Used 2019 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
Problematic, and/or I got a bad one
Laura, 04/14/2019
updated 04/15/2020
2019 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
43 of 55 people found this review helpful
I got my 2019 in Oct. 2018, right when they came out. The pros: The car has lots of light inside with the big windows and panoramic sunroof; it is a smooth, comfortable drive, lumbar support is nice as is the auto dimming rear view mirror. There’s a lot of cargo space. I will say that since I’ve been driving other brands in my quest to get out of the Forester, the Forester does have the most comfortable handling of the other cars in its class. The cons: The one I got was defective. From the start, the entertainment system was defective. Also defective was the warnings system; the car beeped ALL THE TIME. Service repeatedly told me to “use an Apple cord” to remedy the issues with Apple CarPlay. The beeping was explained as “all the safety features”. The dealership just replaced the entire entertainment system (April 2019). It appears to be working now, but has only been a few days since the replacement, so I’m not ready to say outright that it’s properly working. It appears to be working, and the miscellaneous beeping has stopped. Other cons are: The sound when you make a call either through Bluetooth or CarPlay is awful. You have to turn the volume all the way up on the car and your phone. The cup holders are in a weird place. Also terrible is that when you turn the car off, the radio stays on. The power lift gate is problematic; it opens on its own sometimes, and once, it shut and refused to open until I took it back to the dealership to have it reset. I had to take it to the dealership when daylight savings time started b/c I couldn’t figure out how to change the clock. It’s kind of high off the ground for some dogs to jump in. To sum up, either the 2019 is wonky overall, and Subaru needs to work out the kinks in the 2019 design, or I simply just got a bad one. Since my car is only a few months old, I’m having a terrible time getting out of it. I am going to have to eat some negative equity to get out of this unfortunate car. Either way, for me the Forester was a mistake, and I don’t recommend it. I expected such an expensive, brand new car to be free from problems. Hopefully others have better luck. UPDATE 2020: I traded the Forester in for a 2016 CRV. Losing all the money I put down on the broken Forester was a huge hit, but now I have a reliable car that works.
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2019 Forester Sport
Phyllis, 11/27/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I have seen reviews complaining of the errors coming up for eyesight...turn on the defroster. Your windshield has moisture. Immediate fix. Comfort ✅ Major lower back pains and this car beat every car I test drove and definitely don’t regret it when this is why I kept coming back to it. Cargo ✅ Better then my 2007 CRv. It’s more square. Easily went from knowing exactly what and were to put things makes my life easy. AC/Heat. 😶 The quality of the Air Force is great...the vents. Not so much on the design of them being sideways. Can’t find a decent phone holder..which is a problem. No where to really put the phone. 8” Screen ✅ Awesome. However definitely find myself knowing exactly how to dim the screen at night. It’s distracting. Glass and overall blind spot ✅ I opted for Rearview/Sideview warning system. The glass alone and sight...isn’t needed really and I had them added the day I bought it without. Thought of safety. I guess. Heated front seats. I want to see this option in the sport. Rear USB/ double and its location ✅ Great idea. 👍🏼 Power, Performance, MPG ✅ I don’t need speed. Also discovered the sport button was used three times since last March when I bought it. I live on Long Island and thought it was needed...it isn’t. Looks ✅ Performance ✅ Needs ✅ PS....met a man who was driving a Tesla. He informed me he has a Forester at home for bad weather. 😂. It’s been a joy and no returns for issues at all. This is my first Subie and I have to say....no new car has ever gone this long without some need to return for repair. Loving my Subie!!!
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2019 Subaru Forester for sale near you
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- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $22,990In-stock online
- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $25,990In-stock online
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Near Perfect!
Huntnstuff, 08/28/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I love my Forester Sport. It drives so smooth and the safety features are wonderful. At nearly 5,000 miles I feel I can write a review of this vehicle. My only real complaint - the cup holders are in a very awkward location. The gas mileage has averaged 29 with well over 30 on the highway. I compared this to the CRV and Equinox and I liked the Forester much better. So far, I'm very happy with my choice.
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Good, not great
Vann Herman, 03/14/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
39 of 50 people found this review helpful
If you're shopping for this car, please allow yourself a good 30 minute drive on varied roads and highways. PROS: Loved the look and quality of the interior. The outward view and sight-lines are the best. The ride is super smooth. The safety features are great. CONS: The seats on the sport model didn't fit me even though I'm an average sized male. The bottom cushion was deep and narrow enough to cause me discomfort. I really wanted to get this car but this was the one thing I couldn't compromise on with my 20K miles that I drive per year. Passing power seemed barely adequate but there are a couple different buttons that change shift points which may help. Oh, those buttons, in many locations, there are about 30 of them or more. I never did figure how to reset the mpg for my test drive. Lots of features will require a learning curve that I was willing to learn. Lastly, there was no way to permanently disable the engine stop/start feature which was not very smooth or seamless when activated. Other than the seats, for me, this will probably be a very good car for most folks.
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Scared to drive at night
P. Thank, 07/30/2019
updated 02/08/2021
2019 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
42 of 55 people found this review helpful
I just bought a 2019 Subaru Forester Premium. This is my 5th Subaru. I love the car but I am very afraid to drive it at night. When driving at night, there is a dark line across the entire windshield. When driving downhill this line lowers down covering the windshield.It's almost like pulling a shade down. The low beams do not illuminate the next uphill and it's very scary. It's just not me the first time I drove at night there were 3 other people in the car with me who experienced the same thing. Took it back to the dealer who said they could not replicate the problem. My neighbor then drove my car and experienced the same problem. I do not want to own a car that I can't drive at night. This is my last Subaru. Update: I am still scared to drive at night. Since my review, I voiced my concerns on Car Guru to see if others were experiencing the same problem. There have been several responses from owners of other car makes (Toyota, Honda) who have experiences the same concern. The common thread is the LED headlights. This is a safety concern that must be dealt with!
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