Mazda Mazda3 (2013) vs. Subaru Forester (2015) Specs

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2013 Mazda Mazda3 and 2015 Subaru Forester Specifications

Model Year	2013	2015
Model	Mazda Mazda3	Subaru Forester
Engine	turbocharged 2.3L I4 DOHC-4v 263 hp@5500 280 lb-ft@3000	turbocharged 2.0L H4 DOHC-4v 250 hp@5600 258 lb-ft@2000
Transmission	6-speed manual	8-speed shiftable CVT
Drivetrain	FWD	AWD
Body	4dr Hatch	4dr SUV
			Difference
Wheelbase	103.9 in	103.9 in	0 in
Length	177.4 in	180.9 in	-3.5 in
Width	69.1 in	70.7 in	-1.6 in
Height	57.9 in	66.4 in	-8.5 in
Curb Weight	3281 lb.	3624 lb.	-343 lb.
Fuel Capacity	14.5 gal.	15.9 gal.	-1.4 gal.
Headroom, Row 1	38.1 in	41.4 in	-3.3 in
Shoulder Room, Row 1	54.9 in	57.0 in	-2.1 in
Hip Room, Row 1	53.7 in	0.0 in	53.7 in
Legroom, Row 1	42.0 in	43.0 in	-1 in
Headroom, Row 2	37.7 in	39.8 in	-2.1 in
Shoulder Room, Row 2	54.0 in	56.5 in	-2.5 in
Hip Room, Row 2	52.2 in	0.0 in	52.2 in
Legroom, Row 2	36.2 in	38.0 in	-1.8 in
Total Legroom	78.2 in (over 2 rows)	81 in (over 2 rows)	-2.8 in
Cargo Volume, Minimum	17.0 ft³	34.4 ft³	-17.4 ft³
Cargo Volume, Maximum	42.8 ft³	74.7 ft³	-31.9 ft³

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TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Mazda Mazda3

2013 Mazda Mazda3 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Comment
2012	The Mazda3 also isn't a clear choice if a roomy rear seat is a top priority. Sitting behind my 5-9 self, I had little room to spare. The rear seat in the Ford Focus is at least as tight, but has a more comfortably positioned cushion. A Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, or Toyota Corolla has far more rear seat room. If you like how the Mazda3 looks and drives, but need more rear seat legroom, the Mazda6 offers another three inches for another $2,100 to $3,700 (depending on trim level). see full Mazda Mazda3 review

What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Mazda Mazda3

2013 Mazda Mazda3 Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2013	4dr Hatch 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	Nice contoured, form fitting seats offer plenty of support, quite comfortable. see full Mazda Mazda3 review

2013 Mazda Mazda3 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2013	4dr Hatch 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	Rear seat a bit tight, needs more room back there. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2012	4dr Hatch 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	It's a joke. You can't fit anything in the back seat aside from children and/or groceries/shopping. Putting an adult back there will require a sincere apology, and possibly a written note and gift bottle of wine. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2012	4dr Sedan 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	Non of either if the front seats are all the way back, but rear seat room is NOT a factor for me. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2012	4dr Sedan 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD	I bought this car to replace a 2004 Mazda 6i Hatchback that I truly loved (got rear-ended and totaled). I did not like the 2012 Mazda 6 at all (or the milage it got), so I went the 3 with Skyactiv. The rear seat and rear legroom is just a bit too small. If it were a tad larger, this would be a awesome car, but the great mileage I get offsets this to a certain degree. see full Mazda Mazda3 review
2012	4dr Hatch 155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD	Rear seat is rather tight, worse than my old Protege5 see full Mazda Mazda3 review

TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Forester

2015 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Comment
2014	Beyond visibility, people buy crossovers to get more space for people and cargo. As in previous Subaru Foresters, the 2014's ceiling is cathedral-high. I could have worn a top hat inside. If you're very tall, and have been seeking a compact vehicle in which you'll easily fit, you've found one. If, on the other hand, you've been seeking expansive elbow room, the Honda CR-V has more of it. And legroom? A combined (first and second row) figure of 81 inches tops every other compact SUV, including the otherwise segment-leading Honda (79.6 inches) and Toyota RAV-4 (79.8 inches). The Chevrolet Equinox offers another tenth of an inch, but with a 188-inch length (vs. the Forester's 181) and 4,083-pound curb weight (vs. the Forester 2.5i's 3,366) it's not truly compact. Subaru has worked no such miracles with shoulder room. At 56.5 inches, the Forester's is typical of the compact crossover class. Add in a small driveline hump (absent in the Honda) and three adults won't happily share the rear seat for long. But how many car owners put three adult-sized people in the second row for long, anyway? Measurements don't tell the entire story. The Honda's rear seat cushion is too low to the floor to provide adults with thigh support, and its rear seatback can be reclined to only two nearly identical positions. In constrast, the Forester's passengers enjoy a comfortably high rear seat that reclines through a broader range. One negative for rear seat comfort: unlike the Ford Escape (but like nearly all other compact crossovers, including the CR-V), the Forester has no rear air vents. Thanks to the tall, square rear body, cargo space is also the best in the segment, though not by as large a margin as the rear seat. Up front, there are plenty of bins in which to stash your stuff. see full Subaru Forester review

What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Subaru Forester

2015 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	I'm 6'3" and often don't fit comfortable in vehicles. I found this had a very nice amount of front seat room. The center console tends to stay out of the way as well, some newer designs have the center stack moving into where my right knee would be. It's a very noticeable improvement over my previous 2009 Escape. I actually found the Forester more comfortable for me than the Outback. I was expecting the opposite. see full Subaru Forester review
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	After looking at Explorer's, I was surprised how much more room the Forester had in the back seat. Granted it doesn't have a third row, but if you don't need a 3rd row, the Forester is hard to beat in this segment for rear seat room. We can put a forward facing child seat in the back, move the front seat up a about 2 inches from all the way back and there's still plenty of front passenger room and my 1.5 year old son can't kick the back of the seat. see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Huge rear seat for the car's size see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Excellent rear seat comfort and rear seats are 60/ 40 and easy to fold flat. rear seats also have recline function which is nice ... excellent leg room see full Subaru Forester review

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