Compare the2026 Jeep CherokeeVS 2026 Subaru Forester

Both the Cherokee and Forester have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Cherokee 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 Jeep Cherokee Overland’s optional 360-degree camera is equipped with washers for its front and rear cameras, ensuring crystal-clear visibility in any weather condition. Conversely, the Subaru Forester only offers a rear camera washer, which may not provide the same level of all-weather performance.

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee has standard Rear Cross Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and it’s not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Cherokee’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 Cherokee and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

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 Cherokee’s warranty.

The Cherokee’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 30 more horsepower (210 vs. 180) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (230 vs. 178) than the Forester’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Cherokee’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 16 more horsepower (210 vs. 194) and 230 lbs.-ft. more torque (230 vs. ) than the Forester’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Cherokee gets better mileage than the Forester:

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Forester:

The Cherokee stops shorter than the Forester:

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

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Forester doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cherokee’s wheelbase is 8.1 inches longer than on the Forester (113 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Cherokee is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Cherokee uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Forester doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (33.6 vs. 29.6 cubic feet).

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

The Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Cherokee 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.

The Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Forester does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Cherokee and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Cherokee 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 Cherokee’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/Wilderness/Sport/Limited/Touring’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Cherokee’s standard Keyless Enter-N-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Keyless Access and Start is only offered on the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Wilderness/Touring, and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The Cherokee’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 Cherokee’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.

The Cherokee Overland has a 115-volt a/c outlet, 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 Cherokee Overland’s Automated Parking System can parallel park by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.