Used 2017 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
Down sized to much...
Reginald Dixson, 06/14/2017
2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
This is our third Subaru, the first was an Outback it's equity helped us get out of a Mini Cooper S lease. No problems with the wagon at all, wasn't happy about the looks but great for beach and carrying around a new born. Then we thought she since she is getting older we could get by with the sportier looking Subaru Crosstrek. Great car for beach and dependable averaged 32-33 MPG in the city, a bit slower than the Outback. But we soon realized that it was to small for the three of us, no problems with any of the vehicles( oil burning, unusual trips to dealer). We took the Crosstrek in for routine maintenance and test drove a Forester 2.5i premium excellent vehicle getting 30 MPG in the city , real quite inside, seating position is quite a bit taller and a lot more cargo space :-] . Loaded it up this past weekend and went to the beach, the all wheel drive system is better than Crosstrek, we never got stuck in it but there is an obvious difference. The text to speech function, 8" display, power drivers seat, reclining rear seat , rear center arm rest with cup holders and the panoramic sun roof are great. I replaced the interior light bulbs with leds they make the interior look better at night. A definite keeper..
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Oil Consumption 2017 Subaru Forrester MT
Rachel B., 07/18/2018
2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
I write this with the sincere hope of preventing others from experiencing the same issue and stress that I have. Please research “Subaru oil consumption problems.” You will find Subaru lost a class action lawsuit, which was settled in 2016, but they still continue to produce and sell cars with oil consumption problems. I encourage you to visit several online consumer forums, like this one, and read threads from real people with similar experiences. Subaru and Big Island Motors told me that those reviews don't count, as they can't be verified. You can verify this. I bought my 2017 MT Forrester in December of 2016 at Big Island Motors in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. My oil light first came on at 3000 miles, which began my 2+ yearlong battles with Subaru and Big Island Motors. I initially dealt with the service manager, who blamed my driving style, the weather/Hawaii, my commute, my lack of mechanical expertise, among other things, and refused to acknowledge the problem. After 6 months of fighting with the service center, in desperation, I contacted the VP of Subaru Hawaii (in the summer of 2017). He required the service center to conduct oil consumption tests. This process took about 6 months and many hours off of work for me. I failed 3 of them, which the service center said qualified me for a “new engine.” After they submitted the paperwork, this spring, I contacted them after 2 months of not hearing anything. I was informed/warned that I might have to wait for a year for the repairs as others were in front of me. Finding this unacceptable, I again contacted the VP of Subaru Hawaii (last week and a year later!). Initially he responded with concern, but then I heard from the service center that I needed to come for a compression test. Subaru generously provided me with a rental car for this test and, wait for it, the test was normal! The VP of Subaru informed me yesterday that he had forgotten that I drive from Kohala to Waimea everyday and that down shifting is likely the reason why my car is consuming oil. I asked him why so many of the Subaru commercials showed people and their dogs camping in the mountains if they could only be driven on flat roads? My Honda, also a MT, used ZERO oil on the same commute. He further shared that I needed to keep driving my car since they don’t know what’s wrong with it (hello? class action law suit). He also retracted the promise of a "new engine." In the meantime, I continue to add oil, purchased by the case from Costco. Check out “the Subaru Love Promise” on their website, “Subaru and its retailers believe in making the world a better place and the Subaru Love Promise is our vision of respecting all people. This is our promise to show love and respect to our customers and to work to make a positive impact in the world.” That is unless you have a problem with your car, then that Subaru Love Promise is not for you. If I can save just one person from experiencing the stress, additional expense and disappointment I have, this post will have been worth it. BTW, if Subaru had the customer service of Costco, there would be no other cars on the road. Costco lives the "Love Promise."
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2017 Subaru Forester for sale near you
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- 2.0XT Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $12,49517 mi away
- 2.0XT Touring 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,99540 mi away
- 2.5i Premium PZEV 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,99014 mi away
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Upgraded my ride from Honda to Subaru
Fred H., 08/29/2016
updated 08/30/2017
2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
26 of 28 people found this review helpful
After driving a Honda Element for over 12 years and 200k miles, it was time to upgrade to something nicer. A certain magazine raved about the Forester, and I whittled down my list to the Forester or a Mazda CX5. I chose the Forester because I was just more comfortable in the Forester. I'm a large fellow (horizontally challenged), and have plenty of driver seat room, with a huge amount of space in front of me to adjust the steering wheel to my liking. The back seats have a lot of room for the kids - not as much as the Element, but more than most cars, even higher end cars. The gas mileage has been great - 80% of my commute is on the highway, and I easily get over 30MPG. The weekends when I run errands nearby, no so much... often under 20. My average so far is around 28. Acceleration feels very odd to me, coming from a four speed transmission. The CVT can be jerky, especially under stress (uphill grades or with the AC turned on); it's hard to get smooth acceleration, but when you're at speed, it seems to work really well when you make minor adjustments to speed. Right now I have only two minor criticisms. One, the gas cap is on the wrong side. It will take some getting used to having the gas cap on the passenger side, especially when people are actually following the general rule to pull forward to the farthest pump you can use to make room for others.... and you're going the other way. The other thing is that I wish I could just turn off the screen for the infotainment system. You can turn off the screen under settings, but it comes right back on again every time you start the car. Look - sometimes I just don't want to listen to anything. And it always wants to restart Pandora in shuffle mode. Aside from those minor issues, I'm really enjoying the Forester; it's very comfortable, with a great ride position and great visibility. EDIT: 8/30/2017 because Edmund's asked me to. Last fall I received notice my car was part of a recall of vehicles that didn't get enough transmission fluid, which helps explain the jerky acceleration to an extent - it still happens, but is not quite so bad. In spring, two accidents in less than 24 hours, both on the same one way street, both with people turning left in front of me from a middle lane. First one dinged up the car, second one finished the job. Took three weeks to fix. The Subaru Starlink system was really on the ball... I hobbled the car to the repair shop as StarLink was telling me all the systems that were malfunctioning - it was like being on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. It asked if I needed assistance, which I thought was cool. Still, I did not renew it after my free year. Overall, on the whole, my opinion has not changed much. It was a great buy, in my opinion, and I'm still very happy with it.
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Fine Little Car for Stiff, Old, Tall Person .
RD Blakeslee, 04/16/2017
updated 03/25/2024
2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Road clearance, door size and headroom are outstanding, good for deep snow driving and tall people, respectively. Car is therefore taller than most of its size and susceptible to crosswind buffeting. All designs are compromises - pick what suits you. Really zippy and nimble. Short - stroke, high winding engine moves the car well, but engine braking in hilly country isn't very good with any little short stroke engine. This is adequately compensated with powerful all wheel disc brakes. Our family has owned a total of about twenty Subarus over the years (starting in 1977) and my 5-star reliability and long-term value ratings are based on our overall experience - it's too early to tell with this nearly new 2017 car. Safety was rated three only, solely on the basis of the car's weight. All the airbags and seatbelts in the world won't defeat the laws of physics, particularly F=MA. Deceleration of your body in a crash is what kills you, if relative speeds are high enough. The lighter car will inevitably decelerate more than the heavier vehicle. Now that I've driven it for seven months, my Subaru may exhibit a flaw that has been occurring in some of Subaru's 2.5i engines for several years now; It may use too much oil: about a quart every 700 miles. Subaru was sued over this problem a few years back and settled with the plaintiffs on the basis of a quart every 4000 miles being acceptable. My vehicle is now undergoing an official testing period and the basic engine (a "short block") will be replaced if my experience is confirmed. Update: Subaru Service has looked at the car and it has not used any oil during their test. My dipstick readings were not confirmed and the technician warned me that boxer engine dipstick readings are sometimes misleading. I was advised to drive the car until the low-oil warning light comes on, or 5,000 miles, whichever came first. Indications are that the engine is OK. LATER. After 15 month's of driving it my opinion has not changed, it is a good little car. The concern about oil consumption proved unfounded. While it's easy to wish for design changes when one does not realize all the constraints and trade-offs that might be required, I and others have been troubled by the footpedal arrangement The space for them is too narrow and one has to "pre=plant" one's feet carefully before coming to a stop. Application of the brakes often results in depression of the accelerator pedal as well as the brakes. ADDENDUM: At 5,000 miles, the low oil indicator light came on, after all. The engine was replaced in an exemplary manner by Subaru (Dealership review by me, elsewhere on Edmunds), free of charge. 2019 through early 2020: The car again used too much oil. Millage is now about 11,000, The dealership again changed the oil and filter free of charge and placed the engine under test. If the test indicates excessive oil consumption, the engine will be replaced for the second time. I believe the problem is partly the result of my situation: An elderly man doing short trips in hilly country. The car's transmission (manual) is in lower gears and the engine is being driven by the car as it goes downhill. But Subarus we have owned and driven under these conditions in years past have not used excessive oil. The first replacement engine failed its oil consumption test and was replaced for the second time. Subaru and the dealership have stood behind the product in an exemplary fashion. This second new engine, which the installing Subaru technician said is a "special" version with modified interior oil supply passageways, has used no oil in the last 2,500 miles. The engines are/were in a manual transmission car, which, the technician told me were the predominant models needing new engines, perhaps because (I'm speculating) the automatic transmissions did not subject the engines to so much "overrun" - the situation where the wheels "drive" the engine as the car slows down or runs downhill with the clutch engaged. In any event (unfortunately, I think) Subaru no longer offers a manual transmission in its latest Foresters. The car remains as reviewed above. Highly satisfactory. The car is now 5 years old, has had the engine replaced twice (excessive oil consumption) but still uses too much oil. I don't think the problem can be solved with this engine design, when the car has a manual transmission and is driven about half the time on downgrades (I'm live in the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia) with the engine braking - oil is pumped past the pistons on the overrun. My workaround is to use a heavier grade of oil (10W-30) than that specified by Subaru: O-10. With that I get about three thousand miles before the low oil light comes on and I change the oil. With an automatic transmission, I suspect downhill runs would be controlled mostly by the brakes; So better oil consumption, worse brake pad wear. So, the car continues to suit me well. The car is now 6 years old and continues to furnish reliable transportation. It was recently inspected and still does not need its brake pads replaced. Of particular interest regarding those who have had their engines replaced: The second replacement in this car was said to be a "special" engine by the dealership's service manager. My observation is that the engine was set up tighter at the factory than the earlier engines - I heard much less "piston slap" from it. Nonetheless, the car continued to use excessive 0/10 weight oil as prescribed by Subaru. So relying on my user's manual statement that 15/30 oil could be used "if 0/10 is not available" as an admission that such use would not void the warranty, I used 15/30 synthetic and "voila!" the engine "broke in" and now uses no oil. EPA's influence leading automakers to use thin oils to squeeze out a tiny fraction more miles per gallon of fuel, in this case produced nothing but hardship on Subaru and this customer. Surely the excess oil consumption resultant from water-thin 0/10 oil produces smog, which the 10/30 oil does not. 9/23/2023: Car is now 6 1/2 years old - continues to run lust fine. Since switching to 10W30 Synthetic oil, the car gets10,000 miles without need for added oil, at which time the oil and filter are changed. Would buy this car again.
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4th Subaru; 1st Forester
Brian, 02/21/2017
updated 02/25/2019
2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring PZEV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
This is a solid package and a relatively good value for the Touring trim. The gas mileage is ok, not great - I think 26-27mpg is about as high as we will see based on the first 1000 miles of driving. We love the overall package though. It feels roomy for such a short car, and the sunroof is incredible...lets in a ton of light, even when it's rainy and dark out. I don't love the seats- I feel like I'm always sliding forward in them, and the bottom cushions feel too short (I'm 6') but are otherwise comfortable. Went to the snow last week and the car did great (as expected). This is a really great car for the money. 8 month update: Now that we have had it for 8 months and about 6,000 miles, I thought I'd update this. Our early impressions stand: gas mileage is 26mpg with mostly urban driving (easily over 30mpg on the highway), the front seats still aren't super comfortable for me (although my husband disagrees), and we are still happy with the purchase. One thing I'm not in love with is the CVT transmission - it sometimes surges at low speeds as if it can't decide what ratio it wants, and the "slipping" feeling inherent in CVTs still feels weird. In the mountains, though, the transmission is great...smoothly finding the right ratio for the grade/load. Without paddle shifters, though, it's tough to use the engine to slow the car on downgrades, and selecting Low helps but feels like a compromise. And the throttle response is waaay too sensitive for smooth takeoffs...still not used to that after 8 months. Overall we are happy with our purchase...it's a useful, practical, and nice looking little wagon! 2 year update: We’ve now had the car for two years and have 22k miles on it. Gas mileage has stayed around 26mpg overall, with 30 easily attainable on the highway. Not bad for an AWD car like this. My previous review is still accurate - the CVT is weird, the throttle sensitivity off the line is insane, and the front seats are not very comfortable for me, but that’s it for complaints. Our Forester has been amazing in snow and off road, it tows our 1500# camper just fine, and it handles really well for an SUV. Other than changing the oil and air filters, it’s needed no maintenance in its first two years.
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