What do you think of Subaru, especially the Forester?

AUGM1

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This is not a comparison thread.
Anyway, I’ve been researching everything from miata’s To suv’s for my next car, and one that keeps getting my attention is the new Forester Sport.
I know it is not going to be fast, but I’m more concerned with its reliability and cost to work on.
Apparently they are very popular cars because the local dealer can’t keep them on the lot.
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FLOPPER

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From what little I know of them, the ones to get were the previous Foresters that had turbos. As with our Civics, guys were getting a lot out of those boosted SUV's.
 

gtman

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If you live in an area that gets a good amount of snow, it's a good choice. Otherwise, I think they're somewhat overpriced and overrated.
 

Wh1SL3R

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I used to have a '05 Saab 9-2x which was based on the Subaru Impreza. It had 230,000 kms on it when I sold it. It needed some work to the head gaskets (the EJ253 was infamous for those buggers). Everything else on that car was still rock solid. It had a little but of rust, but where I live they salt the roads in the winters and it kills cars. It was absolutely unstoppable in the snow and ice with the symmetrical AWD.

I was considering the Crosstrek and the Forester before I got my Civic but the last few generations of Subaru have been so.... bland. IMO, they're overpriced in their market segments and have fewer features than their competitors while being under-powered and less fuel efficient. Sure, they're great in the snow and safe as heck but it wasn't worth it to me.
 


Sil98

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One of the old Forester XTs went 13.5 in the quarter mile right from the factory.

Bought my Bugeye WRX 16 years/85,000 miles ago. My primary winter car. Great in the snow. Plan to keep it until i croak. Great fun to modify - upgraded turbo and injectors, AccessPort, exhaust, intercooler, Brembos, etc., etc.. Can't recall a single problem with the car (other than when i managed to pull an injector wire loose). Pretty amazing.

One of the volunteers at my last track day had the Saab version of the car with ~240,000 miles. He said he has had very few problems with his car.
 

Aero2001

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Somewhat old thread, but I'll chime in because last year we bought a CPO 2016 Forester Premium. Subarus are a little pricey, but the Forester offers good value in the Premium trim level, which is just one level up from base, but is decently equipped. Ours has a huge moonroof, satellite radio, Homelink, and a few other goodies.

Overall, I'm very happy with it, mostly because it serves its intended purpose extremely well, and works amazingly well in the city. It's big enough for family hauling, and yet compact enough to fit easily into our small townhouse garage. With its tight turning radius, it also fits into very tight street parking spaces. The seats are surprisingly comfortable, and visibility is outstanding. Handling isn't sporty of course, but very stable, smooth, and predictable. The ride quality is good too, partly thanks to the generous sidewalls. The engine has just enough power IMO, but doesn't exactly sound or feel like the VTEC 2.4 in my TSX!

Downsides? The CVT is underwhelming. In most driving, it's okay and seems like a conventional automatic. But under hard acceleration, its droning CVT nature comes through. Even worse, for some reason it sometimes produces awkward, occasionally dangerous lunges from a stop. I've learned how to avoid this, but it's a terrible design flaw Car & Driver noted in a recent Crosstrek test, calling it "aggressive throttle tip-in." (So it might be throttle mapping, but I think it's partly the CVT's programming.) Second, the stereo is pretty bad. It does have five-band graphic EQ that makes it tolerable, but I might head to the aftermarket nonetheless.

I had a 2019 loaner for a couple of days, and for the new generation Subaru greatly improved the CVT, and upgraded the suspension tuning as well. It was great.

I have tested the CR-V, and I think it's better than the Subaru overall. But I wanted the Subaru's tighter dimensions, visibility, and the EyeSight system.
 
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MaxPower

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I used to have a '05 Saab 9-2x which was based on the Subaru Impreza. It had 230,000 kms on it when I sold it. It needed some work to the head gaskets (the EJ253 was infamous for those buggers). Everything else on that car was still rock solid. It had a little but of rust, but where I live they salt the roads in the winters and it kills cars. It was absolutely unstoppable in the snow and ice with the symmetrical AWD
Old thread, but I just saw this comment. I still have my '05 9-2x, which has been absolutely bulletproof over the past 14 years. Over 91k miles, aside from oil changes/scheduled maintenance - tires, brakes, battery, power steering pump...that's all I've ever had to do to it. The mileage kinda sucks (I get about 21mpg in mostly city driving). But the only reason I haven't moved on to a Civic Si is because the thing is just so damn reliable. If it broke I could justify buying something new. But it just...won't.

Re: the thread topic: I also had an '05 Forester XT for about ten years, concurrent with the 9-2x. Handling was a little sloppy, but acceleration was really impressive. That car had some head gasket issues (which apparently isn't unusual for the 2.5T, relative to the 2.0T in my 9-2x) so I eventually traded it in for a CR-V. But that thing was a lot of fun to drive. Aside from the HG issues at the end, it, too, was pretty reliable.
 

VarmintCong

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Subaru is likely to introduce small turbos, 1.6DIT or 1.8DIT to compete with Honda. Their lineup is so slow - I drive an Impreza then the 1.5T Hatch and the Subaru felt like a dog. They desperately need more power across the lineup.
 

thewalrus

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I test drove a 2010 and loved it. But that's the last version I drove, and I somewhat unpredictably bought a CR-Z instead. I really did enjoy the drive though. At the time you could have a well appointed version with a 6 speed which was rare in an SUV (now non-existent). To be frank, I wish I had gone with the Subaru instead of the CR-Z, I think I'd have kept it longer. But the current versions don't do anything for me - another CVT CUV in the ever expanding sea of CVT CUVs.
 


zerointerrupt

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Had a wrx in ‘14 and traded it a month later for a crosstrek, which i later gave to my wife. We are now on our second crosstrek and are seriously considering a forester sport. A friend of mine owns one and it is very nice. He and his wife both drive foresters and he himself is on his second one.
 

Honda_RacerX

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i really like subaru. especially the wrx and sti. unfortunately i feel like they are overpriced. otherwise id buy the new sti when it comes out.
 

remusrm

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Had a 2010 forester, was loud, awful on mpg even with manual. I would go for a Outlander or Outlander sport!

Friend has a 2015, ac went out at 90k, alternator at 65k
 

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Worth every penny if you live north of the Mason-Dixon, imo. I see them as a tool for the snow and not much else. Great for the job.

If you live in the south, they are just bad on gas, slow and kinda noisy. Non of which matters when you are trudging through a blizzard.

Location, location, location.
 

FlexRex

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Like another poster I have a 2005 Saab 92x which is a Subaru Impreza rebadged. Most reliable car I have had, bought it w 120k and it has 220k. Had an ac o ring fail and not another thing. Drove it until I bought a MY18 WRX.

Don’t like the looks of foresters but you slap on it a flex kit and a tune (no other mods) and you got a 350/350 suv that hauls ass in summer and gets you around in the winter. Would recommend against cvt, read too many complaints.
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