2021 Hyundai Kona vs 2021 Subaru Forester

The 2021 Hyundai Kona was a funky small SUV that combined mild and wild styling elements. Its front end featured a busy array of lighting, including a grille flanked by lights, additional lights above, and fog lights on some trims. This playful design appealed to younger buyers. The rear of the Kona was more subdued, adopting a standard crossover shape with a conventional lighting setup. Inside, the Kona maintained its fun attitude without being overly whimsical. The seats had neat patterns and standard cloth upholstery, with leather available on higher trims. The interior was well-organized, featuring a high-mounted infotainment touchscreen and physical climate controls, making it simple and intuitive to navigate.

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Forester, despite being redesigned in 2019, retained an older styling look, largely carried over from its previous generation. The most notable change was the distinctive cross-shaped taillights. Subaru seemed to have adopted a "don't fix what isn't broken" approach, as the Forester's boxy, upright shape was exactly what many SUV shoppers desired. The Base trim appeared plain with 17-inch steel wheels, but the Forester's clean and unpretentious look stood out among compact crossovers. The Sport models added orange striping, a rear spoiler, and black 18-inch alloy wheels, which made a significant visual impact. The Forester's interior was a no-nonsense mix of durable materials, with the Sport trim adding orange accents. Cloth upholstery was standard on Base, Premium, and Sport models, while Limited and Touring trims offered leather. The All-Weather Package, standard on Premium and higher trims, included heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors, and a windshield de-icer.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona offered two powertrain options. The base model featured a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. The optional turbocharged 1.6-liter engine delivered 195 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, with all-wheel drive available for an additional $1,400. While neither engine was particularly powerful, they provided sufficient power for city and highway driving. The dual-clutch transmission enhanced the sporty feel but was less smooth at low speeds. The Kona handled with confidence, offering agility and engagement, while maintaining comfort and composure on curvy roads. Fuel economy varied, with the base engine and FWD achieving 27/33/30 mpg city/highway/combined, and the turbo engine with AWD delivering 26/29/27 mpg.

The 2021 Subaru Forester came with a single powertrain: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The engine's boxer configuration provided a lower center of gravity. Subaru quoted a 1,500-pound towing capacity, with Trailer Stability Assist as standard. While adequate in most situations, the engine lacked the desired thrust for highway merging and overtaking. The Forester's suspension was softly tuned, absorbing bumps but resulting in poor body control and noticeable body roll in corners. AWD was standard, with a sophisticated drivetrain featuring X-Mode for different surfaces. Sport models had Dual X-Mode with "Snow/Dirt" and "Snow/Mud" modes. The Forester offered 8.7 inches of ground clearance, enhancing its off-road capability, though serious off-roaders might prefer alternatives like the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona provided decent headroom and legroom for front-seat passengers, with an optional sunroof that didn't significantly reduce headroom. Controls and displays were easily accessible, and the front seats were wide and well-padded, though lacking in support. Back-seat passengers had good headroom but limited legroom. The large rear door openings facilitated loading and unloading, but large rear-facing car seats could pose challenges for taller front passengers. The Kona's cargo space was limited, only surpassing the Mazda CX-3 in its segment. However, small-item storage was generous, with large door pockets and a spacious center console area.

The 2021 Subaru Forester offered above-average headroom and legroom in both rows, thanks to its tall, flat roofline. This design also provided excellent outward visibility and a roomy feel, though it allowed sunlight to raise cabin temperatures quickly. The Forester boasted 35.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 76.1 cubic feet with them folded, surpassing the Honda CR-V and 2022 Hyundai Tucson in some configurations. However, it lacked a sliding second-row bench like the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue. A power liftgate was optional on the Sport trim and standard on Limited and Touring trims. The Forester's cupholders were decently sized, and the center console was reasonably spacious, though the phone-storage cubby was too small for average-sized phones. A power-adjustable driver's seat was not standard, requiring an upgrade to the Premium trim. The Forester featured large knobs for audio and climate control, but the steering wheel's numerous buttons could be confusing.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona came equipped with an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth, six speakers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and USB inputs. Available tech included SiriusXM radio, navigation, wireless device charging, a Harman Kardon audio system, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen. Hyundai's infotainment software was simple, colorful, and responsive, making it easy to navigate without excessive clicks. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were significant advantages, especially for lower trims, providing navigation, streaming audio, and voice controls.

The 2021 Subaru Forester featured the Subaru Starlink infotainment system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, front-row USB ports, and a CD player. Sport models added an 8-inch touchscreen and Harman Kardon audio system, while Limited and Touring trims included navigation and dual USB ports in the rear center console. The Forester's infotainment system was user-friendly, with well-designed graphics and backup analog controls, including physical shortcut buttons. However, the screen was slow to boot up. In addition to the main touchscreen, Subaru included a secondary screen in the dashboard and a small screen in the instrument cluster, displaying secondary information like fuel economy and tire pressure. This setup seemed overly complex, as much of the same information could be displayed on both screens.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona earned a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) with "Good" scores in all crash test areas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded it five stars overall. Standard safety features included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-following assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a driver attention warning system, and rear occupant alert. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a head-up display, and parking sensors.

The 2021 Subaru Forester excelled in safety, receiving the highest "Top Safety Pick+" award from the IIHS, with top "Good" ratings in all crash tests, a "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention tech, and a "Good" rating for headlights. The NHTSA gave it a five-star overall rating, with five stars in frontal and side-crash tests, and four stars in rollover tests. The Forester came standard with EyeSight, a driver-assist suite using cameras near the rearview mirror. EyeSight included adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lead-vehicle start alert. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, lane-keep assist, and reverse automatic braking. The Forester also offered a unique DriverFocus system to monitor driver distraction.