Subaru vs. Toyota: A Complete Comparison
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If you’re looking for reliable utilitarian vehicles, two of the brands that probably come to mind first are Subaru and Toyota. But comparing Subaru vs. Toyota is a little more complicated. After all, both are Japanese brands, and they have a lot of overlap in style and design features. That said, if you’re considering a vehicle from one of these manufacturers, you probably should think about the brand comparison and which manufacturer will be better suited to your needs.
Thankfully, we’ve done the research for you.
Here’s what you need to know about Subaru vs. Toyota across key features and functions, how well the vehicles perform over time, and what kinds of vehicles each brand has available.
Subaru Vs. Toyota: Performance Comparison
When it comes to performance, neither Subaru nor Toyota is really paying the bills with performance stats. That’s not to say that either brand is low performance or bad performance, but rather that both brands have competitors that do better in terms of speed, power, and handling performance.
But where do both brands shine in terms of performance? Reliability. Subaru and Toyota both have reputations for hard-wearing, long-lasting vehicles that are intentionally overbuilt so that they can handle whatever you want to throw at them.
However, when we look at the actual metrics around performance, especially long-term reliability, Toyota has a slight edge over Subaru. That’s not because of Subaru’s general performance, but rather because of individual models, like the Ascent, that get lower than average reliability scores in testing.
Neither of these brands has much investment in sportiness for their vehicles. So, while both manufacturers get reasonable speed, have similar horsepower and acceleration, neither can boast the fastest acceleration or highest top speed for their class.
So, while these brands are close in terms of performance, with Toyota pulling slightly ahead, you may want to consider a different brand if you’re looking for a sportier vehicle.
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Subaru vs. Toyota: Interior Comfort And Style
When it comes to the interior, we have another very close match here. Both of these brands are known for their rugged durability more than their comfort, and that emphasis tends to show in their interiors.
Subaru, in particular, tends to be a low-frills manufacturer, which means there aren’t as many bells and whistles included in their standard release vehicles.
Toyota also tends to have a slimmed-down interior profile, designed to keep you comfortable, but perhaps not overly so.
Both brands use similar materials, but we’ll give Subaru a slight edge in terms of the durability of their interiors.
Which, ultimately, is what clinches this category for Subaru. While neither brand gives you a lot of extras in the cabin, both have reasonably standard offerings. So, when it comes down to which interior is better for more consumers, you’ve got to think about which interior is going to last.
Subaru’s interior is designed to do just that, and their vehicles’ interiors hold up well even against the challenges of camping, cross country road trips, small children, and even pets.
Price and Value
In terms of price and value, Toyota and Subaru are similar again, but not identical. These two brands have been handed awards for the best brand and best value back and forth for years. Every few years, one brand pulls ahead in terms of affordability and long-term value, only for the other brand to catch back up a year or two later.
That being said, the value of each brand depends a little on what model year you’re looking at.
In terms of the most recent releases, we’re going to go ahead and give the win to Subaru, but with a few caveats.
The caveats are that, while Subaru seems to be holding value a little better and is a slightly more affordable brand for what you’re getting, there are some other things that can lower the value of a Subaru more than a similar Toyota.
For one thing, Subaru dealerships are slightly rarer in the United States than Toyota, which means that the cost to repair a Subaru is slightly higher. Subaru’s engine design is also more expensive to repair, and the brand has a known head-gasket issue that hasn’t been fully resolved despite being known for several years now.
So, while Subaru holds value a little better and may be a better deal, they can also be the more expensive vehicle if certain things go wrong while you own one.
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Safety
Safety is one area we’re going to give Subaru the win without much contest, even though Toyota is definitely catching up in terms of safety. Both manufacturers focus a lot on safety and durability, but Subaru’s suite of standard safety features is just a little more extensive and a little more effective than the suite of features Toyota tends to offer.
However, we will give Toyota a nod for having a more innovative suite of safety features, but ones that still need a little more performance testing to see how well they do in real traffic.
Fuel Economy
In terms of fuel economy, we’re going to focus on base performance ratings since these two brands are very similar in most metrics again. Looking at base fuel economy ratings, Toyota pulls just slightly ahead, getting a better rating on both city and highway fuel economy.
That being said, Subaru isn’t far behind, and the two brands are close enough that this probably shouldn’t be a deciding category for most consumers.
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Model Types And Varieties
When it comes to models and a variety of vehicles, these two brands are relatively similarly matched again. However, when it comes to a variety of different kinds of vehicles, Toyota does better and has a much wider range of available options. Subaru, on the other hand, might have more variety inside any one category of vehicle, but they mostly focus on compact vehicles and crossovers.
So, when it comes to variety, we’ll give it to Toyota. But if you’re looking for a compact vehicle or crossover, Subaru might have more nuanced availability.
Overall, of these two, we’d say that the two brands are almost entirely tied, but we’d give the win to Toyota for being the more utilitarian and varied brand, while Subaru wins in some more specialized categories.
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