Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

• 

  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By John - December 26 - 8:18 am

  The Good = Vision, Vision, Vision. Acceleration. Crossing lane lines detection. Eye Site safety feature does work and works well. The Bad = With Eye Site, the front seat sun visors are too small; therefore, the sun doth shine in from the sides. Need a aftermarket visor that will stop the rays. While not Bad, a buyer needs to be aware that this is NOT smooth riding vehicle; it is a rough rider. The Ugly = The Owners Manual appears to have been written by a group of attorneys that DO NOT drive. Reminds me of computer manuals written by engineers who do not use the computer discussed by the manual.

• 

  Last of the Manual Transmission AWD Crossovers - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Justin T. Dix - December 23 - 11:59 pm

  I have owned 3 other new Subaru vehicles including the WRX, Outback, and the Impreza. The 2016 Forester is the only AWD in its class that can be equipped with a tow package and a manual transmission. This is one of the main reasons for purchasing. I am a die hard manual transmission guy and automotive enthusiast. I like the room, fuel economy, and overall versatility of the forester. I do not like the slow throttle response when accelerating and when releasing the accelerator between gear shifts. This is a byproduct of electronic throttle control calibration. I do not like the inability to turn off stability control. There is a mystery button on the gauge cluster left over from another model that does nothing when pressed. My main dislike is that I cant buy a new manual transmission forester with navigation. this makes no sense. I would have purchased the XT if it came with a manual transmission. The climate control in the Premium Forester has very clunky rotary dials that have course graduations making it difficult to find a comfortable setting. The handsfree phone microphone system is very bad. Everyone that I call using either my I phone or Android say that I have an echo.This is a common problem on all three of my late model Subarus. The LCD display between the tachometer and speedometer looks like it is from the 1980s. My other Subarus have color LCD screens with gear indication and cruise set points displayed as information here. Even my 2015 base model WRX has many more tech features than this higher trim level forester. Since the instrument panel for the Forester, WRX and Impreza is basically the same, I do not understand why they dont have the same features. The Dealer Service network is small for Subaru which makes some things aggravating. Also, most labor rates at Subaru shops are 20-30% higher than the GM and Ford shops. This does not make sense to me either.

• 

  Ive got a new Subaru - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By chuck ferant - October 15 - 4:18 am

  I like everything about this car except that the drivers power seat does not have enough adjustments.

• 

  good thing - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Curtis Moore - August 31 - 9:37 pm

• 

  Kids are gone, and wife wanted out of her minivan. - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Peter - August 24 - 1:01 pm

  We are recent empty nesters, and my wife wanted to downsize from her Honda Odyssey. We really liked the Odyssey, but at 170,000 miles and 14 years, my wife started to doubt its durability. I think it was more perception than reality, but if you feel nervous driving your ride and you can afford a new one, its time to upgrade. We test "sitted" many of the competitors in the small SUV/CUV segment, and my wife was attracted to the Forester for its 1) outward visibility, 2) Subaru Eyesight, 3) practicability, 4) no-nonsense styling, 5) durability, and 6) ruggedness. What is up with other brands using tiny windows? I guess Gen X and Gen Y likes to hide under hoodies and baseball caps. Maybe they should just cover their eyes with their hands. The Forester was the only vehicle that she didnt feel as though she was looking out of a cave. My wife is a blue jeans/track shoes type of gal (she doesnt buy or use makeup!), and the Subaru brand image fits her perfectly. Subaru Eyesight clinched the deal for us. It is driver assistance technology that includes lane departure, forward collision warning, emergency braking, and adaptive cruse control. Its pricing was very reasonable and did not require expensive and unwanted upgrades. Because we are entering our senior years, we felt that these driver aids will come in handy over the coming years. We wish that it also had blind spot monitoring. However, the windows on the Forester are really large, so you dont really need it. Im a mild car enthusiast and had my doubts about the CVT transmission, but it works pretty well with the engine. There is a little lag with hard acceleration from a stop, and you may think twice about passing a car at 50 mph, but it really is not noticeable in puttering around town or shleping along the interstate. After all, you dont buy a Forester to drag race. We have only owned it for 2,000 miles, but so far so good: no discernible defects or issues. How about me? Well, being ancient, I wanted really comfortable seats, like the zero gravity seats in the Nissan Murano. They are a dream. The Forester seats are comfortable, but not stellar. I would pay more for better seats. Also, the ride could be more compliant. The suspension is a little stiff. Maybe it will soften a bit with more miles. When driving over expansion joints on the highway, there can be a bucking motion that is particularly noticeable for back seat passengers. How about technology? The infotainment screen could be better, but it is acceptable, unless you get your undies in a knot over anything less than iPod ease of use. Come on people. You have a really blessed life if your biggest complaint is hitting the correct station on your touch screen. In summary, we love our Subaru. I hope we dont become those tedious Subaru zombies who rattle on about how great their car is, but I may have gotten the virus. With a little luck, my Subaru will see me out!

• 

  First Subaru and loving it! - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Debbie Covington - August 23 - 4:11 am

  I had been looking to buy an SUV for awhile and looked at several. I hadnt really thought about a Subaru, always thought they got lousy gas mileage. But after reading reviews on them I realized they were up there with the other SUVs and beat most of them. I am hoping mine gets a little better but I have been averaging 26 miles in town driving so its not bad. Havent really had it on the highway enough t know how it will do on trips. Only had the car about a month now so it should get better. I love how big the doors swing out for easy entering or exiting. Believe me, I researched a lot before I decided to buy this car and so far it meets my expectations. Love the bluetooth and my grandkids love having a USB port so they can play their own music when they are with me. I hope to get many years of use out of my Forester which is a base model with a few options added. So far no complaints! I really like how I can see out of all the big windows. For the money, I dont think any of the other small SUVs can beat them.

• 

  Wanted one for 20 years - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Mark Piggott - June 12 - 2:10 am

• 

  Sadly disappointing: CVT and rattling dash - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Sad Subaru Owner - June 3 - 11:17 pm

  Ive owned a 2015 Subaru CVT for one year and have put 10K miles on it around Denver, Colorado. I am extremely disappointed, and look forward to replacing it soon with a real car. I chose the Subaru Forester for very practical reasons: Great visibility, reliability, road clearance for the occasional offroading, and all-wheel traction in the winter. These elements, however, do not offset the downsides. 1. Most annoying has been the constant rattling of the vent and speaker grills on the dashboard. Turns out that this problem is well documented on the Internet, yet the dealer acted surprised when I brought it in for repair. Twice now they have failed to fix the noise, and I have an appointment to take it back a third time. 2. The CVT, in combination with the slow-to-warm-up Boxer engine, is so bad at accelerating that you must pro-actively plan your route to avoid the need for quick speed. For instance, until the engine is warm, I have to leave extremely large spaces when going from my residential area to merge onto a two-lane thoroughfare. And it takes the engine 10 minutes, or 2 miles to warm up (when the blue light goes off). So dont plan to jump on the freeway and hope to accelerate to match the speed of traffic - aint gonna happen. Worse, the CVT is quirky, and not in a good way. Sometimes a touch of the accelerator causes it to lerch forward. Other times, it wont move. I HATE HATE HATE the CVT. 3. In the center of the dash is an information screen that shows your average mpg. This number -- usually around 26 mpg -- is 2 and 3 miles greater than what Im actually getting (calculated by miles driven since last refueling). Im beginning to wonder if they have programmed the onboard computer to deliberately do this - ala Volkswagon misrepresenting diesel emissions. 4. The ride can be kidney-jarringly bad. There is a stretch of I-25 through south Denver where the combination of road surfacing, the cars short track, and traveling at normal freeway speeds will cause the car to continuously shudder in a very uncomfortable manner. (This happens with the factory installed tires inflated at proper psi). 5. The wheel-wells are unacceptably tight for an SUV designed for winter travel. Shortly after I bought the car in Winter 2015, I smelled burning rubber while driving on a snow covered road. I was the only car on the road, so I knew it was my Subaru. Upon pulling over and inspecting the car, I discovered that the snow accumulation of 2-3" in the back wheel-well was rubbing the back tires and causing the smell. Now when it snows, I have to be constantly vigilant that this doesnt happen. I can see how an engineer designed the very tight wheel-wells to reduce wind drag and improve gas mileage, but in so doing, they have seriously impaired the cars ability to travel safely in the snow. Before purchasing the Subaru Forester, I did extensive research via Edmunds and Consumer Reports. Both love the Subarus and failed to mention the problems Im experiencing. Not only am I disappointed with the Subaru, but I am also profoundly perplexed that after all my research, test drives, and talking to people, I made this expensive mistake.

• 

  Sold On Subaru - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Julia Blum - May 25 - 3:42 pm

  This is my first Subaru purchase which was encouraged by rave reviews of other Subaru owners. I love my Forester and look forward to many safe, comfortable, eco-friendly miles ahead.

• 

  From a Newbie Owner - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Ellie Richardson - April 18 - 6:27 pm

  This rating is based upon two weeks with this vehicle. I cant really respond to some of the questions, i.e. value, reliability or traction.