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 Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
With its standard EyeSight, the Subaru Forester is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
Forester |
Grand Cherokee |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
-11 MPH |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-33 MPH |
Warning Issued-Brights |
3.2 sec |
2 sec |
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 Jeep Grand Cherokee has not been tested.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.
Both the Forester and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Forester is much safer than the Grand Cherokee:
|
Forester |
Grand Cherokee |
Overall Evaluation |
ACCEPTABLE |
POOR |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
131 |
252 |
Chest Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Thigh/hip Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Leg/foot Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Leg Forces L/R |
450/405 pounds |
495/607 pounds |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Rear Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
POOR |
Thigh Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
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 safer than the Grand Cherokee:
|
Forester |
Grand Cherokee |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
103 |
253 |
Neck Tension |
201 lbs. |
402 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.87 in |
1.22 in |
Shoulder Force |
201 lbs. |
223 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.02 in |
1.34 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
7 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
892 lbs. |
1004 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Compression |
134 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.34 in |
1.61 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
5 MPH |
8 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Pelvis Force |
580 lbs. |
803 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
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 Grand Cherokee is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.