Overview & Reviews

Subaru's well-regarded Forester crossover sport-ute has been completely redesigned to be an even more enjoyable addition to your family. Engineers have given the tall wagon more interior room, a stiffer body structure, a revised chassis and more standard feature content -- all while keeping exterior dimensions the same and reducing the curb weight by 90 pounds.

• Standard all-wheel drive, availability of upscale features, high safety scores.

• Only one engine choice, price can be higher than most of the competition.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 163.00

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  50,000 km and a huge bill - 2003 Subaru Forester
  By kloc - February 6 - 7:52 am

  Our 2003 Forester has been maintained by our dealer since purchased new in late 2002. From day 1 it has had a coolant leak, a fact that has been pointed out to the dealer at every scheduled service. The dealer, of course, could not find the source of the coolant lead until after the warranty expired, whereupon we were told that the head gaskets were leaking and the car had developed piston slap to the point where driving the car was ill-advised. The master tech told me that Subaru has told dealers to ignore the problem until the warranty expires. Last Subaru I will ever purchase; this was our 7th.

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  Whats so Great? - 2003 Subaru Forester
  By Mikemitros - December 14 - 10:00 am

  I do not understand why this car receives such rave reviews.The interior is cramped and uncomfortable. The controls are too small and difficult to operate.Especially the cruise control, you must take your eyes off the road for an excessive period of time to turn it on.The air onditioning and defrostis inadequate.The engine has an annoying loud metallic tapping sound for the first ten minutes after started.Poor acceleration with the automatic transmission.Check engine light comes on frequently. Uncomfortable arm rest. Cup holders that block the instrumentation.

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  Wanted to love it; absolutely hate it - 2003 Subaru Forester
  By kal13 - March 16 - 10:23 am

  This is my wifes car but I drive it more than her because she cannot stand the road noise, brake noise, lackluster A/C and other querks that cannot be fixed. My wife had wanted a subaru for a while so we traded in her truck for a forester to get better MPG and handling while keeping AWD for winter safety. It has been disappointing from the start. There is horrible wind noise above 35mph that gets exopentially louder with increased speed. Dealer and independent mechanics say it is window/door design and cannot be fixed. brakes squeel embarassingly loud regardless of pad type. It is mediocre at best in the snow - on par with most FWD cars. Head gasket went at 100K mi - $2,000 repair.

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  Forester - A lousy excuse for a car - 2003 Subaru Forester
  By Arty - March 4 - 10:00 am

  This car has average build and quality. With head gasket failures and oil leaks galore, how can you buy a vehicle with a reliability factor like that? Now that I own it, I find two other owners that have experienced at least one of the same symptoms/problems. Good bye Subaru, hello Saab 9/3.