Used 2014 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
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Basically a good car with a few faults
Simon Levinson, 09/21/2015
updated 03/24/2017
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
38 of 40 people found this review helpful
I have had this car since new for over three years. The 2014 Forester has outstanding visibility and an excellent CVT that delivers great gas mileage. I'm 6'2" and I find the driver's position very comfortable. The cargo capacity is adequate for my needs (e.g. putting 8 ft long lumber in the interior for my woodworking projects). I find the electric steering to be responsive and provides good feel of the road, while the low speed parking maneuverability is excellent. Two serious faults: the ride is incredibly rough, especially over the poorly paved streets of Denver. Riding on residential streets feels like being pummeled by a boxer! My wife had a back operation and couldn't ride in the car for months! I haven't used it off road, but I worry that the ride will render it unusable. The second problem is a non-functional Bluetooth that will not connect reliably with my iPhone6 (nor did it with a previous iPhone4). Since my iPhone6 connects just fine with other car Bluetooth systems, this is clearly Subaru's problem, much as they denied it. Minor annoyances: The terrible instrumentation, which uses three separate and different format displays for fuel levels, consumption, audio system status, etc....very distracting and with lots o' useless information, such as driven wheel status, antilock activation (you can feel this, after all!), and several different displays for fuel rate consumption...overall, a very distracting and potentially dangerous system. On the other hand, there is no temperature gauge, just a blue idiot light that goes out when the engine warms up. Also, the climate control system is rather weak, and in cold weather in particular takes much too long to warm the cabin. This is the 7th Subaru that I've owned since 1981, and I generally kept them until they wear out (or were totaled by my kids). However, the flaws in this one, mostly the rough ride, has me considering trading it in for a Rav4 or a CRV.
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Oil sucker
Tom, 01/04/2016
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
I bought the forester in Jan 15 it had 23,000 miles on it. I drive 104 miles round trip to work each day. I have 47,000 on the suv now and just lately I have noticed it is drinking oil. After a fresh oil change I find that the oil light comes on after about 2,000 miles and I have to add a quart. I put the recommend synthetic oil in about every 6-8,000 miles. I have been in the car business for 40+ years and have always driven newer cars I have never had to add any oil. This is definitely a problem. I bought the Subaru because I thought it would be a reliable car,but now I,m not so sure. I'm going to contact the dealer and see what they do. Stay tuned.
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Thirsty for oil 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited
Jessy M., 07/11/2016
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I bought the 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited in October of 2013. I'll start with the positives: I'm very impressed with the style (used to look dumpy prior model years), the reasonable gas mileage, the room, the fact that I can easily get in/out of the SUV (I'm short), the leather seating (I have chronic back pain so it helps), the huge moon roof, the lift gate, the safety, AWD handling, the brakes are nice (not super touchy and doesn't pull you forward). The cons so far: the options if it's not standard can be pretty pricey, what comes standard is not always the greatest (Acura per example, would beat out Subaru in that department, specifically the technology dept.), the heat takes awhile to get warm, a lot of trouble starting the car if it's colder than usual (-0), heated seats do not stay heated, sometimes I hear road noise even though windows are all up, not all doors have a light so if you're sitting in the back, it's hard to see where the window button is if you want to roll down the window when it's dark, the driver visor mirror does not have a light (pretty cheap if you ask me!), and most importantly, my car is one of the year/VIN/models affected by oil consumption issues. Recently, my oil light went on, on my way to work. I brought it to the dealership that day since it's under the power train warranty and there is an active lawsuit against Subaru that I was notified about. I was told that my car (2K more miles to the next oil change) lost 1 1/2 quarts of oil (not sure where it went b/c it didn't leak from what I could tell). They changed the oil and replaced a gasket (pretty bad that needed replacement but thankful it was under warranty), and I was told to bring the car back 1200 miles later for another oil consumption test (coming up), do not add oil if the oil light comes up and they will replace the engine if it goes while under the warranty. I haven't had to pay anything out of my own pocket for that yet, knock on wood, but this shouldn't happen to a car that doesn't even have 40K miles on it yet and is Japanese engineered! Subaru really needs to fix this problem! Enough people are affected that they should notice and be proactive!! I'm very disappointed and I don't know if I'll ever get another Subaru! So far, I seem to have better luck with Honda's....
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Best of the small crossovers I've tried
misprof, 12/28/2013
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I am 6'5" and my wife is 5'3" and we wanted something that we could adjust to both be able to drive comfortably. We tried a Forester last year, but the visibility was nowhere near as good and the interior seemed very cheap. The 2014 is a huge improvement. I don't have to adjust the seat all the way back even with my 35" inseam legs. Visibility is much better due to the larger windows all around and the relatively straight roof line, unlike a lot of the competitors. After about 400 miles I am getting about 29 MPG of mostly highway driving. Overall I like the look and functionality. It isn't flashy, but is the most comfortable and practical of the crossovers out there.
New Subarau believer
gearhead71, 02/20/2014
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
I test drove 30 awd's out there and due to a family balance disorder, the ride requirement was the following: Highway smoothness, near zero body roll, zero cabin pressure (Suv must be vented properly) unlike VW tiguan, and no road vibration through the steering and seats. The 2014 was a clear and easy winner. I have owned the forester for 2 months in the NE winter and this thing proves itself every day of my 70 minute tristate commute. Coming from a BMW x5 I thought I would be unhappy - but this SUV is really a swiss army knife. Insane in the snow/ice - great comfort, a kickin' stereo system. Computer readout of everything + X-Drive! + 27mpg avg + rock solid reliability LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
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