2013 Subaru Forester

Big step up from previous Foresters

By kurtaforesterguy (OR) on Tuesday, April 02, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 500

Pros: "Refined, nice to drive, well engineered"

Cons: "Hard seat bottoms, small nav icons"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"A thoroughly refined XT from past models: Ride's firm without being harsh and free from rear end pogo/rattles. More precise handling and less lean in turns. Interior offers many soft touch surfaces and fine fit/finish. HVAC and main controls easy to use, though navigation screen icons are small and easily missed. Useful vehicle status screen shows many aspects of car performance and has limited message programming. X-Mode reduces tire spin on slippery surfaces. Much lower noise levels on all but the coarsest roads. Seats well finished but limited bolstering and somewhat hard seat bottoms."

27 people out of 27 found this review helpful

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Great Value

By Andy (MA) on Thursday, April 25, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 300

Pros: "A lot of features for the price."

Cons: "Small size of flat screen display."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"After comparing features and price, I bought the 2014 Forester/Premium with the all weather package. The Ford Explorer and Mazda CX-5 cost several $1000 more to get the same features. I have been getting far better mileage than is stated on the sticker (over 30 mpg city vs 24 shown on the sticker). The car is quiet, comfortable and has plenty of room in the back seat. The ride is a little stiff compared with a car, but if you want an SUV capable of off-road, that is to be expected.Takes the bumps very well. The 175 hp engine is very responsive and does not strain on acceleration. I can cruise at highway speeds at a bit less than 2000 rpm. The only knock on this car is the somewhat small size of the flat screen display. However, the various displays are easy to toggle through and program. Setting up my cell phone for blue tooth was also straightforward. It could all be done from the controls on the steering wheel. My previous car was a 2005 Forester and the 2014 is a huge leap in interior room, features, comfort and power."

21 people out of 21 found this review helpful

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Beat My Expectations

By Kathyh (CO) on Friday, April 12, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 720

Pros: "smooth drive, best visibility,versatility, gas mpg"

Cons: "Haven't come up with anything major or minor yet.."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"This is my 5th Subaru, but very first Forester. I was leaning towards a 2013 Rav4. But when I saw that the 2014 Forester was coming out with 32 mpg for highway mid-March, I decided to wait. Very glad I did. Took it for a 20 minute test drive and it was love at first drive and bought it. Am a realtor and drive 35 miles RT a day to work. Needed a car for friends, family and clients and driving around Colorado-but did not want a big SUV. Since my car also acts as a mobile office needed room for signs, brochure boxes & tool box. For my Colorado lifestyle needed it for skiis, golf clubs and to fit my crossover bike in the back of the car. Everyone who has ridden in it remarks on how comfortable it is. It is very easy to get in and out of. The car has been averaging 31.8 mpg with hill and in-town driving. Love the rear view camera-am always backing out different driveways. The ultimate irony is my brother-in-law bought a 2012 Rav4 last fall, I let him drive my car last week. He said my Forester is more comfortable than his Toyota and he wish he had waited. Yes, I have only had 3 weeks with my car but am still very smitten and have zero regrets. Plan on having this car for a long time."

20 people out of 20 found this review helpful

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Great Visibility, Ride, Design & Functional

By Thalaron (TX) on Tuesday, April 16, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 1,000

Pros: "Styling, Mpg, spacious, Moonroof, Visibility, CVT"

Cons: "no hood scoop on XT model, light steering"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I purchased this car about 2 weeks ago, dark grey, with the tan interior. 2.5 Premium Trim. I test drove the XT (which was a blast, but I wont drive this often and the use of premium fuel, as well as lower mileage, at a higher price takes a toll on your wallet after a while) Exterior: With this fresh re-design this car is probably the sexiest boxy car you'll see. I think it looks great, as well as the use-able cargo space is unbeatable. This is probably the most functional car I've ever had, as well as the most spacious, with the low slung hood, and dash far away, I'm 6'3 and I cant even sit with the seats all the way back in the passenger seat(as there is too much room!) (its that spacious) Back seat has plenty of room and doors that open 90degrees for easy access. All that said it drives well, and you will not find a better SUV with such superb visibility and no blind spots. The moonroof is massive and makes me want to get outside more often! The interior design is spacious, open and put together well. While this 2.5i boxer engine mated with the new CVT transmission is not "fast" it is sufficient, fun to drive, as well as makes a nice sound (unlike the outlander). The CVT is very smooth,quiet, and does not feel like a CVT. We have experienced about 28mpg on the 1st 2 tanks of gas, mostly traffic-laden city/hwy driving to-fro work. On the open highway we've noticed around 32-34mpg. The Electronic fuel gagets and wheel slip monitors are entertaining and possibly useful, if you're driving offroad (I've only noticed it have any change in the AWD appearance when driving on extreme wet pavement) Interior. The cloth is nice, and stay cool, even in direct sunlight, but the leather would be more durable if you can spill the extra 2-3k on the limited model. The back seats recline, which is nice for a long trip. There is a little wind noise, but its minimal and is comparable in noise to the CX-5 front seat noise, (back seat noise of the CX-5 Is much louder)"

16 people out of 16 found this review helpful

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Nimble handling, tight turn circle, pleasant ride

By spocksbrain (CA) on Wednesday, April 17, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 450

Pros: "Great handling and airy feel in the cabin."

Cons: "nav, limited storage up front, must get moonroof"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"We bought this car, wanting to downsize from a minivan, but retain some cargo carrying ability. I love how this car drives. It corners and handles like a dream. The sitting position is great -- you are up and can see the road. We got the "eyesight" feature wich dutifully beeps when you change lanes without signalling or approach some object and brake later than it likes. The adaptive cruise control works very well -- it's actually usable even with some traffic. I've been getting as high as 31 MPG highway and usually in the mid twenties combined. City driving is lower than the EPA numbers of course. Acceleration is adequate, though not wonderful -- we did not get the turbo model and preferred the mileage numbers. As for criticisms, I'd first mention that the navigation system is sub-par, not intuitive and Subaru has made it impossible for a passenger to use it while the car is moving -- something we dislike. It's not always possible to pull over and come to a stop and if your passenger is there its silly to limit it. Too much brig-brother there I'd say. The middle console/armrest is smallish, the storage inside is small and the coin holder blocks easy access inside. The glove box isnt large. The front storage area is open and smallish as well. The visibility in the car is great for the most part, but the rear window seems small and reduces rear view vision. Be nice if that window were bigger and also the left and right exterior mirrors could have slightly larger fields of view. I also don't like that we had to give up 6 cu/ft of cargo space for a "moonroof" we will never use. This should be an optional item even on high trim levels. Unless you get the base model, you must get the moonroof and will not get the advertised 74 cu/ft of cargo space as a result. However, this car all in all, seems great. The complaints seem minor compared to the overall quality, price and safety attributes."

14 people out of 14 found this review helpful

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