Subaru vs. Honda: A Complete Comparison
Source: Pixabay
If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, Subaru vs. Honda might not be the main brand comparison on your mind. After all, both brands are Japanese manufacturers who target people looking for reliable, durable vehicles that don’t need a lot of flash.
But the similarities between these two brands are exactly the reason you should compare them. After all, if vehicles from one manufacturer appeal to you, chances are the other manufacturer will have a few good options too. Knowing the brand differences is important to help make sure you get as close to your ideal new vehicle as you can.
So, let’s take a closer look, Subaru vs. Honda to see where each brand shines and which is best for what kind of consumer.
Subaru Vs. Honda: Performance Comparison
Performance isn’t necessarily the first thing you’d think of to compare between Subaru and Honda. After all, both brands are focused on making durable, safe, practical vehicles.
However, there are some key performance differences you should consider. While both brands have good handling, good all-weather performance, and reasonable acceleration and speed, Subaru goes for more standard performance while Honda gives their vehicles a bit of sporty flair.
That’s because Subaru uses their standard “boxer” engine, while Honda has a little more variability between different models.
So, we’re going to give this one to Honda. Subaru might offer a lot of consistency, but Honda tends to have an edge in acceleration, maneuverability, and speed across similar vehicles.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP
The CoPilot car shopping app is the smartest way to buy a car. Get a curated list of the best cars for sale in your area, as well as notifications if a similar vehicle is listed nearby at a lower price. CoPilot is the smartest way to shop for used cars.
Subaru Vs. Honda: Interior Comfort And Style
When it comes to choosing the right vehicle, few things matter more than the interior. That’s because for all the other features a vehicle should have, the interior is where you’ll usually spend the most time and make the most decisions.
That means that you should be looking for something that’s comfortable, durable, and offers the features you’re looking for. Even small interior defects can turn into huge problems over the time you own a vehicle.
Thinking about interior comfort and features, Honda comes out on top. Their vehicles tend to be just a little more comfortable and have a lot more features built-in. Honda is also known for building a lot of hidden storage space into their vehicles, which is great for long road trips.
However, we will give Subaru the edge in one detail, durability. Subaru really focuses on vehicles that can handle rough treatment and rough and tumble living, and their interiors reflect that focus. Their materials and design might not be comfortable, but they will likely last longer than Honda’s.
Price and Value
Price is another difficult category to score for these two brands. When it comes to Subaru vs. Honda, for similar models and model years, the prices are very comparable. So comparable, in fact, that we had to take a closer look at the offerings to come up with a winner.
That’s because both manufacturers also sell vehicles that age at similar rates, maintain value at similar rates, and have similar value used and as rentals.
That being said, we’re going to give the slight edge here to Subaru, simply because Subaru has a slightly larger affordable vehicle offering, while Honda has a few more vehicles that are just a little more expensive than their Subaru competitor.
THE 10 MOST RELIABLE AMERICAN CARS
Because the car buying experience is so stressful, it’s helpful to go into the dealership with information ahead of time. Therefore, we’ve curated a list of the 10 most reliable American cars so you can approach the process from a place of empowerment.
Safety
Both Subaru and Honda offer a suite of safety features that are standard on all of their vehicles. That’s important because having the best possible safety should always be a big priority when it comes to choosing a new vehicle.
However, choosing a winner for this category is a little difficult since the features are, once again, very similar and come with similar benefits. Features like adaptive cruise control or automatic high beams might not seem like a big deal, but they can make a huge difference over long-distance driving, especially at night.
Ultimately though, because Subaru makes their safety features just a little more standard, and because their safety features seem to work better together, creating a safer overall driving experience.
Fuel Economy
When it comes to fuel economy, both Honda and Subaru have individual vehicles that are more efficient than their competitor’s versions. So they’re both pretty close in terms of fuel economy, and some vehicles from each brand will perform better overall.
That said, we’re going to give the slightest edge in fuel economy to Subaru. That’s because Honda’s sportier designs often mean using just a little more gas per mile. The trade-off is better maneuverability and speed but spending a little more at the pump.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TINT CAR WINDOWS?
Different tints block different levels of UV light and in the long run can prevent sun damage to your skin and eyes, but how much does it cost to tint car windows? We’ve got the answer.
Model Types And Varieties
This is another category where these two brands are relatively well matched overall. Both Subaru and Honda have wide ranges of vehicles, and since they compete for similar consumers, Subaru and Honda also tend to have a similar number of models in each vehicle type.
So, while other brands can be compared on how much variety they have and how effective those vehicles are, for Subaru vs. Honda, we’re going to focus on how effective the vehicles are.
When it comes to subcompact SUVs, Subaru tends to offer better features, better variety, and a higher quality vehicle. But, when it comes to small cars, mid-size cars, compact and full-size SUVs, and even hybrids and electric vehicles, Honda tends to do a bit better.
So, for this category, we’re going to have to give Honda the edge. Consumers seem to be just a little happier with Honda vehicles and a little more likely to come back to Honda has a brand than Subaru.
Which Brand Comes Out On Top?
When it comes to Honda vs. Subaru, giving one manufacturer a win over the other is a bit of a challenge. After all, they’re incredibly similar and have similar priorities and similar consumer groups.
However, we’re going to give the win to Honda. They’ve got just enough of an edge in performance, model variety, and quality, and comfort to make up for the slight edge Subaru carries in price and safety.
It’s important to remember, though, these manufactures are incredibly similar. Just because one manufacturer did slightly better in one category doesn’t mean that the other manufacturer is bad. In fact, across all our comparison categories, these brands performed almost identically well.
Get a Curated List of the Best Used Cars Near You
The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
