SUBARU FORESTER 4x4 2008‑2012

This is my first Subaru and purchased from new. It has let me down and has many flaws. The keyless door locks are frustrating, sometimes the doors open, sometimes they don't. Passengers are locked out if the driver gets in first even if you do two 'plips' on the fob to open all the doors. Start the (petrol) engine and you would think its a diesel. The engine is rough (probably why its called a boxer) and vibrates like a bus. On acceleration it sounds like an old camper van. At motorway speed it is deafening along with the gear whirr and transmission whine. It cannot maintain 70mph on a gradient if 4 people are on board. Fuel economy poor 24-25mpg round town and 29mpg long runs. Interior has low grade hard plastic everywhere. Dashboard vibrates with the engine, parcel shelf and bits of the car rattle. The soft drivers seat has no support. The passenger seat has very little adjustment. The rear seats are much better and can be reclined. The car has a roly-poly ride. In town it is fine and speed humps are easy to negotiate. At speed the bouncy ride becomes tiresome especially in the rear and leans over on bends. The steering is over assisted without feedback. On the motorway the car is pushed around by gusts and overtaking lorries can be scary. My wife likes the steering because it is light and has a good turning lock. We purchased this car because we live on a steep hill. Our old car went up in second gear but the Subaru engine is so weedy that it stalls. To get started again is very difficult. Using 2000rpm the car either stalls or 'bogs-down'. At higher revs the smell of burning clutch is unbelievable. It will start with the low gear ratio ‘box but this really shouldn't be necessary on a tarmac road of 1 in 10 gradient. This car has permanent 4-wheel drive and I cannot say if this works well as I have never had to drive it up a muddy field but it does go through flooded roads OK. And that famous Subaru reliability? It broke down in the first month due to a flat battery.

I decided to replace my aging X Trail when I retired following 32 yrs in the police. I went for the mid range with all the gadgets except leather seats and sat nav and the XC has all that.

Although only 1 mth old it is used daily and drivesbeautifully, very smooth compared with the nissan more economical and very comfy. There is plenty of room for the driver, four passengers and luggage and is well put together (no rattles yet).

I am disappointed there are not more "out of sight" storage cubby holes and that the CD/Radio is not DAB, the colour reversing camera also seems a good idea but the picture is not clear at night and I have found parking sensors work much better.

One final thing is that it is nice that there are not that amny on the road its like an exclusive club so I am really happy I bought it and will up date in a few months to see how it deals with winter.

The Subaru Forester is one of the most underated cars i've ever come across.

They are very spacious, fun to drive, incredibly practical, reasonably price, very low maintenance due to excellent reliability and build quality, i've driven a whole host of off road vehicles and this goes places it has no right to.

The other major factor in my love of this car is the Symmettrical AWD system, you just don't get stuck in any conditions in this vehicle.

The all round reliability from the build to the driving experience, must surely make the Subaru Forester the most reliable car out there.

Well this is my second Forester (both new shape 2.0 XC diesels), having had some fun in a Focus RS in between! Yes very different cars but the Subaru is a make I like and find very reliable.

The diesel boxer is good. Very efficient, regularly get mid 40's mpg and with the 4x4 and pulling power it's easy to forget it is just 150bhp.

The ride is good, I have to remind myself it is no sports car but it handles remarkably well if a little bit "rolly" in the corners.

Subaru has just updated the interior (oct 2011), its better, but remains plasticy and rather functional.

If you live in the countryside, need to soak up pot holes, snow, mud and flooding then it is hard to beat.

24,000 miles per annum and neither car has missed a beat. Have to add the RS was reliable as well but rather hopeless in the snow!

Had my new (61) Forester for about eight weeks, big decision no regrets at all - really love it. Very tall 6' 6'' and its ideal. Drives and handles very well especially at motorwat speeds. Averaging over 40 mpg overall and much more on motorways. Gearbox takes a bit of getting used to but ok. Definately one of the best cars I have ever driven. Feel special as see very few on the road.

Previously had an Octavia 4X4 which was a great car for rural living. However with the last 2 winters of 60 days snow cover and the use of fields for getting places I was looking for something with more clearance. Didn't think the Scout had enough unfortunatly.

We looked at

X Trails Nice, big boot, rubbish rear passanger space lack of head room.

Freelander To small for our family,no spare tyre, expensive.

The Forester has a spacious cabin, tons of clearance, smooth eager motor and economy, cheap to insure £220 full comp for 3 drivers SBDP, Quiet on the road. Tyres should be cheaper and better in snow as they are all season and not stupidly wide and really low profile.

The boot isn't as big as the Skoda but rarely used it all, may get roof bars in due course for skis. Driver controls are ok rather than intuitave. Materials used in cabin are easy care rather than stylish.Needs front mudguards.

Road manners are generally a good ride, though on persistantly bumpy bits it feels a bit unsettled, more 4x4 than car, but reassuring through corners. 42-43mpg around about 48 on longer runs. Torquey quiet engine with 6spd gearbox make an easy drive.

Overall we are happy with the car and wonder why more aren't on the road.

I have a Forester XC 2.0D that I have owned from new, having covered just over 30,000 miles it is now nicely run in.

It gets regular off road use on building sites and is used for transporting materials etc. as well as the occasional school run and general use.

As a car it is easy to drive and the higher vantage point is definately a plus on the motorway allowing you to see further ahead over the top of other cars. Handling is not spectacular but it is a solid drive and has positive feeling steering.

On avarage it achieves 43mpg which is pretty good for a 4x4.

Inside the seats (cloth) are comfortable and are standing up well to the trials of children and dogs. The instruments are all straightforward and easy to reach.

One minor moan would be that I would have preferred the leather option but it only comes with the sat nav package and you swap the 6disc CD for a single CD and sat nav. Would be better if there was a leather option without sat nav.

All in all, very pleased with the car, it drives and handles well, is rock solid off road and in the snow. Reasonable mpg and good service from the main dealer.

staggering performance leaves most cars behind, real drivers car.................................................................................................................

new forester is bigger than the previous one we owned for 10 years but it does a good job and is a lot more economical. its uncomfortable on rough tracks but plenty of room and performance

Just picked up my new (pre-reg) Forester Diesel yesterday and enjoyed a 100 mile trip back home to Wiltshire from Nuneaton. First impressions...?

Well, having been brought up on a diet of petrol turbo subarus I was a tad nervous about plunging from petrol-head heaven into the mainstream world of turbo diesel power. So far, no dissapointments whatsoever, but it's very early days so I'll comment again in detail in 6-months time, but for now; As a practical vehicle it of course comes with the usual Subaru virtues - incredibly good AWD, well-built, strong, ultra-reliable. It's significantly larger than the previous generation Forester, translating into a particularly spacious interior - excellent for children and dogs. I like the interior materials - practical and robust, and unless your spoilt, not unatractive at all. The centre vents feel a bit cheap, but otherwise the cabin is a nice place to be, and there is stacks of nooks and cranny gubbins space.

That diesel engine feels great - very petrol-like in it's willingness to rev, and very quiet too. As I run it in it should start to reveal its character. The handling so far seems good, although I haven't pushed it at all yet - there are some bad vibes written in the press about its nervous and wallowy disposition. Time will tell, but I'm sure can be fettled with a thicker Whiteline anti-roll-bar and their expertise but we'll see how we go.

So early impressions are good, and I'll write more when I have a few thousand miles on the clock, but so far, not dissapointed!