2025 Jeep Wrangler vs 2025 Subaru Forester

The 2025 Subaru Forester underwent a noticeable visual transformation, focusing on a more generic yet refined appearance. It featured standard roof rails and 17-inch alloy wheels, with higher trims offering larger wheels and distinctive accents. The Forester Sport, for instance, showcased bronze trim accents and 19-inch wheels, while the Touring trim boasted a low-profile roof rack and chrome badging. The interior was upgraded with a more intentional design, featuring structural dash elements and various upholstery options, including the easy-to-clean StarTex material in the Sport trim. The cabin's overall look was more cohesive and thoughtfully designed, enhancing the Forester's practicality and appeal.

In contrast, the 2025 Jeep Wrangler Sport S, with its black-on-black color scheme, was less about aesthetics and more about rugged functionality. Despite its heat-absorbing exterior, the Wrangler's design remained true to its roots, emphasizing American freedom and off-road capability. The interior was basic, with gray fabric dashboard trim and metallic accents, but it included a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Wrangler's design was nostalgic, drawing from its military vehicle heritage, and it maintained its iconic seven-slot front grille. While not as sophisticated as other modern vehicles, the Wrangler's appeal lay in its ability to tackle diverse terrains and its Made in the U.S.A. label.

The 2025 Subaru Forester featured a 2.5-liter Boxer four-cylinder engine, producing 180 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain was paired with a Lineartonic continuously variable transmission (CVT) and Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system, both standard across all trims. The Forester's performance was not particularly peppy, but it was stable and confident on various surfaces, thanks to the X-Mode system, which became standard at the Premium trim level. The Forester's fuel economy was rated at 26 mpg city, 33 highway, and 29 combined, with slight variations for Sport and Touring trims.

The 2025 Jeep Wrangler offered a choice between a 3.6-liter V6 engine with a six-speed manual transmission and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The latter produced 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, offering a more lively performance, especially at higher elevations. The Wrangler's fuel economy was slightly better with the turbocharged engine, rated at 21 mpg combined, compared to 19-20 mpg for the V6. The Wrangler excelled in off-road capabilities, with standard four-wheel drive, high ground clearance, and generous approach and departure angles, making it well-suited for adventurous driving.

The 2025 Subaru Forester introduced a hands-free power liftgate, enhancing convenience for loading and unloading cargo. The cargo space measured 29.6 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 74.4 cubic feet with them folded down. The Forester's interior was spacious, providing ample room for passengers and cargo, although it fell slightly short compared to some competitors. The Premium trim offered a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, while higher trims added more comfort features, such as heated and ventilated seats.

The 2025 Jeep Wrangler's high ground clearance and narrow door openings made entry and exit challenging, but once inside, the front seats were comfortable and supportive. The Sport S trim featured cloth upholstery, with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel available through the Convenience Group option pack. The Wrangler's rear-seat legroom was adequate, but taller passengers needed to be cautious of the plastic hooks on the front seatback panels. Cargo space was reasonable, with a 31.7 cubic-foot cargo hold that could be expanded to 72.4 cubic feet by folding the back seat down. However, accessing the cargo area was cumbersome due to the tailgate and rear window design.

The 2025 Subaru Forester introduced an 11.6-inch Multimedia Plus infotainment system, standard on all but the base trim. It included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual USB-A and USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. The Touring trim added a navigation system powered by TomTom and SiriusXM Travel Link, along with an 11-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Subaru's Starlink connected services suite offered additional capabilities, such as Valet Mode and Remote Vehicle Configuration.

The 2025 Jeep Wrangler featured the Uconnect 5 infotainment system with a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Sport S trim came with an eight-speaker stereo, with a nine-speaker Alpine premium sound system available as an option. Jeep Connect provided access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, Adventure Guides, and GPS Trail Logs for off-road navigation. The Convenience Group pack added a 7-inch digital display between the analog gauges, passive entry, and a remote engine starting system.

The 2025 Subaru Forester offered a new safety feature, Emergency Stop Assist, available on the Touring trim. This feature worked in conjunction with adaptive cruise control to slow the vehicle to a stop if the driver became unresponsive. Subaru's EyeSight suite of advanced driver-assistance technology came standard, with enhancements for 2025, including a wider field of view and an electric brake booster. While the 2025 Forester had not yet been crash-tested, the 2024 model received a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS and a five-star rating from the NHTSA.

The 2025 Jeep Wrangler added side curtain airbags for the front and rear seats, a notable safety improvement. Advanced driver assistance systems were optional, with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert available on most trims. Forward collision warning with automatic braking was standard on the Sahara trim. The Wrangler received a four-star frontal-impact rating and a three-star rollover resistance rating from the NHTSA. The IIHS rated the Wrangler as Good for side-impact protection and moderate overlap frontal-impact tests, but it received a Marginal rating for the small overlap frontal-impact test.