Where each one leads
Subaru Forester
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Subaru Forester uses 8.3 l/100 km, the 1998 Suzuki Sidekick 10.6.
Suzuki Sidekick
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Subaru Forester | Suzuki Sidekick | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1995–2026 | 1988–2000 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 123,016 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 16,285 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 10,049 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 7,179 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Subaru Forester | Suzuki Sidekick | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 70% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +3% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.4% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −9% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.4% | — |
| US owner complaints | 6,520 | 221 |
| Most complaints about | Visibility/wiper | Engine and engine cooling |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (834) | 1996 (59) |
| US recall campaigns | 44 | 4 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,607 | 49 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 10 | 7 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Subaru Forester | Suzuki Sidekick | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Subaru Forester | Suzuki Sidekick | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) | 10.6 l/100 km (1998) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 8.5 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 185 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 110 kW (148 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,742 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €38,085 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 203,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).