Compare the2025 Subaru AscentVS 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander

The Ascent 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 Highlander doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Both the Ascent and the Grand Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Grand Highlander:

The Subaru Ascent 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 Highlander is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

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

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Ascent is faster than the Toyota Grand Highlander:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Ascent uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Ascent has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Grand Highlander Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.3 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Ascent has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Grand Highlander’s standard fuel tank (19.3 vs. 17.8 gallons).

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

The Ascent stops much shorter than the Grand Highlander:

The Ascent Premium’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 Grand Highlander LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Ascent Onyx/Limited/Touring/Bronze’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Ascent Touring handles at .80 G’s, while the Grand Highlander XLE AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ascent Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Grand Highlander XLE AWD (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Ascent has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Grand Highlander (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Ascent to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ascent is 4.6 inches shorter than the Grand Highlander, making the Ascent easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Ascent Limited is quieter than the Grand Highlander Platinum AWD (70 vs. 73 dB).

The Ascent has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear hip room, 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room and .2 inches more third row hip room than the Grand Highlander.

While the Grand Highlander Hybrid can only tow 3500, any Ascent can tow a minimum of 5000 pounds.

The engine in the Ascent is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Grand Highlander. 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 Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 38% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ascent’s exterior PIN entry system. The Grand Highlander doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Ascent’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Grand Highlander’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Ascent’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 Grand Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Subaru Ascent has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Homelink® is only available on the Grand Highlander XLE/Limited/Nightshade/Platinum.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Ascent and the Toyota Grand Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.