Consumer Reports rates cars considering every consumer aspect. From fuel economy and safety to road noise and accessibility, Consumer Reports judges our cars from every angle. This isn’t to say that CR is the final word by any means. However, it is a good place to start, which is why the 2023 Toyota Venza and 2023 Subaru Outback being so closely ranked means that these two SUVs can be tough to choose between. Don’t worry, friends; that’s what we are here for. These are the three best reasons to pick the 2023 Subaru Outback over the 2023 Toyota Venza. 

Consumer Reports scored the 2023 Subaru Outback and the 2023 Toyota Venza the same

Although these two popular crossover SUVs scored very well and the exact same overall, there is still a better choice between them. While the overall score worked out to be the same, some minor scores differed wildly. 

The Toyota Venza is a perfectly safe SUV, but the 2023 Subaru Outback earned the highest possible safety score. The IIHS gave the Outback its top rating of “Top Safety Pick +.” The NHTSA also gave it a glowing series of crash ratings with five stars all around, except its rollover rating of four stars. The Venza earned a Top safety pick and a smattering of four-star crash tests by the same agencies. 

The Outback comes with a suite of standard safety features in a proprietary system called EyeSight. This safety suite has a laundry list of features, including forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Blind spot warning, Rear cross-traffic warning and Reverse automatic braking are also available, making the 2023 Outback one of the safest cars on the road, not only for surviving a crash but helping to avoid a potential collision as well. 

How much is the 2023 Subaru Outback? 

The 2023 Subaru outback starts at a friendly $28,395 and runs up to $42,295. Meanwhile, the 2023 Toyota Venza starts at $33,595 but tops at $41,740. 

These days, the prices of cars matter more than ever. While it is starting to get better, the car market is still suffering a shortage that is driving new and used prices to silly heights. The result is customers getting excited to only pay sticker prices if they are lucky. In this age of stupid overcharging, every penny counts. 

Is the Subaru Outback cooler than the Toyota Venza? 

This is clearly not a provable or objective factor, but it still counts. As I mentioned, car prices are insane. If you are going through the pain and anguish of buying a new car right now, why not buy something you like? The 2023 Toyota Venza is a great SUV but it isn’t very cool. 

I’m not exactly arguing that James Dean’s ghost would haunt a Subaru, but the 2023 Subaru Outback is leagues cooler than the Venza. The AWD system with hill descent control and X-Mode – a specialized traction setting available in the Wilderness models – is super cool. 

The 2023 Toyota Venza is still a great SUV 

Despite our opinion being that the 2023 Subaru Outback is the better SUV overall, the Venza is a very strong choice. In fact, if fuel economy is the main priority, the Venza dominates the Outback getting 37 mpg to the Outback’s 27. 

Whether you go with the cooler, safer, and cheaper Subaru Outback or the more efficient Toyota Venza, you will surely get a great SUV.