2024 Chrysler Pacifica vs 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica maintained its contemporary appeal despite not undergoing frequent redesigns. Its smooth exterior styling, featuring a modest grille, offered a refreshing alternative to the flashier designs of competitors like the Toyota Sienna. Chrysler's decision to avoid dressing up the Pacifica as an SUV, unlike the Kia Carnival, contributed to its clean and uncluttered look. The sliding-door tracks were cleverly hidden, eliminating the need for additional styling features to camouflage them, as seen in the Honda Odyssey. The Pacifica was available in various trim levels, including the base Touring, Touring L, Limited, and Pinnacle, with options for different wheel sizes and appearance packages. The interior of the Pacifica was equally distinctive, with a minimalist dashboard design that integrated controls seamlessly. The Pinnacle trim, in particular, featured luxurious touches like brown Nappa leather upholstery and quilted contrast stitching, although some interior elements felt less premium.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid introduced a new look for its sixth-generation model, with a more cohesive design that sacrificed some of its distinctiveness. Its blockier shape and rugged appearance, accentuated by black plastic elements, gave it a more substantial presence. The Forester Hybrid closely resembled its conventionally powered sibling, with only subtle badges distinguishing it. Inside, the Forester retained some of its previous character with a beveled dashboard centre section, now dominated by a large vertical infotainment touchscreen. The cabin featured a mix of hard plastics and soft-touch materials, with the front seats providing ample comfort and support. The hybrid model included heated outboard rear seats and a panoramic sunroof, enhancing the sense of openness. While some argued that the Forester lost some personality, it gained broader appeal with its modern design and practical features.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica was powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine, producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, while all-wheel drive was available on the Touring L and Limited trims and standard on the Pinnacle. The Pacifica Hybrid, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, was also an option. The V6 engine, known as the Pentastar, had a long history in the Stellantis lineup and provided sufficient power for peppy acceleration. It also offered a maximum towing capacity of 1,632 kilograms. The Pacifica's chassis tuning prioritized comfort and stability, making it a quiet and refined minivan compared to its rivals.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid featured a 2.5-litre horizontally opposed flat four-cylinder "boxer" engine, combined with a parallel hybrid system. This setup produced 194 horsepower, surpassing the standard Forester's 180 hp. The hybrid powertrain included two motor/generators and a 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The Forester Hybrid's all-wheel drive system used a traditional driveshaft, providing better traction and consistent off-road performance. While acceleration was adequate, the hybrid transmission sometimes made it feel slower than it was. The ride quality was firmer than expected, but the Forester Hybrid excelled in off-road capabilities, thanks to Subaru's X-Mode drive programming and hill descent control.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica offered the innovative Stow ‘n Go seating, allowing second-row seats to fold flat into the floor, creating large in-floor storage bins. This feature was standard, providing seven seats with second-row bucket seats and a 60/40 split-folding third-row bench seat. Pinnacle models included a power-folding third-row seat and a power liftgate. The Pacifica's passenger space was competitive, with ample headroom and legroom in the first two rows. Cargo space was generous, with 914 litres behind all three rows, 2,477 litres behind the second row, and 3,978 litres with the second and third rows folded. The Stow ‘n Vac built-in vacuum cleaner was a convenient addition, although the raised centre console's storage area was less accessible.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid impressed with its unimpeded forward view, thanks to thinner front roof pillars. The front seats provided ample space and comfort, while the rear seats offered generous legroom and headroom. The standard panoramic sunroof enhanced the sense of openness. The Forester Hybrid featured a wireless charging pad, although its hard plastic surface allowed phones to slide during turns. Storage options included moderately sized cup holders, a deep centre armrest bin, and medium-sized door pockets. The Forester Hybrid offered 779 litres of cargo space, with a hands-free power liftgate and power remote seatback releases for easy loading.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica came equipped with a 10.1-inch touchscreen running the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The system was intuitive and user-friendly, although a shortcut for the 360-degree camera system would have been appreciated. The Pacifica also offered a rear-seat entertainment system with Uconnect Theatre, including touchscreens, wireless headphones, and Amazon Fire TV connectivity. The FamCam allowed parents to monitor rear-seat occupants, although an intercom system was not available.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid featured an 11.6-inch vertical infotainment touchscreen with built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Starlink infotainment system received high marks for its user-friendly interface and large on-screen buttons. The Forester Hybrid included an 11-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system and multiple external camera views for off-roading. The X-Mode off-road drive menu was easily accessible, and the system's simplicity was appreciated.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. It was named a 2023 Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, although it missed the highest award due to low scores in certain crash tests. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist. Optional features included a 360-degree camera system and park assist.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid earned five stars in NHTSA crash tests, except for rollover protection, where it received four stars. The IIHS awarded the non-hybrid model a Top Safety Pick, with "Good" ratings in most categories. The Forester Hybrid came standard with Subaru's EyeSight suite of safety features, including frontal collision warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and lane-keep assist. Additional features like rear automatic braking and blind spot monitoring were included in the top-trim Forester Hybrid.