Opinions on the Forester

G

g6r109

New member
For the forester owners what are your opinions in general about these cars?
I have a 2016 one, bought it with 80,000km and now have 200,000km
I've replaced two wheel bearings, front right cv joint was replaced for me when i bought it but it is now gone again,
numerous bushings, a couple drop links. I don't think these cars are as 'off road' worthy as they are advertised to be?
I enjoy the feel of the awd. The engine is smooth and the visibility out of the car is great. The interior is quite smart too and the seats are comfortable.
But one thing that seriously impedes any enjoyment from driving these cars, and I cant stress this enough, it has to be that it has the worst gearbox I have ever driven in any car.
Mine is a manual. I cant understand how the subaru engineers let the car into production with a gearbox like this!!
Has anyone got the CVT model? I would have to imagine it is a lot better?

Also has anyone got any experience with the newer hybrid model? What is your opinion?
 
The car has 200,000km on it and our roads are not great here , pot holes ramps etc .
I think you’ve done ok .
I remember buying a van from the uk back in ‘06 , van had 40,000miles on it , within 6 months , rear shocks worn , drop links , track rods , ball joints , front tyres destroyed because of the condition of the roads in Dublin .
I wouldn’t be as quick to blame the forester, they are very robust in general, but if they are being driven on bad roads things are going to wear .
none of those items were designed to last 200,000km
 
🤣🤣 this made me laugh 👍👍thanks 😉

let me get this straight you’ve done 140000 klm and only had 2 wheel bearings and a cv joint and some drop links . That’s great going . Intrested in What were you driving before the forester if you think that’s a lot of parts

I think you’ve done ok if I’m honest . Cars ain’t made to last 15-20 years anymore there disposable items nowadays
 
To be honest its the first non Toyota I've had!!
If you can call Subaru a non-Toyota any more?
Is their anyone here with the newer hybrid models?
Yes it would appear perhaps cars aren't made to last even 5 years not to mind 15
 
Doesn’t matter what model or year car they are , all robust and built to a similar specification, parts interchangeable.
I think you’re clutching at straws here and have not taken or engaged in any of our replies
 
Don’t think anyone here has a new hybrid model . There not bad but 50k is a lot of money for 1 . Everything with Subaru now starts at 50k it’s a lot for them if I’m honest .
New Toyotas ain’t what they use to be either . Older stuff was way better but the same with every make
 
g6r109 said:
For the forester owners what are your opinions in general about these cars?
I have a 2016 one, bought it with 80,000km and now have 200,000km
I've replaced two wheel bearings, front right cv joint was replaced for me when i bought it but it is now gone again,
numerous bushings, a couple drop links. I don't think these cars are as 'off road' worthy as they are advertised to be?
I enjoy the feel of the awd. The engine is smooth and the visibility out of the car is great. The interior is quite smart too and the seats are comfortable.
But one thing that seriously impedes any enjoyment from driving these cars, and I cant stress this enough, it has to be that it has the worst gearbox I have ever driven in any car.
Mine is a manual. I cant understand how the subaru engineers let the car into production with a gearbox like this!!
Has anyone got the CVT model? I would have to imagine it is a lot better?

Also has anyone got any experience with the newer hybrid model? What is your opinion?
Click to expand...
I personally don't mind the gearbox, however a low box would be welcomed. If you think the manual is bad then I would advise you not to try a CVT. Drove a 2016 CVT and hated it.

As scoobysub said if that's all you have put into it you are not doing too bad at all! I've never had to put any of those in, yet, well maybe the drop links.
 
BazGF8 said:
Doesn’t matter what model or year car they are , all robust and built to a similar specification, parts interchangeable.
I think you’re clutching at straws here and have not taken or engaged in any of our replies
Click to expand...

I was only sharing my experience and asking for others opinions.
I am not complaining about the few parts I've had to replace in the car. I don't think my original post has come across this way, perhaps you think differently.
In my original post I highlighted that I don't think they are as 'off-road' worthy as they are advertised to be. There was a time when I was using mine for work in muddy conditions in fields etc and haven't found it as impressive as I thought I would have had with the AWD.
A couple colleagues with an outlander and a kuga, similar years, were every bit as good.
But the forester is certainly more comfortable than both.

In my original post I am certainly complaining about the gearbox.
The gearbox is definitely a build-ability issue, which I as a driver don't enjoy. I will add to this that the majority of people who've driven my car find the same and it is most certainly the opinion of the service technicians and a few other employees at the subaru dealership I go to.
The wearable parts as people have said are not designed to last forever, but I haven't complained about this in my opinion.

I'm not sure what is meant by your comment 'clutching at straws'
 
Not sure what work your doing off road . If towing trailers or just on sites . But we have 2 kugas and there useless even on damp grass with a small slope they won’t go up them while a forester or outback there’s no problem . Can’t comment on The outlander . Also if on roads tyres in the field it’s never going to be good

the 6 speed gearbox Is cable operated and does have some slop in the linkage but the manual gearbox if by far the best in the range in my view some people like the cvt but personally I Wouldn’t touch 1 with it
 
scoobysub said:
Not sure what work your doing off road . If towing trailers or just on sites . But we have 2 kugas and there useless even on damp grass with a small slope they won’t go up them while a forester or outback there’s no problem . Can’t comment on The outlander . Also if on roads tyres in the field it’s never going to be good

the 6 speed gearbox Is cable operated and does have some slop in the linkage but the manual gearbox if by far the best in the range in my view some people like the cvt but personally I Wouldn’t touch 1 with it
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be towing trailers off road really, just in and out of a site.
Kuga was a '4x4' model. Don't know much about what that means but I wonder was it a constant AWD car also? I assume they are more common in AWD up to say 20kmh which is mostly what would be sold in Ireland? This one came from the UK.
Yeah I considered the tyres alright, I asked the guy to give me a good set of Continentals that would be alright to use in fields where the topsoil has been stripped.
Found them good to be fair but for sure they were mainly a road tyre with a light crossover for Mud & Snow after I done some research on them.
 
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