Used 2015 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
Solid and fun to drive
NYS Driver, Sag Harbor, NY, 09/12/2015
updated 03/15/2016
Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
I've had this SUV for 9 months and 12000 miles. So far, no maintenance problems except for a slight vibration noise coming from somewhere behind the steering wheel/dash that you can hear at low speeds (under 30 mph). My mechanic thought it was a loose spring in the steering column, where the tilt assembly is, and a mechanic at Subaru thought it was a "loose latch" under the hood. She and I thought she had fixed it, but after a few days of silence the noise came back. It is a minor annoyance. Otherwise: body is stiff and ride is bumpy at first, but it smooths out considerably after about 5000 miles, and at this point I would rate it as smooth and enjoyable. Handling is a bit jittery at very low speeds (maneuvering through parking lots), which takes some getting used to. I find the steering to be excellent (at least compared to my former car, a 2000 Toyota Camry), making it fun to drive. Acceleration is very adequate: you don't get a sense of power to spare but you don't struggle to get from 40 to 60 or 60 to 80, either. It is crisp and swift. Traction was good through last winter (2014-15) in the Northeast (which was bad) although I drove slowly on icy roads. The wheels may have slipped here and there but the vehicle did not lunge or swerve. Gas mileage is excellent for an SUV, about 32 mph combined. Radio and CD player are very average. Visibility is excellent and general cabin atmosphere is nice with the extra light. Air conditioning seems about average, not icy but comfortable at temperatures over 90 at the second to lowest fan setting. Engine power while AC is running is surprisingly good; you don't really notice a difference. Storage capacity is fine; limited horizontally but compensated for with extra height. <br><br> UPDATE: At 20,000 miles and about 15 months, I have still had no mechanic problems and find the ride to be smooth and enjoyable, with adequate power and acceleration. Heating, ac, windshield wipers, etc. all work as they should. I've also had no problems with excess oil consumption. I've been changing the oil at 5,000-mile intervals, and checking it at 2,000 miles, and have only seen slight consumption at the point it is ready to be changed.
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Lousy trailer hitch
sunflowersue, Lawrence, KS, 03/06/2015
Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
63 of 75 people found this review helpful
Bought a new Forester Limited in December 2014. Really like some features of the car compared to the 2003 Forester it replaced. Not crazy about the way the engine picks up speed or not. Like little things--leather seats, dimming mirror, back-up camera. Like the added room for rear seat passengers.
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Great Car
guitarsmth, Aurora, IL, 10/09/2014
Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I recently purchased a 2015 Forester Limited and I'm very happy with it so far. Gas mileage has been around the 27 mpg they advertise. You won't win any street races but it's more than fast enough for highway driving and lane merges. The ride height is excellent as is the visibility. Build quality feels very good. The Limited trim is a great value. You get a ton of features and a very reliable vehicle for a fairly low price. I can't wait to see how it performs this winter.
Good car, lousy accessories - yes, the hitch sucks
Kumar S, Los Angeles, CA, 08/11/2015
Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
19 of 22 people found this review helpful
I wish I had read the review above before I installed the Forester OEM hitch. I like the Subaru Forester. I like it enough that I have driven it 20,000 miles in the nearly 18 months (bought it early May 2014). I am not too crazy about the (lack of) pickup speed, but I knew that getting in. I bought the limited edition with EyeSight. I love EyeSight. It has saved my wife and myself enough number of times. Adaptive cruise control is such a nice feature on Hwy 5. The car is spacious, the moon roof is very nice and it feels and handles like a very safe car. The automatic lift gate has a mind of it's own. It is very slow to open and often would just emit out an annoying beep sign without opening. The less said about the touch screen, the better. The 2016 Forester has a much better touch screen is what I hear. I wish I had read the review about regarding the trailer hitch. I was stupid enough to ask my local Subaru dealer to install the OEM hitch. The $400 price for the hitch and $280 to install must have been a warning, but I wanted to get this installed before summer was out and being too lazy to find out who else can install a hitch and what to read about, I installed it. The OEM trailer hitch is worth its weight in human manure. It's class 1, comes with a 1.25" hitch. To make this worse, the pinhole is too far close to the front opening that only ONE Yakima bike rack is blessed to work with it. I needed a bike rack that will take 4 bikes. There are a few bike racks that will work with a 1.25" hitch, but all of them need a class 2 hitch, which this "pile of human dung" isn't. I wish my local service adviser was good enough to point that out to me - but I won't blame him if I walked in with a big loser sign in my forehead. Unlike the reviewer above me, I couldn't get this hitch to work, even with the crappy blessed Yakima bike rack. I begged my local dealer to take the hitch back, I will eat the $280 installation charges. I am getting a class 3, 2" trailer hitch installed by U-Haul for $215 (total, including labor) and will install an appropriate bike rack that will support 4 bikes on it. I will return the bike rack and pray that the dealer refunds me the $399 at least. Like the reviewer above, I am so pissed with Subaru. I trusted Subaru and I trusted that the $700 hitch would be the best in it's class and work magically with all accessories. The fact that it's the worst piece of crap out there and seriously crippled by Subaru has left me very very very unhappy. I refuse to part any more money to Subaru going forward. I have pre-paid my services up to 48,000 miles (did I mention the loser sign before?), once that's done, I will avoid Subaru and it's over-priced dealerships for the rest of my life. I have recommended and my family & friends have bought 3 different Subarus based on my recommendation, but no more. Subaru - you have lost a potential life long customer because of your stupid crippled accessory.
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*** Edit*** after 4 yrs 60k miles, Don't Buy, junk
Bryan, Deland, FL, 08/10/2016
updated 08/30/2021
Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I've had my forester 1 year and already put 30K miles on it. I commute 80 miles a day and ride/race road and mtn bikes so spend alot of time outdoors in the woods and on long road trips. For my active lifestyle, the simplicity of function over amenities is perfect.. Wouldn't be my first choice if I needed a comfy and fancy family grocery getter but for what Subaru designed and market the forester for, its excellent. Even with limited package, my only real complaint is the head unit/speakers looks and sounds like garbage. Like so many said before, interior is plain and seats are firm but the trade off is durability which is what I was looking for. Drives nice in ALL conditions, reliable so far, good gas mileage, decent power, good visibility good value and appears to have great resale value even though I will probably drive this thing into the ground. ****Edit**** after 4 years and 60k miles, the motor is burning oil. Down a quart every 4000 miles to where the light comes on before every oil change for the last 10k miles. Dealership is useless, say its normal, nothing they can do, deal with it and to just add oil?????. I now use this car as a long distance commuter, weigh 175# and wear hospital scrubs so wear and tear should be minimal yet Leather driver Seat has a tear in the side and visual signs of wear. Valance that pops up when sunroof opens is covered in rust. I passed on the better looks, better technology and comfort from other brands thinking I was getting more durability and reliability. I was wrong, This thing is Junk. Wish I would of bought honda or toyota.****** EDIT***** 80k miles Leather continues to come apart on seats and steering wheel. Had to replace wheel bearings. Continues to burn over a quart of oil between scheduled changes. Paint starting to fail on back hatch even thought parked in shade and garage kept most life. Sunroof valance rusting even more, subaru refused to do anything about it till rusted completely through. Occasionally stalls when put in reverse from park. It is pushing 5 yrs old but gripes above still seem premature considering Subaru are supposed to be more durable than other brands...
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value