For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota C-HR have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Subaru Crosstrek doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The C-HR has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle's blind spots where the side view mirrors don't reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Crosstrek's blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the C-HR has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Crosstrek and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the C-HR's plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Crosstrek has a metal gas tank.

Both the C-HR and the Crosstrek have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota C-HR is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota C-HR is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the C-HR is 1.3% less likely to roll over than the Crosstrek.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the C-HR for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the C-HR's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Subaru is ranked 8th.

The Toyota C-HR comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Crosstrek.

The C-HR stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

The C-HR's tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek's standard 60 series tires. The C-HR's tires are lower profile than the Crosstrek Limited's 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the C-HR has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Crosstrek.

The C-HR Limited handles at .82 G's, while the Crosstrek Premium pulls only .79 G's of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the C-HR's turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Crosstrek's (34.2 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

The C-HR is 3.9 inches shorter than the Crosstrek, making the C-HR easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C-HR has .4 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear headroom than the Crosstrek.

The front step up height for the C-HR is 1.5 inches lower than the Crosstrek (16” vs. 17.5”). The C-HR's rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Crosstrek's (16.5” vs. 18”).

The C-HR has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery's water level. The Crosstrek doesn't have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery's cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

The C-HR's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Crosstrek has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The C-HR's front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Crosstrek's rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the C-HR the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Crosstrek can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The C-HR's power window, power lock and power mirror switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Crosstrek's power window (except driver window) switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Consumer Reports rated the C-HR's headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Crosstrek's headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The C-HR has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Crosstrek has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The C-HR's standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited.

The C-HR's standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won't have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Crosstrek doesn't offer dual zone air conditioning.