2021 Toyota Sienna vs 2021 Subaru Forester

Outside of John Travolta’s praise of the Oldsmobile Silhouette in 1995’s Get Shorty, minivans have never been fashion icons. Toyota’s designers have done their best to change that with the new Sienna Hybrid, within the confines of the genre. At first glance, the Sienna manages to present with a more SUV-like appearance. A wide grille helps emphasize the minivan’s width, and LED headlamp arrays give a sleek look, horizontally arranged and integrated into a panel that also houses a proud Toyota logo. From the rear, the Sienna has a big rear window but still manages to look wide and low (for a minivan). Fit and finish on the exterior is Toyota quality—which is to say, superb.

While the Forester was redesigned for the 2019 model year, the styling looks a lot older. That’s because it largely carried over from the previous-generation Forester. The biggest difference is actually the taillights, which have a distinctive cross shape on the current, fifth-generation Forester. The Forester has a clean and unpretentious look compared to many other compact crossovers, in our opinion.

According to CarGurus experts, the 2021 Toyota Sienna is rated 8 out of 10 for performance, while the 2021 Subaru Forester is rated 6 out of 10.

The 2021 Sienna Hybrid is the company’s first hybrid minivan. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and two electric motors combine to produce 243 horsepower. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is available on all trim levels. The Sienna Hybrid models are predicted to achieve 36 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, 36 mpg combined for FWD models, and 35/36/35 mpg combined for AWD models.

The 2021 Forester is available with only one powertrain: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, connected to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The Forester gets an EPA-rated 29 mpg combined (26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway).

The Sienna is ready to be the family workhorse, actually capable of carrying a full four-by-eight sheet of plywood inside with the tailgate completely closed. The Sienna can handle up to 3,500 pounds of towing. Its 288-volt Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack is cleverly tucked in under the front seats in a single stack design, and it doesn’t impact cargo space at all.

The Forester offers a generous amount of cargo space, with 35.4 cubic feet with the rear seats in place, and 76.1 cubic feet with the 60/40 split-folding rear bench down. The Forester may not have the epic 19 cupholders of its three-row Ascent sibling, but the cupholders you do get are decently sized, without getting in the way.

According to CarGurus experts, the 2021 Toyota Sienna is rated 9 out of 10 for technology, while the 2021 Subaru Forester is rated 7 out of 10.

The Sienna packs in a ton of standard and available technology features, including a nine-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, and a rear-seat entertainment system available on XLE and above.

The standard Subaru Starlink infotainment system includes a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a CD player. Sport models add an 8-inch touchscreen and Harman Kardon audio system, while Limited and Touring models add navigation and dual USB ports in the rear center console.

The Sienna Hybrid comes with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which includes full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, lane-tracing assist, pre-collision system with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, and more.

The 2021 Forester received the highest “Top Safety Pick+” award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The standard EyeSight suite includes adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and more.