Used 2011 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
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My trusty, dependable steed
C Norty, 03/14/2016
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
52 of 52 people found this review helpful
I've owned a jeep and a Nissan pathfinder. both vehicles i loved for their own reasons, but wanted something that was more economical and still afforded me the ability to go off-road and take some abuse. When I saw the 2011, i fell in love with the lines. In my opinion, the exterior is perfect, with the interior being well done, too. I am a designer and basically made my purchase because i loved the design of the vehicle. the newer design is awful. the 2011 is the sweet spot for me. Anyway, I took delivery of the vehicle in November 2011 and immediately put it to work. There has been NOTHING this car has not been able to handle, aside from perhaps rock crawling. I lived in the southwest and spent a lot of time in the desert. the AWD keeps the car on the dirt like glue. In the rain, the same. In the snow, it's nearly unstoppable. 46,000 miles later.... The exterior I have found does not do well against branches and scratched easily. the interior, is well thought out but the paneling is cheap and scratched easily. I've had to have a few of the plastic bits replaced and had to re-install a few others multiple times. Audio system is excellent for a factory radio, but the bluetooth will not stay synced to my iPhone. iPod controls are good, but doesn't remember folder placement if turned on/off. AC is decent and was often put to good use when it was 115 in the desert. I am 6-2 and find leftroom and getting in/out to be quite easy. this was another important purchase reason for me. When the transmission is in regular D, performance is awful. I always use the 'sport' mode or the clutchless manual shift which allows me to actually pass cars on the road. THIS IS NOT A PERFORMANCE VEHICLE. the real power is above 4000 rpm in 2nd and 3rd. I have had zero maintenance issues with the vehicle. Just oil changes and rotation of the tires. In the SW i was averaging 24.6 mpg, but now in Texas with more stop/go, i am getting 21 overall if i am lucky. The AWD is a fuel hog, that's for sure. I've taken the car on multiple cross country trips and it will cruise @ 70 MPH all day long. There is road noise, and is getting worse now that the tires are reaching the end of their life, but it's not as bad as some other cars. I bought this car to be a work horse, and it shows. the exterior, while still shiny has all the marks of off-roading and the interior show's it's been occupied to people who spend time outdoors.
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WARNING!!! Make sure to check your Oil!!!
looney3, 02/18/2013
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
123 of 126 people found this review helpful
If you own a 2011 or newer Forester with the new engine requiring synthetic oil, Check/add oil frequently! Mine requires 1 qt added every 1800 miles on average. I read an account of another 2011 Forester owner who went just over 10,000 miles without checking or changing the oil, and the engine ran out of oil, seized and was destroyed. You will need to add 3-4 qts in between oil changes. Engine rattles loudly at startup for a few seconds. Subaru needs to fix the problem of oil use. Most people are not diligent about checking and topping up their oil. There will be many unhappy owners.
Excessive Oil Consumption destroys all value
sadsubaru, 10/17/2014
updated 10/17/2016
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
88 of 90 people found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying I own three Subarus and I used to love the company. However there is a defect in many 2011 to 2014 Forester engines. The defect cause them to consume massive amounts of the 0W20 oil the specs require. The problem is so bad a class action law suit has been filed. Google this story subaru-excess-oil-consumption-problem-may-lead-to-engine-failure-lawsuit My car has the defect and Subaru refuses to take full responsibility. I can't sell it to anyone in good faith and so I'm stuck pouring hundred of dollars of oil into it every year. My Subaru dealer quoted $5000 to fix the defect. It is an invisible problem, so buyer beware. Update - Subaru finally admitted fault (under pressure of a class action suit) and replaced the entire short block and whatever other little bits and pieces were necessary. Lo and behold, no more oil consumption issues, well at least not in the first 10K miles since the replacement. However, in the meantime, other issues have arisen. I had"heard noise for a long while from the wheels. I assumed it was tire noise, as the car was driving fine and the Subaru service centers did not identify anything. Within a couple of months I had to replace a wheel bearing in the front and another in the rear a in bad show I'm told a third is in bad shape. I also just had to replace both front axles and now I am told I have to replace the rear driver side U-joint which requires me to replace an entire drive shaft. I've never had to perform any of these repairs on any of my other subarus. I have had axles go on other cars, but they were 15+ years old, this car is five years old. In sum, I think this was a lemon I purchased and I'm still soured on Subaru.
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Love it, fun to drive, but some problems
pip3, 11/07/2011
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
63 of 66 people found this review helpful
We love our Forester, for the most part. It is the perfect size. I don't have to sink down to get in and better yet, don't have to yank myself high up to climb into it. Driving it is fun, very responsive and great turning radius. Visibility is excellent and parking is easy. However, we have 2 strong complaints and a minor one. First, the radio is terrible! The fm sounds like hollow am radio. Next, the passenger seat is highly uncomfortable, non adjustable, and sunk down so low it's hard to see over the dash. The minor complaint is storage. Glove box is tiny, cup holders are square and bottles routinely fall over. In-door cupholders are also flawed.
Excessive oil consumption, computer fail, cold start noise
edholden, 11/03/2014
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
48 of 50 people found this review helpful
Purchased new 2011 Forrester prem 2.5. Currently have less than 22k miles. Have had excessive oil consumption from day one. It wasn't until after many complaints, that the dealer started an oil consumption test. No issue failing that. Car would consume 3-4.5 quarts on a thousand mile trip, over and over again. Subaru put a new short block in it after it failed the test, and also had a software malfunction whole taking the test. Now the engine knocks on every cold start. SOA Rep acknowledges the excessive noise, but claims there is no fix. The dealer already supposedly replaced the tentioner on the timing chain. Filed suit against SOA for failing to comply per warrant.
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