Family is the most valuable cargo you’ll ever travel with, and keeping them safe and comfortable will always be your primary focus when looking to purchase a new vehicle. Luckily, in today’s market, you don’t need to give up versatility, comfort, or style when looking into a new car. The industry is way beyond just offering sedans or minivans for families. With SUVs and crossovers taking over the car industry, there’s a wide range of affordable options that offer everything you are looking for to keep your family’s travels as pleasant as they possibly can be. Let’s bring two of the most affordable SUVs in the industry to the ring for a match-up: 2021 Nissan Rogue vs 2021 Subaru Forester.
Have the Freedom to Enjoy the Ride with Top-Notch Safety Features
Nothing is more stressful while driving than worrying about the safety of your passengers – never mind when that precious cargo is your children. Over-inspecting the car seat, always checking the mirrors two, three, sometimes four times over before backing up, and even checking all directions at least three times after a stop sign. The environment around us while we drive can be so unpredictable, and the danger of an accident that could harm you and your passengers or another driver is constant. Advancements in technology have helped ease car drivers’ minds with new safety features that we can find in today’s models.
Starting at an MSRP of around $25,850, the 2021 Nissan Rogue was built with a focus on family safety and was awarded the 2021 Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. There’s no wonder why when you take a look at the laundry list of safety features from the 10 airbags to the Zone Body Construction that absorbs the impact from a collision. The Snug Kids Child Safety Fit Guide will help you find the proper fitting car seat, and a rear door alert system will remind you to check the rear seat so no passenger or belonging is left behind. The Anti-lock Braking System helps you maintain steering control of your vehicle during a sudden brake, and the Electronic Brakeforce Distribution determines braking needs for extra weight when needed.
With all of the general safety features combined with the driver-assist features, you can relax a little more and enjoy your ride. Some of the amazing driver-assist features that are part of the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite include Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Automatic Braking, and Lane Departure Warning. You also get High Beam Assist that turns your high beams off when it detects an oncoming vehicle.
Some of the safety features found in the Rogue’s come standard with most models today and can be found with the 2021 Subaru Forester, which has an MSRP starting at $24,795. Subaru also adds its own flair to the Forester’s safety features with its DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System. This system works with Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist system and can recognize up to 5 different drivers to keep not only their preferences stored within the car’s memory – like seat and mirrors positions and climate settings – but can also monitor when you get drowsy or distracted and give you an alert to regain your focus. That seems pretty intelligent and helpful, especially for those lengthy early morning commutes or for the long vacation travels. Both models score high on the safety card, but now what about comfort?
There’s No Need to Dread the Ride When Comfort Comes with Size and Accessories
Unless you’ve actually had an enjoyable lengthy commute with kids, you will cringe at the sound of “kids” and “lengthy commute” in the same sentence. Children can be loud, antsy, and can cause anxiety to even the calmest of souls during a long commute. Thankfully, the size of newer models today and the technology they are equipped with have saved our traveling minds from the days of kids kicking the backs of our seats and screaming, “Are we there yet?”
When it comes to the size match-up for 2021 Nissan Rogue vs 2021 Subaru Forester, they are actually pretty comparable in length, width, and height, and both hold up to 5 people. The Forester does win when it comes to a spacious interior, just by a hair, offering a total of 111.9 cubic feet passenger volume and a maximum of 76.1 cubic feet for cargo, while the Rogue only has a total of 105.4 cubic feet of passenger space and a max of 74.1 cubic feet for cargo. Truly, the difference is not something you are really going to notice. The Rogue, however, does offer a more luxurious ride for the whole family.
Rogue keeps its families comfortable with its Bose Premium Audio System and availability to add accent illumination throughout the vehicle, as well as 3 comfort zones to keep everyone at their own personal temperature. It also offers features specifically designed with your family in mind like four-door keyless entry, rear doors that open almost 90 degrees, and rear sunshades. Both models offer smartphone connection and wireless charging options to keep everyone’s devices ready at all times.
An SUV’s Performance Should Provide You with Versatility and Adventure
When it comes to an SUV, performance isn’t just about horsepower or fuel economy. Granted, Rogue can give you up to 35 miles per gallon on the highway and puts out up to 181 horsepower, while the Forester offers up to 33 miles per gallon on the highway and up to 182 horsepower. But when most think of an SUV – yes, you want great gas mileage and a spacious interior – you also think versatility and adventure.
SUVs should be able to offer a great ride off the pavement and in all types of weather. Subaru’s Forester comes with all-wheel drive standard with all of its trims, offering 8.7 inches of ground clearance as well as the availability of X-MODE that offers Hill Descent Control and optimizes the all-wheel drive. However, don’t count the Rogue out of this category because it has all-wheel drive as an available option. So, if you don’t live in an area with a lot of inclement weather or if you don’t need the extra capability, you can go with the standard front-wheel drive. However, if you want that extra bit of control, you can get the all-wheel drive.
And the Winning SUV Is….
When it comes to the 2021 Nissan Rogue vs 2021 Subaru Forester, the winner for us is the 2021 Nissan Rogue. While each model offers excellent passenger and cargo space, great gas mileage, features, and accessories to make your family’s ride as comfortable and entertaining as possible, the Rogue just offers that little bit extra that your family will love. There are a variety of family-friendly features to love in this model, and the performance aspects are also pretty great. Not to mention, the Nissan Rogue comes at an excellent starting price that leaves you with plenty of room to upgrade features as you see fit for your family. While the Forester is a good SUV option, we simply think that the Rogue is the better fit for families.
