2022 Jeep Renegade vs. 2022 Subaru Forester

The Renegade has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Renegade has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Forester and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Renegade’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Renegade and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes and front and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Renegade is safer than the Subaru Forester:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Renegade for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Renegade’s warranty.

The engine in the Renegade has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Forester has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th, below the industry average.

The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 34 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Renegade is faster than the Subaru Forester:

Both the Renegade and the Forester have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Renegades have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Renegade has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Renegade’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

The Renegade stops much shorter than the Forester:

For better traction, the Renegade Latitude/Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (235/45R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Renegade Latitude/Limited’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Renegade Latitude/Limited offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Renegade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Forester doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Renegade Sport 4x4 handles at .79 G’s, while the Forester Limited pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Jeep Renegade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 300 pounds less than the Subaru Forester.

The Renegade is 1 foot, 4.1 inches shorter than the Forester, making the Renegade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The power windows standard on both the Renegade and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Renegade is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Renegade’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Renegade’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Renegade’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

The Renegade has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

The Renegade (except Sport) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Renegade Limited’s optional Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Renegade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Renegade is less expensive to operate than the Forester because it costs $82 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Renegade than the Forester, including $82 less for a water pump, $413 less for fuel injection, $68 less for a fuel pump, $77 less for a timing belt/chain and $46 less for a power steering pump.