I’m considering getting a Subaru Forester (probably the Premium trim, automatic transmission). I’ve researched the Forester and have test driven them, but still haven’t been able to reach a firm decision to get one. I drive in urban areas on a day-to-day basis, but also take several long highway trips every year in all types of weather/climate and road conditions. I tend to think of cars as appliances so I’m not real big on all the bells and whistles or “luxury” features, though some of the available options/accessories would be nice to have if the dealer’s price was right.
I’d be interested in hearing from any current or former Forester owners regarding their experience with this vehicle.
How reliable was the Forester over the time you owned it, and compared to other vehicles you have owned? Were you disappointed with any features of the Forester? Were there any accessories/options you wished you had gotten, or any that you regretted getting (e.g., weren’t that useful to you or didn’t work as well as expected)? If your Forester was equipped with the Eyesight safety features, how useful have they proven to be for you? How is the driving experience (noise, comfort, handling)? Up to now, I’ve driven only sedans, but hate getting so out-sized by all the SUVs and pickups now on the roads and I like the ground clearance, visibility, and seating position in the Forester, but I only have occasional need for the extra cargo capacity of the Forester. So, if any of you found that the Forester turned out to be “more car” than you needed, that would be of interest to me, too.
We have a 2010 forester with 100 K, It is a nice solid car, good size while still being a smallish vehicle, drives well in the snow with winter tires, I really really like the visibility. It is now a teens car, and we have a new crosstrek with eyesight, but I will get a new forester at some point as we have so many drivers now. I will absolutely get the the eyesight/adaptive cruise (almost all driving here involves freeway driving, 2017 forester also has an auto brake option for reversing in the high specced option). At so little extra $$ I don’t see why anyone would forego it. The only thing about the old forester is that it really does have a horrid drivers position re knee to hip height, I use a wedge. I would say that the crosstrek might be worth your perusal if you think the forester is more car than you want. I like to sling a bike or two or skis and boards in the back of a car and the crosstrek makes that really difficult. The crosstrek is underpowered though IMO. I don’t know why they have made it that way. I appreciate that at the moment though as my younger teens drive it,
Our family has both a Forester Premium and an Outback Limited. They have the same 2.5L boxer engine. The Forester is a bit peppier, has better visibility, and is more upright in both seating and cargo. We’ve taken long (2000mi) trips in both and the seats on the Outback are more comfortable. Both have excellent rear seats too. The best feature on the new models is the adaptive cruise control. The Outback has a pseudo-gear manual shift function on the CVT which is great for mountain driving (engine braking) , the Forester doesn’t so you need to use the brakes a lot more. Both are great in the snow. We average about 28 MPG on mostly highway driving@ 70-75 MPH.
The only problem we have had with either car, apart from a lame and expensive dealer, is plugged drain holes causing the passenger foot well to flood with the A/C is run. Otherwise they have been very reliable and required routine maintenance only. There is very little difference in price at the same trim level between the two so I would look at both. If you join IMBA you can get any Subaru at 2% under invoice.
Subaru will be updating the Impreza/Crosstrek in December to a new platform and the Forester and Outback will follow. It is supposed to have Carplay / Android Auto so we are waiting to update another vehicle.
Two Foresters here (one '14 and one '17). The '14 has a manual transmission, and the '17 is a turbo/CVT. Fantastic cars. For the price, you will have a hard time finding anything as practical and solidly built.
AWD is in the Subaru DNA but you might want to consider whether you really need it.
It adds to the initial purchase price, adds weight and complexity, and reduces fuel economy for the life of the vehicle.
So I’d consider an alternative (Honda/Toyota/etc.) without it.
That said, if you feel you need it, Subaru seems to be a good choice for an AWD crossover. One of my kids has the Impreza (same platform) and likes it. But he doesn’t seem to use the dashboard infotainment features. Instead he uses the navigation, etc., built into his smart phone.
One feature I like on my new Volvo is the blind spot information system. These “active” accident avoidance systems are advancing very fast but I wonder if they’re getting as much attention as fancy infotainment packages that may become obsolete after a few years. I like the idea of an integration and upgrade path via Apple’s CarPlay, which apparently is standard in some 2017 Subarus.
An approach that works for me is to use an Internet pricing tool like TrueCar. Our dealer told me up front, “we honor all TrueCar prices”. You can use the Internet to find cars that best match your priced-out wish list from local inventory. If you start adding/subtracting too many features after you hit the lot and start negotiating, then you’re at their mercy.
My sister hit a deer at 60 mph about six months ago. Brand new Subaru Forester (2015) was totalled but she credits the air bags with saving her life and her husband’s. They bought a 2016.
Outback in our family and my 80+ mother drives a Forrester which gets her “up higher”. They are great in Michigan with snow and slush + good all weather tires. I prefer the Outback and my son’s is a manual. I’m a Volvo driver from waaay back and am on my third one as an adult but have no issues and owned a Subaru Legacy when I was in my early twenties. I think my Volvo has more get up and go for freeway ons and offs and holds a smoother cruise, but have no real complaints other than it feels like the Subarus are a tad slower on the uptake from a full stop or merging.
2015 Forester here, replaced a 2002 VW Passat wagon. I really like being up higher in traffic, use the adaptive cruise control daily and love the eyesight feature. I was afraid I’d have a steep learning curve on all these new safety features, but it was fairly quick. Car has 20,000 miles and no mechanical or body issues. Chose it over Outback and VW Tiguan because visibility was better. The old Passat did handle very nicely and I miss that, but love the Forester. Size is right for me.
adaptive cruise control is the best thing since sliced bread… I thought it was a gimmick at first but it has proven itself invaluable on long road trips. I believe you can get it on the premium trim models now with the optional eyesight package. I would strongly recommend it.
Two other things to consider: 1) Tires need to be replaced in sets of 4. If you damage a tire you will have to replace all of them. That is common to most AWD cars. 2) Subaru audio systems are rather lame. The '17 systems work pretty well with most phones but the sound quality is not great, even with the upgraded speakers. I’d recommend aftermarket speakers and/or amplifiers to improve the sound. Don’t waste your money on the Subaru upgraded system unless you want built-in SiriusXM. Accessories: Cargo net (rear), full rubber mats including cargo area, homelink auto-dim mirror (if you have a garage door opener), auto-dim side mirrors, rubber top bumper cover, towing package so you can install a rack. My wife loves remote start but I never use it. Forester sunroof is nice but reduces headroom.
I have a '16 with the eye-sight feature. It helps me sometimes. Coming home tonight I was stopped at a red light and was reading a sign on a new store and the light changed. My car beeped that the car in front of me had moved and I hadn’t. It also beeps when I don’t signal at a spot near my house where two lanes merge into one. If nobody is in sight, I don’t signal. it knows that I have drifted into another lane. I haven’t (thank goodness) needed it to save me from a dangerous situation. I live at the end of a long curving cul-de-sac and it beeps every time I leave because it thinks I’m going to drive into the big brick mailbox of my neighbors. I have kind of tuned out that beep. So 50/50 on the eye-sight.
I loooooove the comfortable seats, high seating, and the way it looks inside and out. Bun-warmer seats! Leather (a first for me). Huge windows and great visibility.
It has been very reliable (like the '07 forester it replaced). Since I seldom drive farther than my 4mile commute, my mileage is nothing like what they advertise. I hardly use the big nav system display. I can control the Bluetooth phone from the steering wheel. It’s overkill for radio control. I prefer my phone and Waze app for navigation. So a no vote on that one. Oh, wait - you DO need that screen for the fantastic invention of the back-up camera! I really love that feature. In fact, I think you would be making a mistake to not get it.
Ok, Forester fan rant over.
I have a 2008 one. The only complaint I have is that many of the inside fixtures have not held up well. A piece of plastic on the console broke, the I pod jack quit working and the button that releases the back seat also broke.
Oh yeah and piece of the gas cap broke
Our Honda that is a year older hasn’t had these kind of little issues
Well, I had a 1999 that I held onto for 240,000 miles. I LOVED that car… So next, I bought a 2009 version. It has given me SO much trouble… Just about every major part has been replaced… This year I spent about $6k on repairs, and it has 130k miles on it. My mechanic is a Subaru specialist and tells me that I should go with an Impreza or Outback next, and avoid the Foresters, as they are not quite as “solid”… Whatever that means in mechanic-speak!
I have a 2014 Limited, 36,000 miles. Haven’t done anything besides regular maintenance. I preferred the more upright seating position over the Outback though I liked the looks of the Outback better. I LOVE my Forester!
I’m happy with the gas mileage. Easily mid 30’s on the highway.
Love my back up mirror.
I have the spoiler on the back which gives a little more interest to its shape.
The 14’ radio will not accommodate Sirius radio - that’s a bit of a bummer. I think that’s changed now.
I enjoy all my features - I bought it with a few miles on it so while I might have a few more perks than I “needed” - but like them all.
I have had other small SUV’s. I may never buy anything other than a Subaru again.
I have a '16 Forester purchased in June to replace a Honda Odyssey. It’s a premium, automatic, no eye-sight. We haven’t quite made it to the first service yet, so new owner impressions here. This is my first Subaru. I liked my Odysseys a lot, but I love the Forester. Ditto for my husband and the kids that drive. I just really love the way it drives and the comfort of it. I like the visibility a lot. We are in AZ so no snow, but the AC works well! We closely compared it with the front wheel drive models of the RAV and the CR-V. The all wheel drive does not make the Forester more expensive at all. We’ve taken a couple road trips, and done some mountain driving with no trouble. I wasn’t sure about the CVT transmission, but it did great in the mountains and with the cruise engaged, maintained speed downhill without using the brakes. It’s also very smooth around town. No complaints about the sound system–it’s better than my Odyssey had. I went down in trim from the Odyssey so I wasn’t sure I’d like having fewer features, but it’s not bothering me at all. As to small things breaking, I had an aux jack on the odyssey go bad at around 100k miles, among other things, so small things break on Hondas too.
We also considered the Outback but just didn’t like it as well as the Forester–just personal preference. I liked the look of the Crosstrek but it was too small for our needs.
We had a 2001 Forester, and now have a 2015. We bought the Eyesight package, and really like it. We bought the 2015 in December 2014. Then in January, all hell broke loose in New England - one blizzard after another. Six foot snow banks were not uncommon. It earned its weight in gold that winter, and Eyesight certainly helped.
We also use it on longer trips, and find it very comfortable, particularly with the lumbar support. It’s our go-to car, and my DH and I often fight about who’s going to take it.
The only thing I don’t like about it is that the speedometer and heating system are still dials rather than digital. A bit harder to control precisely, but I still love the car!
I have a 2011 Forester that I bought used in 2013. It has Bluetooth something something that I’ve never used because I’m not interested. The sound system is pretty good. I had satellite radio installed. I wish it had a back-up camera. I love the way it drives and it’s a breeze loading and unloading my enormous sewing machine. The seatbelts in the backseat are really hard to fasten but that may be true of every car for all I know. I’d buy another one without hesitation.
I live on Long Island’s north shore with lots of hills and curvy roads. I have owned several Subarus as well as some vehicles without all wheel drive-- and I am a big Subaru fan! In other cars, I sometimes couldn’t make it up icy hills and had to reroute. Never had that problem in any Subaru.
The Forester is especially nice because it has great visibility. And it drives beautifully; both my spouse and I prefer it to our other four wheel drive SUV by another car company.
I am wondering how this applies to colleges. If you are sending your child to a northern college with a car, then you can feel safe with Subaru.