Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Very Happy with my new Forester - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By William Pinder - February 10 - 11:27 am

  Have had my 2016 Forester for three weeks and about 800 miles. The CVT takes some getting used to , however, the gas mileage is impressive for all wheel drive, given this motor is not broken in yet and Im getting 27.5 mpg in mixed driving. No rattles, issues or negative impressions. Considered this vehicle because my wife has the 2012 model and loves it and no issues with her vehicle either. The Subaru dealership was great to work with and I feel I got a very good deal. Time will tell but so far this Forester is proving this was the right choice !!!

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  Welcome to the Subaru family! - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Naomi Milligan - February 6 - 1:35 am

  Alright guys, I am not one to sugar coat my opinions on vehicles, Im coming out of a 2006 Pontiac Torrent (wrote a review for that no better than scrap metal vehicle!) let me address the controls first: those that get new vehicles frequently and are up on the newest and hottest in vehicle entertainment systems may find Subarus some what simplistic design lacking, I have always upgraded my vehicles with touch screen radios etc and the transition wasnt bad coming in to the forester. My advice is to sit and play with the controls for awhile if youre having trouble, once you figure it out I think you will appreciate how easy it is to use while driving. The controls on the wheel did intimidate me for a minute but having the accessibility at my fingertips is nice! And when it comes to setting the clock (saw some frustration on a couple reviews) its not really that difficult, again, play with your controls while youre sitting in park and youll figure it out. The manual did suck when explaining these features so I do not recommend trying to figure it out with that. Interior materials: Ive seen a few complaints about the interior feeling cheap due to the use of hard plastic materials, to me this makes perfect sense. I am new to the Subaru family but plastic is long lasting and easy to clean, when thinking about Subaru and how their consumers love the off road capabilities it makes sense as to why they used the materials they did. This is not an Audi or a Mercedes, they pretty much think youre going to be rough with it and planned ahead with the materials used. The seats are a bit firm, but theyre also new and firmness can be adjusted! I recommend the all weather package if you live anywhere that gets cold, heated seats are an awesome option and since I prefer cloth, not many companies cater to that desire. I saw some mild dissapointment when it comes to the placement of the USB and AUX ports, as I said previously, I usually install new radios on my vehicles so the ports are on the radio, Subaru places theirs in the center console and I actually LOVE that placement as you dont have wires coming out of the front of the vehicle getting tangled in the shifter etc, there are 2 cut outs for the wires so you can safely close the arm rest and still have your phone plugged in. I absolutely love that, but personal preference I suppose. Some reviewers mentioned the fact that the doors do not lock when you put the vehicle in drive, this is not an issue for me as I do not have children and typically only have people over 21 in my vehicle, they should know at that age not to open the doors while the vehicle is in motion but I can see how that could become a mild annoyance to those that have to remember to lock the vehicle every time they drive it so just make note of that if you have children. I have only had this vehicle 24 hours so I cannot comment on reliability, once Ive broken it in I will update on that. My package included the first 2 years of scheduled maintenance, which I would recommend as they take synthetic oil and I am told the air filters can also become extremely costly. If you can swing it in your deal, try to get this included. The CVT transmission did take about 10 minutes to get used to and when the vehicle cold starts it is a bit noisey for a vehicle that has a hundred miles on it. Not a deal breaker though. Im not a big fan of the Aha radio that comes installed on the radio, it seems to take too long to load but then again, I have only played with it once so that opinion may change. So far it drives over potholes, bumps, and other annoying road obstacles like cream cheese on a bagle. I opted to not get the eye sight technology as I thought it may become annoying, the back up camera and (huge) moon roof that come standard are both nice surprises. Im still figuring out little quirks and havent yet had the chance to test it in bad weather conditions (although its snowing now!) and I do plan to take it in to some mild off road conditions so these are all things I will review later in time. I opted for a lease and plan to switch it once my credit is built up a bit, but so far, I do not see any major complaints in the foreseeable future. They also have roadside assistance at no cost to you, which is also a nice feature! Cant wait to update for you guys!

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  New is Nice BUT I Loved My Old Forester! - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Dzintra Barbosa - February 1 - 8:32 am

  If you are not into all the new technology that is in cars now you may not be as happy as you thought you would be in a new car. Personally, I enjoyed having things simple and reliable. Turn a knob or flip a switch and it always works the same way. Not so with wi-fi and bluetooth. This "new stuff" is not what I wanted, but since I wanted a Forester I had to settle for all their so-called improvements. I guess if keep this one for at least 12 years also Ill get use to these new-fangled features, eventually!

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  Great car except for smart phone integration! - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Lawrence Cohen - January 13 - 7:32 pm

  Used to own a Honda Element but wanted to a more comfortable car with better gas mileage and up to date technology. And I should mention manual transmission. The Forester is the only choice for manual so I went with it. The 2016 Forester delivered on 3 out 4 on my wish list. I really like driving the car and have been averaging close 28 mpg overall with the manual. Love the way it momentarily breaks the car on uphill stops so it makes shifting a total breeze! Now for the major disappoint and Subaru needs to be called out on it! I was looking forward to using the Mirrorlink feature that would allow integration of cell phone apps (like a gps app on the phone) to display and be controlled by the headset displays and controls. BUT the version of Mirrorlink in the car is an old version (1.0) and is incompatible with the versions on smart phones (Mirrorlink 1.1) and you cant downgrade the phones. Subaru customer support has said it would be fixed but its been close to year and now customer support is clueless on it. In the meantime other options are becoming more accepted ... like Android Auto. So its very disappointing the Subaru has done nothing to fix a problem with there software and its looking doubtful they ever will.

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  Such a smooth ride! - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By R. Smith - December 28 - 11:36 pm

  Im thrilled I choose the Subaru Forester! I love how it rides! The additional features (dimming mirrors, back camera, etc.) are great. Im a bit concerned how low the low gear will work inclement weather, as it doesnt seem to slow the vehicle as much as Id like. Navigating through the musical list selections can be a bit cumbersome as well. The rear seat area has a great deal of space and leg room, perfect for my growing kids. Plenty of cargo space as well, enough for a weekends worth of soccer gear and a grocery run. Overall, I am very pleased with my new Forester. I also have received exceptional service from the dealership, both during the sale and after the purchase as well.

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  Poor interior quality - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Jim - November 29 - 8:09 pm

  Had the vehicle less than 3 months. It has been in the shop on 3 occasions two of which were multiple days. The main problem is the quality of the interior. There are multiple rattles throughout the vehicle. The two main rattles still havent been fixed. The engine is under powered. No acceleration at all.

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  Burns oil - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Michele - October 19 - 11:40 am

  This 2015 Subaru Forester was my first new vehicle in 12 years. I did my research and test drove a lot of other vehicles before choosing it. Everything was fine until the oil light came on before the first scheduled service. I checked the oil and it was a quart down. I put a quart of oil in and mentioned it when I took the car in for service. The maintenance person I spoke to was completely mystified as to what could be wrong. I have had the car a little over a year and a half and have had to put oil in it three times. The dealership has had me coming back every 1200 miles to do oil consumption test "to see what could be wrong". Three weeks ago I got a settlement notice of a class action suit against Subaru for excessive oil consumption in the 2014 and 2015 Foresters. So, all along the service people must have known what was happening and I can only assume that they were told to lie about it. I like the car, its fun to drive, but I really resent being treated like an idiot by the dealership I will never buy another Subaru. In my opinion they are completely unreliable.

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  Overall impressed - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Forester Loaner - October 13 - 7:22 am

  I own a Highlander (08 & driven 13 my g/f owns) and also currently driving the 16 Forester to get my 13 WRX serviced. Its the first time Ive driven a Forester and after Subaru really designed these cars including the Outback to be a crossover than the old wagon. I was pleasantly surprised at the visibility of the Forester as soon as I got in. The sunroof is HUGE! Its almost too bright (not a bad thing) without any sort of tinted window but felt both very naked but comfortable as I felt as though blind spots were almost non-existent. While its narrower than the Highlander I was surprised the ride height felt very similar; maybe couple inches or so lower but also didnt feel like the Forester was an enormous car having to be extra careful when parking. Highlander sometimes can be tricky in that sense. I buckled my daughters car seat & a booster and it was very easy to install. They both sit nice and flat on the seat so the adjustment was easy to do. The cargo space was also great hauling a cart of groceries without any issue. The height of the trunk was also perfect as it doesnt sit as high as most SUVs. I do feel for a family of four this would be the perfect vehicle. If packing extra load for camping Im sure you can get a cargo carrier and strap them on top. Considering the price of the Forester I didnt expect a ton of technology built in but also was surprised. Bluetooth pairing was I hate to admit x10 easier than my WRX. The touch screen and all the bells & whistles thats built in are far better than whats in my g/fs 13 Highlander. While I dont care too much for the Nanny devices like the lane drifting alert and EyeSight, if youre looking for added safety features its not a bad thing to have. It has the emergency SOS (Starlink) button which I do feel is a good feature in case of an emergency and need assistance. While I wasnt impressed with the overall control and design of the interior, I guess for the price you would pay its not horrible. The dial knobs for the temp controls felt stiff and very generic. Back up camera is a very nice touch with the great display for the fuel economy. And speaking of which this car has been getting 28 mpg with mix of city & highway driving. Ive yet to see the gas gauge (all digital) go down by a mark. Not a bad thing as my WRX with a turbo get a gas mileage that of a Highlander. Now onto the driving experience, I have a mixed review. Its not race car or V6 power and does have decent power band for the most part. If you have the car packed and need to get out quick, the Forest may not be the fastest car to pull out. Its not terrible either but I felt like it could use a little bit of boost. The ride overall is very comfortable. Its not too noisy and can still have normal conversation. I felt that the Highlander did better in terms of lower frequency noise like the road noise itself. Suspension isnt stiff nor too plush. Cornering and braking was predictable. The brakes are awesome in this car by the way. I almost nose dived not being used to driving this vehicle on the first day. One thing I thought it was odd is the Forester Im renting after backing out in reverse then shifting back to Drive, theres a weird 2-3 second delay before the drive engages to move forward. And then there was this odd pocket where if you dont have gas going in, the car seems to almost stall like it was a manual car. I had to sort of punch it to get the car going again. It may have been a fluke but considering this vehicle at the time of rental only has 3,400 miles total it may just be the way this car is perhaps. So theres a little bit of lag on the power/drivetrain front but the car excels at the overall ride comfort, visibility, excellent fuel economy and what it offers. Of course if you want more power, I would get either the turbo version or a different model with a 6-cylinder (which I havent driven like the Outback 3.6R). Headlight is halogen and the high beam was very bright. I felt it was brighter than my 13 WRX. Sitting up higher may have helped also. Overall I would recommend this car; for a small family but not for a family of 5+ (Outback then?). I would love to try this car in the snow but know with Subarus AWD you cant go wrong (as long as youre not trying to push through heavy unplowed snow.

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  Great Value in CUVs - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By John Cihak - October 3 - 5:06 pm

  First of all, I am writing this review keeping in mind its for a CUV and not a sports car. A traded a 2010 Honda CR-V for my 2016 Forester 2.5i. I also test drove a Honda CR-V, HR-V, and many Subaru models and trims Since I already own a sporty car, my purpose for buying the Forester was practicality. My reasons for picking and loving the Forester over other choices: - Quality of material are superior. The seat fabric feels better and more durable than on the CR-V. The plastic trim feels really nice and is soft-touch in most places. The switch gear (knobs) are very solid. The doors, door panels and seat frame are solid. - The 2.5 boxer engine and CVT provide much better acceleration than my old CR-V. Its on par with the new CR-V but it handles better. - Visibility is outstanding. I feel much safer being able to see around me so well 360 degrees. Most CUVs have poorer visibility. - Subaru AWD is best in class. The OEM tires are mediocre, but that is true of most OEM tires. - Storage space is excellent - on par with the CR-V. - Cabin tech is much better than I was used to. I paired both my wifes and my iPhones. You can set it up to automatically connect to either phone when do so manually when the car starts. I use Apple Music and have steering wheel control of Apple Radio, playlists, albums, etc. Pandora integration is also excellent. It all works over BT or over USB - your choice. - Handling is better than I expected. I drive a very rough, windy road for a few miles each day. The suspension tracks very well and inspires confidence. - MPG is very good. I used to average 24.5 mpg with my 2010 CR-V. In the first 1000 miles I average 28.5 mpg with the Forester. I expect that to get better after break-in, with warmer weather and summer gas. - My dealer was great. I asked them if I could get heated seats added to the base model. They took care of getting them installed (after-market). Considering the Subarus TMV and my trade, they didnt charge me anything for the upgrade. And a few cons: - With the base Forester I got manual seats. I wish they were more adjustable. - Subaru could have provided more storage nooks in the dash Considering the passenger volume, cargo volume, great CUV mileage, and quality, the Forester is a steal.

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  Great car - 2016 Subaru Forester
  By Kay Smith - September 15 - 7:59 pm

  Test drove multiple cars in this class. Several of which were rated higher..very happy with my decision to pick Subaru.