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2014 Subaru Forester and 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Specifications
| Model Year | 2014 | 2017 | |
| Model | Subaru Forester | Chevrolet Malibu | |
| Engine | turbocharged 2.0L H4 DOHC-4v 250 hp@5600 258 lb-ft@2000 |
turbocharged 2.0L I4 DOHC-4v 250 hp@5300 260 lb-ft@2000 |
|
| Transmission | 8-speed shiftable CVT | 9-speed shiftable automatic | |
| Drivetrain | AWD | FWD | |
| Body | 4dr SUV | 4dr Sedan | |
| Difference | |||
| Wheelbase | 103.9 in | 111.4 in | -7.5 in |
| Length | 180.9 in | 193.8 in | -12.9 in |
| Width | 70.7 in | 73.0 in | -2.3 in |
| Height | 66.4 in | 57.7 in | 8.7 in |
| Curb Weight | 3624 lb. | 3388 lb. | 236 lb. |
| Fuel Capacity | 15.9 gal. | 13.0 gal. | 2.9 gal. |
| Headroom, Row 1 | 41.4 in | 39.1 in | 2.3 in |
| Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 57.0 in | 58.5 in | -1.5 in |
| Hip Room, Row 1 | 0.0 in | 54.1 in | -54.1 in |
| Legroom, Row 1 | 43.0 in | 42.0 in | 1 in |
| Headroom, Row 2 | 39.8 in | 37.5 in | 2.3 in |
| Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 56.5 in | 57.1 in | -0.6 in |
| Hip Room, Row 2 | 0.0 in | 53.4 in | -53.4 in |
| Legroom, Row 2 | 38.0 in | 38.1 in | -0.1 in |
| Total Legroom | 81 in (over 2 rows) | 80.1 in (over 2 rows) | 0.9 in |
| Cargo Volume, Minimum | 34.4 ft3 | 15.8 ft3 | 18.6 ft3 |
| Cargo Volume, Maximum | 74.7 ft3 | 15.8 ft3 | 58.9 ft3 |
TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2014 Subaru Forester
| 2014 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 2014 Subaru Forester
| 2014 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 |
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 |
| 2014 | 4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD |
Huge rear seat for the car's size see full Subaru Forester review |
TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
| 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
| Year | Comment | |
| 2016 | Chevrolet's designers styled the new Malibu's instrument panel to appear low and out of the way, such that the front seat feels especially roomy and the view forward seems more open than in most competitors, including the Kia (the instrument panel in which seems significantly higher and more imposing). In the tested car, which had every option except the panoramic sunroof, headroom was so abundant I could have worn a fedora. The Kia Optima might have as much front headroom when similarly without a sunroof. The official specs, which often don't reflect real world differences, suggest it should have even more than the Malibu. But you cannot get a highly equipped Optima without the sunroof, as it's part of a large package on the SX and standard on the SX Limited. Though the Malibu's windshield is relatively large, you won't find outward visibility among the reasons to buy one. The Chevrolet's front pillars remain on the thick side, its instrument panel is considerably deeper than the Kia's, and the view to the sides and rear also could be more open. In the Optima, the view to the sides is more open but that to the rear is not. I did find the Cherolet's front seats more form-fitting and comfortable than the Optima's. The Kia's quilted seats aren't as cushy as they appear. see full Chevrolet Malibu review | |
What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
None of our members have yet commented on the seat room and comfort of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu.
See TrueDelta's information for all SUVs
See TrueDelta's information for all Subaru models.
