car into Honda for servicing religiously. New tires, brake pads, a wonky heater, etc. mostly typical aging stuff.

Some cars do have a tight, cockpit feel to them imo. We have test driven Mazdas and that’s how they feel to me. I know people love the peppier feel or something of the Mazda engines, at least according to reviews, but I haven’t liked the ones I drove.

I looked at the CRV on paper but didn’t drive it. I can’t remember why. I do remember that the all wheel drive was a big factor for me—it was the whole reason we were getting a new car because we moved from the Bay Area to a place with snow. And subaru was widely reviewed as having the best all wheel drive. So that may well have been why I didn’t drive the CRV. If you don’t drive to Tahoe in the winter, that may not be a factor for you.

The Outback is 8” longer, 2” wider and 2” lower although has the same ground clearance.

We went from an Impreza hatch to an Outback.

Reasons to prefer outback to forester: backseat is bigger, wheelbase 3” longer means slightly smoother ride, similar cubic cargo volume but outback has more front to back and side to side, the forester is taller. I think more area is more useful.

reasons to prefer forester: I think you sit up higher so visibility slightly better, taller trunk means more headroom for doggy friends, looks cooler (more suv than wagon), slightly cheaper.

Also, if you don’t have to fit a car seat, the Impreza has a surprising amount of room and can fit four good-sized adults.

Robo, nice easy comparison.

Without even having ridden in one, I would lean toward the Forester for the reasons you gave: higher, better visibility (for me that translates to a safety feature), looks, price. Cargo space is very important to me and I'll take total cubic feet. Backseat is less important, except in a tie-breaker.

If I’m honest, I preferred the CRV because it has slightly more gimmicks and I thought the sound system is better, but the front pillars do impede visibility more and I did get that dark cave like feeling in the CRV.

My SIL was recently in a very bad accident in a Subaru and had not a scratch on her. Not sure what model, I believe it was the Impreza. I have a 2017 Outback 6 cyl. with all of the options, and I love it. Sort of halfway between an suv and a station wagon. It’s great in the winter, great for groceries, room for hauling all kinds of things, has lots of safety features. It came with weathertek floor liners.

I went for the heated seats, the eyesight feature and cross traffic features are great, It even detects people about to walk behind me in a parking lot when I’m getting ready to back out, which they do all the time. My DH drives a Mercedes but when he’s home on the weekends he prefers to drive my car.

I have about 900 miles on my new Crosstrek. I love it, but I do miss the cargo space I had with my 2008 Outback. I do a a lot of trips with yard waste to the dump...and have been using the old Outback (now my son's) to continue to do that. It's also a much smaller space for my dog. I'm assuming I will adjust at some point! This is my 3rd Subaru....have been very pleased with them.