Compare the2026 Mazda CX-70VS 2025 Subaru Forester

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Mazda CX-70 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Forester doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-70 SC Plus/Premium has a standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Forester doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The CX-70 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 CX-70 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and it’s not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the CX-70 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The Mazda CX-70 weighs 763 to 1688 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Mazda CX-70 is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	CX-70	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	53	56
Hip Force	174 lbs.	349 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	21	208
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	58 G’s
Hip Force	416 lbs.	640 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	34 G’s
Hip Force	439 lbs.	589 lbs.

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 CX-70 is 1.9% to 4.7% less likely to roll over than the Forester.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CX-70 second among midsize suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda third in reliability, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 21st.

Engine

The CX-70 has more powerful engines than the Forester:

	Horsepower	Torque
CX-70 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	280 HP	332 lbs.-ft.
CX-70 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	323 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
CX-70 Turbo S 3.3 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	340 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
Forester 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	180 HP	178 lbs.-ft.
Forester Wilderness 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 HP	176 lbs.-ft.
Forester 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	194 HP

As tested in Car and Driver the CX-70 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Subaru Forester 4 cyl. hybrid gas:

	CX-70	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	8.4 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	15.2 sec	22.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.2 sec	9.2 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.7 sec	4.2 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	3.9 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	118 MPH	113 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The CX-70 PHEV can travel with zero emissions for 32 miles. The Forester can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The CX-70’s standard fuel tank has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (18.5 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The CX-70 Turbo S’ standard fuel tank has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (19.6 vs. 16.6 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-70’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

	CX-70	CX-70 Premium/Turbo S/PHEV	Forester Wilderness	Forester Hybrid
Front Rotors	12.9 inches	13.7 inches	12.4 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.8 inches	11.2 inches	11.8 inches

The CX-70 stops much shorter than the Forester:

	CX-70	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-70 has larger standard tires than the Forester (265/55R19 vs. 225/60R17). The CX-70 Turbo/Turbo S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (275/45R21 vs. 235/50R19).

The CX-70 PHEV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester’s standard 60 series tires. The CX-70 Turbo/Turbo S’ tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Forester Sport/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-70 PHEV has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The CX-70 Turbo/Turbo S’ 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Touring.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-70 has 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 CX-70’s wheelbase is 17.9 inches longer than on the Forester (122.8 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-70 is 5.5 inches wider in the front and 5.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The CX-70 Turbo S Premium handles at .86 G’s, while the Forester Sport pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-70 PHEV SC Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Sport (26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The CX-70 has 30.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Forester (141.6 vs. 110.8).

The CX-70 has 1.5 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-70 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Forester with its rear seat up (39.6 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The CX-70 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Forester with its rear seat folded (75.3 vs. 74.4 cubic feet).

The CX-70’s cargo area is larger than the Forester’s in almost every dimension:

	CX-70	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	50.1”/97.5”	36.5”/70.7”
Max Width	49.8”	51.2”
Min Width	43.7”	43.3”
Height	31.6”	34.9”

Towing

The CX-70’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The CX-70 offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CX-70 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The CX-70 PHEV SC Plus/Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the CX-70 and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the CX-70 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 CX-70’s front and rear power windows all 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.

On a hot day the CX-70’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 CX-70 has standard Advanced Keyless Entry and Start that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The CX-70’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-70’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 Mazda CX-70 and Subaru Forester offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The CX-70 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 CX-70 Premium Plus has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, 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.

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