Used 2016 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews

i have a 'Bru mance' with Subie XT

This is a fast small SUV that really gives good value, for the price. Good handling, good braking. Nice quality on the interior leather. the navi is not at all intuitive-I'm still figuring it our after 18 months. The I feature slows you down when on cruise- actually makes it impossible to hit someone from behind. Audio system has a good sound. All said, it 's a nice SUV. I paid 36k for it and i think i got a lot of value. Also own a 2009 Forester. Runs great, reliable,

Great Forester Fun to Drive

Great car to drive, very user friendly. Simple, all wheel drive is second to none. I purchased a car from East Hills Subaru my salesman name was James Hoppe, very helpful and understanding. Took the time to show me the car.

My new car.

Very tall family and we all fit very comfortably. Dependable!

Best car I have ever owned.

Still the best car I have ever owned...

Love my new Suburu Forester

I bought a Premium but it has navigation and alerts for driving over the lanes or too close to the car ahead...Has come in very handy. I don't need leather seats and I don't want he button for the rear lift.

Forester XT Premium

Great highway car. Here in CO, the altitude ranges from 5000 feet in the city to more than 10000 in the mountains, but this car handles all highways the same--80 mph. On straight-flats it gets about 26 mpg, and about 21 mpg in the city. Notice that these figures are about 2 mpg lower than EPA estimate. This is not an error, but I will get back to that in a minute. The vehicle's appearance is plain, which can be charming, but it lacks some 'standard features,' which make it feel cheap. Which it is, unless you upgrade to Touring. In that case the plain appearances and functionality mesh a little better. In my opinion, the car looks best when lowered 2.5", but then you lose "off-road" capability. Which brings me to the car's performance. As I said earlier, the car is a great for highway-driving. It's also pretty fun to drive in the city, too. It easily gets from 0-35 mph in about 4 seconds, and from 60 to 80 in about the same, If power-braking and/or flooring it, it can shave those times significantly. This accounts for the 1 to 2 seconds of turbo lag, which this car has a lot of, at lower speeds especially. The traction control is only okay. It cannot be completely turned off (doesn't really turn off at all), and is slow to react and sometimes over-reactive. The interior is decent with HQ LEATHER or leather/fabric seats, but once again lacking features: better dome lighting, electric passenger seat, push-button start, backseat charger ports, etc. The entertainment system is even COMPLETELY LACKING A FEATURE which has a grayed-out button. It's called MirrorLink, which allows you to connect your phone's display to the head unit's display. This feature works on my phone when I plug it into the car's USB (rendering my phone useless), but does not light up the ML button. Turns out that feature is disabled in the U.S. This one bums me out. Remember how I said the vehicle's mpg is lower than EPA estimates? Well, let me tell more about the car's technology. I have completely filled the tank 23 times since I purchased in Dec 15. Every time I filled up I divided miles driven by gallons filled, and every time I got a significantly lower than the EPA estimates of 23/25/28. For the 20 fill-ups that I calculated: miles since last fill-up divided by gallons filled, I got a range of deviation from -1.4 to -2.1 with an average of 23.3 mpg. This is a 7% average difference from 25 mpg, a somewhat significant value. And I know what this sounds like, but it's not the effects of altitude, because there is a twist. The vehicle calculates and displays values fairly close to EPA's from virtually the same numbers... The altitude would have no effect on the vehicle's calculation of mpg. That's right the MPG CALCULATOR in your Forester is probably incorrect. Check it out. Overall, the car is really GOOD FOR SOMEBODY WHO LIVES AT ALTITUDE, that wants a reliable sport-SUV to get them from point A to B. However, it would be a much better vehicle with: an accurate fuel economy gauge, better UI on infotainment system, a way to completely disable TC and other safety features (such as roll-over airbags that can go off even when the is just on a steep incline). I would trade my car in a second for Forester that has these features plus a six-speed transmission. Add a slightly lower stance, and other STi traits, and I would pay anything.

I am very SAD

2016 forester with 300 miles. the gas paddel has to much delay. sometime you have to push it 3 times to get it to take the fuel, has pulled me into the traffic several times and then nothing, leaves you hanging there, started before the first 100 miles, only has 300 miles on it now, has been in the shop 3 times, they keep saying it is ok, i guess they think i am dreaming, wish i had my old 1996 van back and my money out of this junk, don't buy one of these. PS loves its gas, about 15 miles to a gal.

poor interior design

Fond the drivers seat very uncomfortable. The door panels constantly interfered with my legs and the left foot rest even tho I am 6 feet tall was way out of reach without putting the steering wheel in your stomach. Ride was choppy too much jostling on uneven surfaces like found on most highways. Found the info center lacking in useful information like distance to empty. The accessory tray in the console had to be removed to fit even the most basic USB and charging equipment to keep my phone charged. The backup system is poor quality and needs more useful calibration options Overall I would never buy this vehicle as there are much better options even on the most basic vehicles in this class

Overpriced piece of cheap plastic- lipstick on pig

Not only was I taken on the lease, I am shocked how cheaply this car made compared to previous 2006 Forester i owned. The interior is all cheap hard plastic, the car sides bend with pressure of one finger, like a cheap car i had in 1990’s not like previous Subaru. This one already has bad scratch on back because rear has no real bumper but cheap plastic, last one had hard rubber there which showed nothing after hitting garbage can. I got it with all the expensive “safety’ features, but it lacks the most important one, blind spot monitoring. Over all paid fortune, cheated by dealer, and wound up with car that exemplifies cliche of lipstick on pig

Missing in Action

The Limited version I purchased omits many useful features that have been on all my previous cars at this cost and trim level. Here's a partial list: 1) ignition key does not fold so it stabs holes in pants pockets 2) there is no touch down for Passenger side window 3) there is no auto on for headlights at darkness 4) cruise control only increments in 5mph units after setting 5) there are no clothes hook hangers above back door entry 6) there is no overhead light in cargo area 7)the cargo mat is so rigid that it prevents entry to the useful underneath storage area. And I've only had the car for four weeks. The ride and comfort are as good as reported. I think the Eyesight feature, while usually good is overrated because my limited experience is that its response time is too long for cars cutting you off and thereby requiring instant braking.

after 13 months

good but not exciting and too many quirks;you need a degree in computer science to change the clock and you need two hands to lift the owner's manual. it's that big. had to change the yokohama tires after 12,000 miles really poor quality

Nice car

I only test drove this car. I have still not decided between this and the Honda CRV or Mazda CX5. This car was missing a lot of things I have come to take for granted, like doors automatically locking when I drive away, keyless start, auto dimming mirror. It's been many years since I have had to raise up the rear view mirror to avoid lights from other cars at night. Also, with the high safety rating of this vehicle, I would expect that locks would lock at a certain speed and not have to remember to lock doors for safety. It was very difficult to read the warning signals and the entertainment system when the sun shone in on them. I didn't find this happening with the other vehicles I have test driven. I must say however that the vision in this car is spectacular with no blind spots that I could see. The Subaru Forrester is still in the running. It's a good car, and just the lack of a few bells and whistles is not enough to stop me from buying one. But I do want to make sure that I am not more comfortable with those bells and whistles if the other cars are just as safe, have a good view of the road and passing autos, and are as easy to drive.

Too Many dashboard and radio features left undone

Unless you are a major programming artist do not even buy the programmables for mileage, fuel consumption and other dashboard hidden features. They use a paddle system to program all these functions. The automation fights back at every attempt to install even simple things like setting the clock. These features should come with solid pre-set features and maybe allow the user to up-grade the feature if he wants. I am so turned off over this I have given up trying to set the functions. This is my sixth purchase of a FORESTER. Because I anticipate they will do the same thing with unfinished automation when more autonomy becomes available this is my last purchase of a FORESTER. Never again!

2016 Subaru Forester Limited

Great gas mileage! Roomy for compact SUV. Ride is little stiff. Only complaint is that the navigation system should be located near the top of the dash rather than in middle to make it easier to read while driving. Love the large sunroof.

Too interactive

I love this vehicle, but I worry about the distraction of the touch screen. Yes it can be voice controlled, but I need a training program to figure out all the voice commands. I have only had the vehicle a few weeks but have had a couple occasions where I varied from my lane while trying to do something on the touch screen. To me that was scary. I love the camera screen on the 16. I traded a like 15 and that one was hard to see especially in sun light. This one is nice. I would like to be able to turn it on while moving to monitor a trailer. That would be nice. Overall, except for blind spot alerts, I love this car. My fourth Subaru.

Never had a Subaru but now i am hooked

The 2016 Subaru Forester purchase was a last minute decision. We had always gone with Toyota or Mazda..but we are thrilled with the purchase and the price. Great safety features, tons of room, in both front and back seat. Love the new look of this car also. My only disappointment was the lack of blind spot sensor. That said it is so easy (unlike the mazda x5) to see everywhere on both sides. Love the auto break if necessary and the alert if you change lanes accidentally and LOVE that it tells you when the car in front of you has moved forward. Great great car which is a big as an SUV. oh..also drives like a charm.

SUPPRISED

I was really impressed with the turbo speed and fuel economy

Sold On Subaru

This is my first Subaru purchase which was encouraged by rave reviews of other Subaru owners. I love my Forester and look forward to many safe, comfortable, eco-friendly miles ahead.

Great car

Test drove multiple cars in this class. Several of which were rated higher..very happy with my decision to pick Subaru.

The good, the Bad, and the ugly

The Subaru Forester my wife and I own is a 2016 2.5i Premium. Overall, very nice vehicle, but if you are considering one, you might want to consider my impressions of the vehicle after putting 32,000 miles on what was a dealer loaner with 5,000 miles on it at delivery. The Good: 1) Great gas mileage, average is 28 locally, 30 on a trip to New York State from Alabama. 2) AWD nice, even in Alabama since we attend events (flea markets, festivals) that require parking in fields. 3) Ground clearance very nice, never scraped anything (curb, steep driveway). 4) Vehicle has a low center of gravity compared to other compact SUVs so it holds the road on curves (probably due to flat Boxer engine). The Bad: 1) Red dashboard lights are annoying and everywhere (on the doors and console too). 2) Squeak/rattle at highway speeds in dashboard when temperature goes into 30s that gets worse as the temperature drops – goes away starting in 40s and up (dealer uncertain as to fix). 3) No parts made in the United States, so much for supporting local industry. 4) Cabin noise creates a problem for someone in the back seat who is expected to participate in conversations between people sitting in front seats. The Ugly: 1) Front seats very comfortable for wife, very uncomfortable for daughter. 2) While safety tests put the vehicle near the top of compact SUVs, the Death Rate in the vehicle (IIHS) is about at the national average for vehicles. 3) Fold-down rear split seats allow hauling, but the seats do not fold completely flat – there is a troublesome bump that can damage items (loog IKEA boxes). 4) Uses regular gasoline, but requires full-synthetic engine oil. 5) Although engine has lots of room to maneuver for servicing, dealer says some quick-lubes have confused the oil and transmission drain plugs and caused major transmission problems that require a prolonged fight to get reimbursed for damage. Overall, so far a good vehicle, and I would consider buying another. Wife is thrilled with the vehicle and says it is the first vehicle she has made payments on that she is happy about making the payment. So you know what our next vehicle is likely to be – that is how we stayed married for 38 years.

My New Little "Lurch"

We've always owned Honda...for the majority of our marriage. The Subaru was a new purchase, we don't lease, now that we are done with totting kids around and don't need the Mother van. I've found most features disappointing or annoying on the 2016 Forester. The Accelerator pedal is so small, it makes my 5'2"frame tired after driving 45 minutes. The carpet is so cheap, the blonde hair in our family makes the black carpet look forever dirty. The "fuel release" lever is on the floor vs. the vertical floor board near the break pedal, so it's always dirty. I hate the "LURCH' in the accelerator. I hate the beeping of the seat belt warning @ 3 miles an hour, so you can't move your car from one spot in your garage to another with buckling up. I hate the change box, you can't plug in your phone with spilling the change. I hate there's no place for a woman's purse...and if you throw it onto the passengers seat, you have to "buckle it in" because 3-5 pounds sets off the alarm to buckle. I regret NOT BUYING a HONDA even though I got the Subaru because I did not want all the silly bells and whistles the CR-V offered.

Nice car but I couldn't buy it

I was ready to buy a 2016. But, when I saw that it didn't lay flat in the back, I had to look for something else. The 2013 Forester was the newest one that did. I will now be able to camp in the back and load things in with ease. I hope by the time I have to get my next one, this will be corrected.

Remote start max 30 ft range

If wanting remote start. Don't purchase a Touring model. Due to Keyless Access the remote start has a 30 ft range. Very old technology. The other non Keyless Access models have a 400 ft range. I have reached out to Subaru of America and they states receiving numerous complaints about remote start. But did not have a fix for the issue.

First time Subaru owner and Very Happy

My first Subaru and have only had it for a week. I really like it. I have my first recall repair this coming week. Have had my Subaru for a year and still really like it. My first winter in the NE and it performed well. I had to get used to handling a Subaru vs. Jeeps that I have had over a 28 year period.

The best car

I love my new car

We "still " love our SUBARUs

If you are looking for peppy acceleration (we recommend the XT model) and quite cabin interior (wind noise is constant during freeways driving) ... Then, you need to look elsewhere. But, we love Subaru for its functionality and peace of mind it give us knowing that the car will take care of us through our journey - pavement jungle or the real jungle. This is our 5th Subaru and it won't be the last one for certainty. Although, the Forester is a great vehicle, when we make a long distance trip, we preferred the more comfortable Outback our 4th Subaru (it feels heavier, more planted and better fuel mpg). It would be great if the diesel engine option was available since it gives better fuel economy and torque for a bit more towing capacity. We want to test drive the 2018 model since most of the models have the X-mode.

Don't buy this vehicle!!

Awesome Surprise

If your looking for room, comfort, quality and value, this would be the car for you. I have only had it a week and a half but I can say that so far I have not found anything that I don't like about the car.

Chosen for a reason and it's perfect

We bought the 2016 Forester base model with 6 speed for the great vision out of the interior, interior space and manual trans. No other small SUV offers all that. We went to the San Francisco car show and sat in every single offering in this segment. They all were very nice vehicles but it came clear real quickly that many were lacking for what we wanted. neither my wife or I like sitting in a "pod" with a tall and full length console beside us. It feels inhibiting and makes the interior seem much smaller than it is. The Subaru was the clear winner here as it is very welcoming and plenty of room with a much lower console area. Their is a significant larger amount of glass and the view out the rear is superior. The CRV and Escape were awful for the rear/side view. The RAV has an odd stadium seating setup which combined with the sunroof makes for inhibited view from the rear. We also enjoyed that the base model Forester did NOT have a sunroof....which takes away headroom and again tightens interior dimensions. Last we wanted a manual trans. We both enjoy them and believe we are more engaged as drivers when using one. Indeed the Forster is the only one offering a manual save Mazda (If I remember correctly). After over a year of owning the Forster it has lived up to all our needs and it was less expensive when comparing like for like AWD small SUV's. Update: 2 years in its still the perfect choice for us!

I LOVE this SUV!!!!

Well to base my past experience, I have owned a 1992 pontiac grand prix from 2000-2002, a 1999 caviler from 2002-2006, a 2004 mitsibishi outlander from 2006-2007, and a 2007 Nissan Sentra from 2007 to currently. And this Forester, which I bought new in Feb. 2016.. I always felt unsatisfied by my vehicles, and I always had buyers remorse. The Nissan was a good car, great gas mileage, affordable but this Forester gets as good or better gas mileage but has 250 HP to really ZOOM through traffic! I just drove 4 hours each way to Minneapolis from Fargo, ND going 78-95 and got 32 mpg average, but the car is rated 23-28. How cool is that? That happens all the time. I consistently get over thirty MPG in this car. The visibility on the 2016 forester is just amazing, the windows are so big and getting into anything like a kia sportage or a ford edge makes me feel claustrophobic now. The car is very easy and smooth to handle. If you want a mid-line SUV, i agree some interiors look a little better, some exteriors look better (the 2016 Mazda looks way better than the forester and I would even say steering is better) but if you get a Turbo Forester it is just kicking! Some things I do not like about the car are that the seats are uncomfortable on drives past 3 hours, the rear seats are not perfectly flush with 'trunk' space when folded down, so you lose some loading ability with that and it seems like something they should have been able to solve easily, the brakes are OK but my sentra's were much better, the steering is almost too smooth and sensitive, there is no play and no feedback so that can be dangerous at high speeds or fast turning, the interior materials are OK - seats and dash are good, paneling on doors is total crap. Speakers were so [non-permissible content removed] it was unbelievable - I swapped speakers and the ones they hid behind the door furnishings were cardboard pieces of junk! No wonder they hid them, and they are super small. Plus radio that comes with has only 30 watt output... pathetic. Last, the rear light is the size of a zippo lighter. Why? Hondas have ten lights on each side going all the way up. I often come home after dark and you can't see anything back there - the light is only 8" from the floor too so its easily obstructed. Thank goodness for the lights on phones now. Oh well. Every time I get in this thing I feel like i floating along the road bc the visibility and smooth ride is so nice, and unless a camero or porche pulls up you can probably zoom right past whoever is next to you! And get 32 mpg doing it! WOW!

Do not buy

CVT issues If over 100,000 miles no extended warranty . Subaru extended warranty for CVT only if under 100,000 or 10 years old. Avoided a recall. Spending $1700 for valve body now.

my wheels

love this car all the bells and whistles, very safe drives smooth, comfortable.

It took 27 years!

Consumer Report convinced us that our "New to us" Subaru Forester was the best car for us at our age. It is the last car we will buy, and safety was a paramount factor. We have waited 27 years to get another car equal to our 1991 JEEP, which we are keeping since it still runs very well. We are delighted with our choice.

Sub Standard Engineering and Customer Service

Compared to other cars that I have owned, the 2016 Subaru Forester is poorly engineered and the customer service experience is terrible. I bought this car new and a week later the stereo speaker came loose, the car rattles constantly and I fixed multiple rattles (thanks to great YouTube Videos) because the dealer said the rattles were "normal." The whole car feels disconnected and cheap. At 61,000 miles (1000 miles out of the extended warranty) the entire A/C system had to be replaced and Subaru would do nothing to offset the $4K service charge. Even finding someone at Subaru to lodge a complaint with is hard work. They seem to want to hide from their customers. DON'T BUY SUBARU. I regret doing so. Consider all of the other options. There are some fine alternatives in the same price range.

super model

This honey is smarter than me! There are so many things that I love about this SUV that I can't think of what I want to praise first! Lock by touching the handle! If leave keys in car, it won't lock. Height of driver's seat, visibility and ground clearance sold me the Forester. All the safety features are gems. And on and on. One feature that Subaru should be ashamed they do NOT include is if the battery is low and ready to die! No excuse for that as it is an easy fix.

Nothing but problems.

In my opinion there is absolutely nothing good about this car. I’ve had a 2012 Honda crosstour that’s almost at 140,000 miles and absolutely loved it. The forester on the other hand is an awful investment. It value has gone down drastically in TWO years. I’ve had the air conditioning replaced within those two years as well as the battery twice and BOTH axels. It’s absolutely insane what I’ve already had to deal with on this car. It doesn’t feel safe at high speeds. It’s had multiple checkups because of random sounds or creeks. I need a safe car for my family and it has been nothing but a problem. I can say that I should have known when I first test drove it and the steering wheel wasn’t aligned properly and how bad it rattled. Don’t even get me started on the road noise! I’m so disappointed because I can say that I did love the design and the small off-road capabilities it had since we lived on a dirt road at the time. Everyone has different opinions on the Subaru forester and it might just be mine but please consider something else because it’s not worth wasting the money on a piece of junk your going to have to get rid anyways.

Not sure who to blame…

I bought mine 5yrs used, excitedly, because I really wanted a Subie for the reliability & practicality. I needed a small SUV to fit into my new garage and this one fit the bill (literally $$). On my first trip, I didn’t have a garage to park in and it rained heavily all weekend. Opened my cargo door for a package to find it sitting in 2” of water. Thought the sunroof was leaking and had it checked & cleaned. Noticed this happening a number of times and it was never the sunroof. One day my key fob wasn’t working and my TPMS light was on. Not battery related. Took it to my mechanic who found the module that controls those in the psngr cargo wall was soaking wet and wrapped plastic (as if it had been replaced before & the previous owner knew). They took the headliner down and found HUGE linear holes & cracks in the tracks for the roof rails. Paid $2500 to replace that module. They couldn’t fix the roof, but alerted me to the problem. Tried a body shop for repairs - no one can fix it. The hydraulics for the sunroof were completely rusted and the nuts & bolts were corroded to the point of breaking apart. I also took down the headliner and replaced the nuts & bolts and did my best to seal the cracks/holes from above with marine caulking & rubber seals. Unfortunately it leaks every time it rains. I can’t even park my car outside anymore and I’m constantly worried when it is. I’m looking to get rid of it now and see if I can do something with the dealership. I was hoping to keep the car 10+ yrs. It only has 92,500 miles. Now I’m leary of all Subarus and am looking for something else 👎🏻😔.

Fozzy!

Great price forthe features. Eyesight is a great feature to have. Went for a test drive at Subaru Santa Monica, immediately decided this is the right SUV for my family. My wife and my kids approved it!

Forester: Nice, except for the fuel mileage

We had several car choices to tow behind our motorhome. We chose the Forester for potential off road driving. Because we are towing it behind the motorhome, we had to choose a manual transmission. The engine is NOT forgiving for rolling from a standing start without sufficient engine RPM. With this (small) four cylinder engine I would expect at least another 10 mpg. Having said that, Subaru advertised the 26 mpg, so I should not be disappointed (but I am). April, 2018: I just replaced the tires with Michelin tires and find the ride to be smoother, quieter and a better feeling of control. I still feel we should get better fuel mileage from this small four cylinder engine. Others have said the low fuel mileage is due to the all wheel drive. I suggest checking fuel mileage on other all wheel drive vehicles such as the Honda HRV. Having said that, I would still choose the Forester over the HRV due to the size difference. Our dealer just changed our wiper blades saying they were covered by warranty. I'm doubting the value of the extended warranty I bought with the car! The car now has 25,000 miles on it.

Love my new Forrester

Only had it a few weeks. Enjoying being in it. Love the milage.

great.

it is great.

Great car except for smart phone integration!

Used to own a Honda Element but wanted to a more comfortable car with better gas mileage and up to date technology. And I should mention manual transmission. The Forester is the only choice for manual so I went with it. The 2016 Forester delivered on 3 out 4 on my wish list. I really like driving the car and have been averaging close 28 mpg overall with the manual. Love the way it momentarily breaks the car on uphill stops so it makes shifting a total breeze! Now for the major disappoint and Subaru needs to be called out on it! I was looking forward to using the Mirrorlink feature that would allow integration of cell phone apps (like a gps app on the phone) to display and be controlled by the headset displays and controls. BUT the version of Mirrorlink in the car is an old version (1.0) and is incompatible with the versions on smart phones (Mirrorlink 1.1) and you cant downgrade the phones. Subaru customer support has said it would be fixed but its been close to year and now customer support is clueless on it. In the meantime other options are becoming more accepted ... like Android Auto. So its very disappointing the Subaru has done nothing to fix a problem with there software and its looking doubtful they ever will.

It'll do

Smooth ride, tho sluggish acceleration. Dealership bragged about mileage- will have to rake their word for it. Handling OK, no need to switch between 2-4 wheel drive - full time "alert" through the car's computer. Interior OK - could be higher end with a touch here or there.

Great Value for $$

Just like new

5k and just like I brought it home, no issues. Was concerned from a lot of blogs on oil use....none in 4k miles until first oil change.

IT ADVERTISED FOR SAFETY??

The braking system work 5% of the time.. The braking system is an essential feature in this vehicle.. However mine seldom works.

Love it

my scores say it all. This is a well-engineered car engineered with the driver in mind. It consistently delights me.

My 1st sub

It's my first Subaru and it's my first brand new car. So far I have driven 1200 miles and its a joy to drive. I am loving this car as I get a better understanding of its various functions. I have not tested it yet in snow or other rough terrain so I can't speak of it. I hope my relationship with my Subaru will go on like this in coming years to come. But overall it's a nice car to drive.

Forester 2016

Great car for the money.