The Subaru brand has some of the most popular SUVs in years past. Looking at this year’s sales figures, there are three models that could become the most popular for 2023. Which one is likely to achieve that title and how well do the brand’s competitors stand up to Subaru’s offerings?

Which Subaru SUV will win ‘Most Popular of the Year’?

There are three popular SUV models in the Subaru lineup that have each been the best seller at one point or another this year.  Those include the Outback, Forester, and Crosstrek. The Subaru Outback has a few changes to it coming into 2023. You get a few technology upgrades, a unique grille, and a 2.5-liter engine for the Onyx Edition. 

Its starting price comes in at $28,395. Powering it up is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 182 hp and 176 lb-ft. For the Wilderness and XT models, you get a 2.4-liter generating 260 hp.

Another Subaru SUV outselling some of its competitors is the 2023 Crosstrek model, which is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. Higher trims offer the same 2.5-liter as what the Outback has under its hood. There’s also a hybrid powertrain as well, which offers 148 hp combined. Starting price is $23,645.

The Forester begins at $26,395 and comes with the same engine that the Outback and the Crosstrek models have. For this model year, there were no significant changes made. It’s likely popular for its roominess and safety ratings, which earned it a Top Safety Pick+ award, according to Kelley Blue Book.

How are sales looking for each Subaru SUV? 

When you look at year-to-date sales figures, you’ll notice that the highest-selling SUV for Subaru is the Outback, which has a total of 93,831 units sold, which is up 9.13% from last year, according to GoodCarBadCar. 

The next best-selling Subaru is the Crosstrek, which managed to sell 87,371, which is up 3.86%. Subaru’s Forester model is lagging behind, but not by much with 75,814 sales year-to-date, which is up 29.21% from last year. 

Looking at monthly sales figures for July 2023, the 2023 Subaru Forester has the lead with 14,504 purchases under its belt. The Outback is second with 12,430 sales for July, and bringing up third is the Crosstrek, which has 11,241 units sold. 

How the competitor brand SUVs compare with the Subaru SUVs

Subaru can’t beat the Explorer for year-to-date sales as the Ford SUV sold 113,057. However the year-to-date sales figures for 2022 were 7,000 units more, so sales went down this year by 6.32%. For the month of July, the Explorer sold 8,664 SUVs. 

Mazda’s CX-5 didn’t sell quite as well as the Outback but managed to bring in 92,464 in year-to-date sales. In the month of July, it sold 12,443 units, which is just a handful more than the Outback. 

The Kia Sportage is also a decent seller in the SUV market. Year-to-date sales for the Sportage were 83,742. For just the month of July, the Kia SUV brought 11,853 in sales, which is more than what the Crosstrek managed, and it’s near the sales total of the Outback, but not close enough to the Forester. 

When it comes to Subaru’s SUVs, there are three vehicles that have been good sellers at one point this year. The Outback is likely to become this year’s most popular vehicle for the brand if sales continue to climb throughout the rest of the year.