The Forester is Subaru's most successful model to date and is the product that the majority of the public now associates with the marque. How does the Forester compare in the value stakes when looking at two popular rivals?

Subaru Forester

The medium-sized SUV segment is bustling with tempting propositions from some of the best automakers in the business, making it difficult to choose which model to take home. The Subaru Forester is unique among many of its peers, with genuine off-road ability, but how does the rest of the package compare with the likes of the new Hyundai Tucson and Mazda CX-5 in terms of value?

MAZDA CX-5

Practicality

All three products are comparable from a dimensions perspective and trade blows in various departments with the Forester and Tucson having similar boot sizes at 520 and 539-litres respectively, with the CX-5 featuring a 442-litre boot. With the second row folded flat, the Mazda has the most space at 1 914-litres, followed by the Hyundai at 1 860-litres and the Subaru at 1 060-litres. When it comes to ground clearance and towing capacity, the Subaru wins, sporting 220mm and a braked towing capacity of 1 800kg to the Mazda's 185mm and 1 000kg, and the Hyundai's 181mm and 1 650kg.

HYUNDAI TUCSON

Specification

Our trio all feature good standard specifications with 17-inch alloy wheels, 6 airbags (7 in the Subaru), ABS, stability control, outer rear ISOFIX child seat anchor points, front/rear USB ports, front and rear electric windows, air conditioning, cruise control, cloth seats, auto lights, front fog lamps and reverse cameras.

The Subaru get keyless entry/start, an electrically operated driver's seat and an all-wheel drive system, all great features while the Mazda's LED headlights, automatic wipers/mirrors and rear PDC are also nice to haves.

Performance

While performance is not high on the list of priorities for a family SUV, it is handy to have good overtaking torque, which our trio appear to lack. The Mazda is the most powerful product here and has the most torque but is the heaviest, making the Hyundai and Subaru similar in terms of performance. In terms of fuel consumption, all three products are similar on paper, but it is the Subaru with the lowest claimed consumption figure.

 VERDICT

Looking at the data, there can only be one winner and in this case, it is the Subaru Forester by virtue of its low list price, features, competitive performance and drivetrain along with its maintenance plan.

Write a comment