The Subaru Forester comes standard with all-wheel drive and is much more affordable than the Honda Passport. However, it's also smaller and less powerful.

Answer quickly: crunchy peanut butter or smooth? If you said crunchy, the sensible and functional Forester is likely the car for you. But if you said smooth, the cushier, larger, (and more expensive) Honda Passport might be the one. (Apologies if you're allergic—we'll use a better analogy next time

But which one is actually better in the Subaru Forester vs. Honda Passport matchup? Here to help you sort out your tastes in SUVs and crossovers is

Jerry

, the

trusty super app

and

car insurance

shopping master.

Make auto loan refinancing easy with PriceProtect™

Check my rates!

4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars

4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers

Forester vs. Passport: which is more expensive?

Model	Starting MSRP	Model	Starting MSRP
Forester Base	$27,070	Passport EX-L	$39,665
Forester Premium	$29,320	Passport TrailSport	$44,265
Forester Sport	$30,890	Passport Elite	$47,225
Forester Limited	$33,000
Forester Wilderness	$33,945
Forester Touring	$36,420

The difference is pretty profound: the starting price of a Honda Passport is anywhere between $12,595 and $16,335 more than the Subaru Forester. The Passport only comes in three trim levels to the Forester’s six, but the lowest trim level on the Passport is more than the highest one on the Forester.

Ownership costs

So you’ll definitely be paying more at the dealership for a Passport, but what about over the life of the vehicle? To get a deeper picture, let’s take a look at Edmunds’ five-year cost to own each one. This takes fuel, repairs, insurance, etc., all into account, and is a valuable tool when considering a new car purchase.

For the 2022 base-level Subaru Forester, Edmunds calculates the five-year cost to own as around $35,071, which is $6,684 more than the total cash price of $28,387. The base trim Passport comes in at $48,220, which is $7,216 more than its figured total cash price of $41,004.

So the price difference holds fairly true in the long run as well. As a larger vehicle, the Passport takes more fuel, but repairs and maintenance are roughly the same. These numbers vary according to location, so make sure to check Edmunds’

Cost of Car Ownership

calculator for more precise info on where you are.

MORE:

Subaru tune-up cost

Insurance costs

One other important factor to look at: how do

Subaru Forester insurance costs

compare to

Honda Passport insurance costs

On average, a Honda Passport costs around $1,922 annually to insure, and a Subaru Forester is around $2,076, which is a difference of about $150 a year. So while there’s not a huge difference in insurance costs between the two, there is a way you can still save big on car insurance for a Forester or a Passport—by shopping with super app

Jerry

Winner: Subaru Forester

No contest here: In terms of sheer affordability, the Forester wins hands down. But what do you get for the extra money when you purchase a Passport? Is it worth it? Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two and see how they compare in terms of size, performance, and features.

Make auto loan refinancing easy with PriceProtect™

Check my rates!

4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars

4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers

Subaru Forester vs. Passport: In-depth comparison

Body style and size

Technically, these two are in different classifications—the Forester is a compact crossover, while the Passport is a midsize SUV. The Forester has a boxy profile that’s almost pickup truck-like, while the Passport has a more traditionally rugged SUV design.

Both of these have two rows of seating and can accommodate up to five people, but the difference in size is clear between the two. The Passport is the larger vehicle, and that shows the most when you compare the cargo capacity of the two—particularly when you look at available space with all the seats in use.

The Passport offers more cargo room, but whether that’s important to you really depends on how much stuff you need to cart around. Take a look at the chart below to see how the numbers break down:

Dimensions	2022 Subaru Forester	2022 Honda Passport
Length	182.7 inches	189.1 inches
Wheelbase	105.1 inches	111 inches
Passenger volume	111.6 cubic feet	115 cubic feet
Headroom (front/rear)	41.2/39.6 inches	39.5/40 inches
Legroom (front/rear)	43.3/39.4 inches	40/39.6 inches
Cargo volume w/seats up	28.9 cubic feet	41 cubic feet
Cargo volume w/seats down	74.2 cubic feet	78 cubic feet
Ground clearance	8.7 to 9.2 inches	7.5 inches
Base curb weight	3,454 lbs	4,229 lbs

MORE:Are Hondas expensive to maintain?

Engine and performance

Both the Forester and the Passport come standard with automatic transmission, and

Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive (AWD)

is standard on the Forester. But here’s an important difference: All-wheel drive is not standard on the Honda Passport. It can be added to any trim level, but at an additional $2,000.

The Forester has a 2.5-liter, flat four-cylinder engine that provides 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. While decent enough, it’s nothing to write home about. Most trims of the Forester have a

max towing capacity of 1,500 pounds

, but the more rugged Wilderness trim increases that figure to 3,000 pounds.

The Passport comes with a far more muscular 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is much brisker with the Passport, and you’ll also get a lot more towing power. The EX-L trim has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, and the TrailSport and Elite trims can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

With

the Passport's ground clearance of 7.5 inches

, this SUV is capable of mild off-road driving, especially if you have all-wheel drive. However, the

Forester is the better off-road vehicle

, with standard all-wheel drive and a ground clearance of 8.7 to 9.2 inches.

MORE:

Subaru Forester Limited vs. Touring: which trim is better?

Fuel economy

The daintier Forester gets better fuel economy, with an EPA rating of 26 city/33 highway/29 combined mpg. Selecting the Wilderness trim in the Forester brings a slight dip in those numbers across the board, but nothing too significant.

The Passport’s mileage depends on whether you get front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, but as a larger and more powerful vehicle, it won’t be as good as the Forester in any iteration. For a front-wheel-drive Passport, you’ll get 20/25/22 mpg for city/highway/combined driving. Opting for all-wheel drive brings that down to 19/24/21.

If you want a hybrid version of either one of these, you’ll have to be patient. Subaru says a hybrid Forester will be available sometime in the next three years. While there are rumors of a hybrid Passport for 2023, nothing’s been announced yet—and we’re not holding our breath. Prove us wrong, Honda!

Safety

Both Subaru and Honda traditionally have rock-solid reputations for safety, but the 2022 Passport falters a bit in this category when compared to the 2022 Forester. The Passport isn’t terrible, but if safety is a peak priority the Subaru wins here.

The 2022 Forester got an overall perfect five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and was selected as a Top Safety Pick Plus by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Passport also got an overall five stars from the NHTSA, but it got four stars to the Forester’s five for frontal crash testing. Both of them got four stars out of five from the NHTSA for rollover accidents, with a rollover risk of 16.9%.

The IIHS was a little harder on the Passport. The Forester earned almost all “Good” (the highest) ratings except for one “Acceptable” for the updated side impact testing. The Passport picked up two “Acceptable” ratings: one for LATCH ease of use, and one for small overlap front passenger side crash tests.

More concerning is the rating of “Moderate” for the updated side crash test, though.

MORE:

A complete guide to Subaru safety ratings

Tech

The Forester starts with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, with an 8-inch version on the two highest trim levels. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on all trim levels, and navigation is optional. WiFi is standard on all but the base level Forester.

As a more expensive vehicle, the tech is a bit more advanced from the get-go on the Passport, with an 8-inch touchscreen standard on all trims. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and wireless charging is standard as well, but if you want WiFi you’ll have to spring for the top Elite trim level.

Both the Subaru and the Passport offer a generous amount of safety and driver assistance features standard, with features like forward collision warning with emergency braking, lane departure warnings, and adaptive cruise control. Blind-spot warnings are standard on the Passport, but only come on the higher trim levels of the Forester.

Interior and comfort

Both vehicles seat five comfortably and are nicely designed with good interior storage areas and an intuitive layout.

The Forester’s interior is functional and comfy and offers good visibility. Moving up the trim levels brings extras like heated front seats, an upgraded sound system, and leather upholstery.

The Passport has more features at the base level trim, which one would expect for the increased price tag. Leather upholstery, a sunroof, and heated and power-adjustable seats are included on all Passports. Higher trim levels unlock ventilated front seats and heated rear seats.

Winner: What do you like?

These are two pretty different vehicles, so determining which one is better is really up to what you’re looking for in an SUV or crossover.

If you want a highly capable all-wheel-drive vehicle that’s also economical, then the Forester is tough to beat. But if you need more cargo room, more towing power, or just like fancier features and a more powerful engine, then you might be happier with the Passport.

How to save on your insurance costs

Whether you're looking to lower

Subaru insurance costs

Honda insurance costs

—or any other make for that matter—there's only one surefire way to save both time and money without sacrificing any necessary coverage.

How? With insurance super app

Jerry

, of course. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a customized selection of competitive car insurance policies to choose from, with no phone calls or hassles needed! On average, Jerry shoppers save more than $800 a year on their car insurance costs.

“After signing up with
Jerry
, I went from $199/month to $97/month for my car insurance. My 2019 Subaru Forester now has full coverage for a great price!” —Rhonda H.

RECOMMENDED