Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2024 GMC Terrain

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Subaru Forester has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Terrain doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Subaru Forester achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The GMC Terrain has not been tested.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Terrain.

The Forester Touring’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Forester is much safer than the Terrain:

	Forester	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	103	131
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	193	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Subaru Forester ((except Wilderness)) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Terrain is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

The Forester’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 42 points higher than the Terrain.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than GMC With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than GMC.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. GMC is ranked 20th.

Engine

The Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Terrain doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Terrain:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Sport/Touring 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/32 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

The Forester has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Forester has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Forester has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Terrain. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Forester has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Terrain doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Forester	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

The Forester’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Terrain are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Forester flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Terrain Denali AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Terrain w/17” wheels’ (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Forester’s turning circle is 6.2 feet tighter than the Terrain w/19” wheels’ (35.4 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (8.7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Forester’s minimum ground clearance is .8 inch higher than on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali (8.7 vs. 7.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Forester has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (110.8 vs. 103.2).

The Forester has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Terrain. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than GMC. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 23% lower rating, GMC is ranked 15th.

Ergonomics

The Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Forester to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Terrain doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Terrain has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Forester has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

The Subaru Forester outsold the GMC Terrain by over two to one during 2024.

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