Compare the2026 Kia SorentoVS 2025 Subaru Forester

Both the Sorento and Forester have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Forester’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Sorento has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Sorento has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Sorento’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 Sorento and the Forester 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Kia Sorento is safer than the Subaru Forester:

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Sorento is 1.5% less likely to roll over than the Forester.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Forester’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Forester. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Forester ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

There are over 24 percent more Kia dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Sorento has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Forester’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sorento has a standard 760-amp battery. The Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The Sorento has more powerful engines than the Forester:

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Subaru Forester 4 cyl.:

The Sorento has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (17.7 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Sorento stops much shorter than the Forester:

For better traction, the Sorento has larger standard tires than the Forester (235/65R17 vs. 225/60R17). The Sorento EX/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (255/45R20 vs. 235/50R19).

The Sorento EX/SX’s 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/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento EX/SX has standard 20-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Sorento has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Forester doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 5.9 inches longer than on the Forester (110.8 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Forester Sport pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Forester Sport (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Forester can only carry 5.

The Sorento has .9 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Forester.

The Sorento’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento. The Forester doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento 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.

On a hot day the Sorento’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Sorento has a standard Smart Key that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The Sorento SX’s standard 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 Sorento’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/Limited/Touring.

Both the Kia Sorento and Subaru Forester offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Sorento offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Forester’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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