Used 2019 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
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An outstanding crossover
Stephen E., 11/28/2018
2019 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
576 of 584 people found this review helpful
I've driven the 2019 Forester for 1500 miles now in a variety of suburban and highway driving and in a variety of weather conditions and I think that I have enough experience with the vehicle to write a review. I find that the Forester has a great number of virtues: 1) the seating position and overall visibility are excellent from the driver's seat. 2) the AWD system greatly helps to maintain control of the vehicle in snowy conditions (I haven’t driven the vehicle yet on any significant stretch of dirt or gravel road.) 3) the vehicle is quiet overall with only some wind noise apparent when traveling at highway speed. 4) the infotainment system is fast and easy to use. 5) the size of the cargo space is excellent; the lift hatch is both large and fast; and the cargo floor is low and easy to access. 6) in 1500 miles I’ve gotten a combined 31mpg. 7) the vehicle is very comfortable to drive on longer trips. 8) the adaptive cruise control works very well. It maintains a lock on the vehicle ahead and controls the Forester’s speed smoothly without jerkiness or surging the engine. It will also bring the Forester to a complete halt if the vehicle ahead of it stops, and it needs only a single flick of a switch on the steering wheel to start moving again. 9) the lane departure warnings and lane keep assist are accurate and do help keep the vehicle in the proper lane while being at the same time easy enough to override to quickly make lane changes if you need to. 10) I’ve only once had the automatic pre-collision brakes activate (a car turning left in front of me did not turn when I expected it to), but once again the system recognized a potential collision and activated to prevent it. 11) the blind spot detection will not only activate when there is another vehicle in the Forester’s blind spots, but will also activate if another vehicle is rapidly approaching the Forester’s blind spots. There several downsides to the Forester: 1) the engine horsepower is adequate, but this vehicle is not a speedster. I don’t find this to be a major downside. Yes, I do find myself wishing for an extra 30 or 40 horsepower at times, but honestly the opportunities to use a more powerful engine are few. Most of my driving is on suburban streets with a speed limit of 35-45 mph, or on the highway traveling at 65-75 mph. There is little use for a bigger engine in suburban or urban conditions. On the highway once the Forester is up to speed it does just fine and will generally get 32-34mpg in highway driving. The engine noise is noticeable during hard acceleration, but is quiet during normal cruising. 2) the vehicle handles well, but is clearly not a sport car. Its true that competitors like the Mazda CX-5 (which I have test driven) handle better. However, the handling is just fine for what the vehicle is and what it is meant to do. A few other notes: 1) the LED low beam headlights have a very sharp upper vertical cutoff. Meaning that the road ahead is either illuminated very well or not at all. This can be disconcerting when driving downhill as the low beams don’t illuminate the next uphill very well. The Forester has automatic high beams that cover the vertical gap in the low beam’s illumination. In my experience, you are either driving in an area at night that is lit well enough by streetlights or other cars’ headlights so that the low beams are all you need; or you are driving in an area that has no other cars present so that the auto high beams activate and provide all the illumination that is needed. 2) I really wish there was some way to edit the screens on the upper information display. There are a number of different screens that are useful, but several of them are borderline useless (I’m especially thinking of the weather screen that only shows picture-graph current, 3 hour, and 6 hour forecast). There is only one button for cycling through all the screens and it gets tiresome pushing the button repeatedly to find the screen that I want.
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WONDERFUL CAR
Bruce, 01/24/2019
updated 11/01/2021
2019 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
420 of 434 people found this review helpful
I researched 15 cars, drove 10, boiled it down to the Q5, the BMW X5, and the Forester, believe it or not. Went back and forth a lot, but I ALWAYS returned to the Subaru. I wanted a quiet and comfortable ride, easy entry, room & visibility. Hands down, the Forester won. Examples: Forester has a spare; X5 doesn't and, instead comes with run flats (I had a set and hated them), Q5 has a spare, but it requires inflation believe it or not, Forester is MUCH easier--I always hit my head on the other two, never on the Forester; driving position is much better in the Forester; visibility is not comparable--poor in the other two, GREAT in the Forester-example: rear view mirror is on the door of the Forester, but on the pillar of the other 2--makes a world of difference, and, in addition, the windows are much larger in the Forester, so much so that many riders actually notice how much better is the visibility than their cars; Forester has a ton of stg under the rear floor above the spare--neither of the others has ANY--huge difference for things like headphones, jumper cables, towels, etc.; Forester is AS quiet as either of the others, believe it or not. Rides as well, too. Forester's multi media is INFINITELY easier to use than the others--try them--will drive you nuts. Mileage is much better. Cost is 20k less. Rear seat leg room is much better in the Forester. I used a long personal checklist of items to examine in every car I drove (which included, in addition to the Q5 and X5, the Tiquan, Mazda X5, RAV 4, Ford Edge, MDX, RDX, Subaru Ascent, Porsche Macon (and I love Porsches), Infinity QX50, Sorento, CR-V, Mazda CX-9, Volvo XC 60 and BMW X3. Drove almost all, but skipped some because of lousy reliability ratings, lack of spare, etc. I did not want a large car, but drove some in case I loved them, so the smaller SUV was my goal. Liked the Tiguan a lot except for the reliability ratings. Also liked the Ascent, but too lge. I'm really comfortable with my choice, especially with all the time I spent. This is an amazing car for the money.
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I love my suby baby!
Tonya, 01/27/2019
updated 01/29/2020
2019 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
93 of 95 people found this review helpful
I purchased the limited, I received her on October 26, 2018. I am now approaching the 6000 mile mark. (Yes I do love to drive.)The handling of this car in all weather conditions has been absolutely impeccably amazing. I upgraded from a 2015 Forester. I was never happy with my 2015. But I was extremely happy with my original 2007. The 2019 Forrester Limited has met and exceeded all of my expectations just like my first suby did. I have driven is white out conditions, major rain storms and heavy snow and wind. She handles like a dream! The interior of the limited is so appealing, it looks as if Subaru put a lot of thought into it. And it has a smooth comfortable ride in the front and back seat. My only major complaint with this Subaru. Is the thin quality of clear coat paint. This was an issue with my 2015 as well. Within a month of having my car I already had two scratches on my car from the lawn crew. There should’ve been enough clearcoat on there to protect both of them. But sadly there wasn’t. My husband’s already talking about doing a vinyl wrap on the car only because of how thin the clear coat is. UPDATE- I still am in love with my car! I have 12,000 miles on her and all of her performance is still flawless. Super comfortable on long trips and the drive assist is a blessing! Still bummed about the super thin clear coat... living in a state where they dump rocks in the intersections instead of salt during the winter takes it’s toll on the paint. The clear coat should help with the protection to some level, but just like my old 2015 is does very little to help protect the paint. Update: I have on this car for a year and a half now. I still absolutely love her! It does to bum me out about the clearcoat being so thin. And how disrespectful people are to cars that are not their own. But the Subaru however, her performance is still top notch. She still runs like the day I bought her. The leather upholstery is holding up exceptionally well. And I keep the winter mats in all year round due to my 4 year old. If I had to buy this car again I definitely would!
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Love everything but...auto start/stop feature
Kayak Chic, 02/11/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
183 of 189 people found this review helpful
This is my second Subaru. My first was the 2012 outback premium. Moving to the 2019 Forester Touring was a huge upgrade. I like the extra headroom, moving headlights, heated steering wheel, heated backseats, and the great gas mileage. I love using the phone app to remote start the car without having to worry about being in range. You can also set the temperature inside the car or turn on the defrost. The face recognition is neat. It scans my face and moves the seat to my settings. Like others have complained, I don’t care for the auto start stop feature needing to be shut off with each start up of the car. But honestly I’m so used to doing it now it’s not that big of a deal to me. I too like someone else on here had trunk issues. It would not open with the buttons or the fob. It had to be reset. Was a quick fix at the dealer. It drives nice and is super comfortable.
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First Subaru in 44 years
Joe Shelton, 02/20/2019
updated 02/25/2021
2019 Subaru Forester Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
59 of 60 people found this review helpful
Bought the car because of a recent hip replacement, very easy car to get in/out of. So far after 5500 miles average its averaging 31 mpg, I’ve had 4, 750 mile highway trips, got around 34 mpg. I’ve own this car for two months with no issues. Safety technology works great. Lots of room for 4-5 people and their luggage. Update: Lots of long drives, averaging around 36 mpg. No issues except for the occasional rear hatch acting up when trying to open from the inside. AC works great here in the South.
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Superb upgrade of all the subtle probs on the 2017
MountainClimber, 02/08/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
118 of 122 people found this review helpful
They fixed the little stuff. The stuff your boss won't let you fix at work because there isn't a "value-add" despite the need for better security, comfort, convenience, or just plain fewer button presses! The windows go up after you shut the car off. There is a lock button on the lift gate. The unlocking action is customizable and so is how often the automatic headlights check for darkness. The brightness of the entertainment console can be adjusted automatically with the dash board, auto headlight sensor, and timing. The headlights come on after a few seconds of windshield wipers running. The cup holders hold normal cups. The cruise control drops to residential street norms (20 mph) and will shut off the engine when you (or the car) comes to a stop. This is way better and in a very mature, subtle manner that is pleasing to me in a way I cannot accurately describe. Nope, not a swoopy upgrade, but a very satisfying one!
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2019 Forester is a joy to drive
John Anderson, 09/20/2018
2019 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
181 of 190 people found this review helpful
***Note: This review is based on first impressions with my base model Forester - I have not had it long*** We were attracted to the Forester for its reputation of reliability, and we appreciate the good sightlines. So far, this vehicle has been a joy to drive. I find it to be very comfortable, with a solid road feel. It tracks very well, and there are no rattles or unwanted noises; it seems to absorb rough roads with ease. The size of the vehicle makes it easy to park, but it's not too small that it's overwhelmed by traffic. I am over 6 feet, and I find there is sufficient room and comfort for the driver. My family reports "more room" than our last small SUV. The cargo area is relatively large. Initial concerns: I am monitoring the stop/start feature. I don't care for it, but I've been able to deactivate it for the most part with a switch on the dash. I say "for the most part", because it occasionally activates, even with the white, crossed out "A" symbol showing. I have also noticed on two occasions an engine restart after quick, stiff braking, which seems unusual. As noted, I'm monitoring it. Also, the rear hatch does not fully latch sometimes. It feels tight, but the dash tells you it's not closed, so you have to reclose it. I'm monitoring that as well. And one final note on the interior. I feel it's very good overall, but the console where the radio is located is cheap-looking plastic - they could have done a bit better, but its a quibble. None of these things are deal-breakers, in my opinion, unless the stop/start is buggy. We'll see. So far, however, its been great!
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New Suburu Owner
Jay, 11/14/2018
2019 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
114 of 120 people found this review helpful
I love my Subaru Forester. I have been a sports car and sedan driver for the last 30 plus years and was not sure I would like driving an SUV but I love the this vehicle. It does not have the pick up and go that I am use to in my former sedan but in all honesty, I find the engine performance more than adequate. It responds well in traffic and in the open road glides. I recommended it for anyone who is conscious of changing climate and weather conditions, safety, rough roads and fuel economy. My days of zipping in and out of traffic are no longer possible not because my driving skills have change or eroded but the congested roads where I live in the Northeast make it nearly impossible during my normal commute to accelerate at higher speeds, so why spend more on a powerful engine you will rarely use to its full potential. The materials and quality of the Forester are excellent. This vehicle meets all of my expectations. Did I say I love my Subaru Forester?
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Better than 2018 CRV
Tomas Singh, 03/05/2019
2019 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
82 of 86 people found this review helpful
We cross-shopped with 2018 Honda CRV and chose the Forester because it seems to be better than the CRV in many way and we want AWD. Not all the reviews agree with this so I would like to elaborate. In urban driving, never once I found the Forester to be lacking in power. The engine is tuned in a way that in urban driving you get plenty of low end torque so it can dash in and out the traffic with ease. When pushed hard merging into the highway, it performs well. While the engine is loud under stress, I would call it a growl; in contrast, the CRV sounded just crude, despite it is more powerful. The Forester is noticeably quieter than the CRV and the ride is more comfortable. I also like the way the blind spot monitor works in the Forester that it is big and easy to see. The tiny icon in the mirror design is too hard to see in a hurry. We have about 1500 miles now and only have a few minor complains. The built-in voice command does not alway work so we almost always use Apple CarPlay instead. The center screen is by default on all the time, and because it is bright, it can be distracting during day time when auto-brightness control does not work. You have to go into setting to turn it off, which takes your eyes off the road. It also takes us a while to realize how the power button of the radio works. Usually, I stress usually, you press the power button once to turn the radio on and once to turn it on. Not so with the Forester that one press only "pauses" the radio so next time you enter the car the radio is on when you start the car. One has to press and hold it to turn it off completely. Our car has the keyless entry and start system. By default when you shut off the car, the radio stays on, which again is counter-intuitive, and not always welcome. Finally for cruise control, in our Honda, one tap increases or decreases the speed by 1 MPH while holding it changes the speed continuously until the desired speed is reached. To me this works well and is more intuitive. The Forester does the opposite and I find it difficult to change the speed by 1 or 2 MPH with a long press.
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2019Subaru Forester by former 40+year Toyota owner
AM, 01/15/2019
updated 01/20/2023
2019 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
76 of 80 people found this review helpful
Have owned Toyota’s exclusively since 1978. Compared the RAV4 to the Forester. Forester was hands down winner in all areas but acceleration. Better value. More headroom. Easier to get into and exit from the vehicle. Great visibility and safety features plus it’s a great looking SUV. There are small annoyances such as radio coming on every time I start the car and confusing infotainment system. The electronic rear hatch button on the dash won’t work if the drivers side door is open.The passenger seat back lever is trapped under the lap/shoulder belt. Cup holders in center console are set too far back and partially blocked by top of the ultra small center console storage unit. I don’t know how these issues got past interior designers. Despite the quirks and lack of a parking assist system,we are happy with our purchase and feel confident with the expected reliability. Update: Have owned the car for 18 months now. All the little quirks are still annoying ( changing time on clock at daylight savings time was maddening, even Subaru dealer staff had hard time figuring out) but we love this little car. It’s comfortable. Getting in and out of vehicle is easy because of wide doors. It drives and handles beautifully and no mechanical problems in 18 months. Averaging 32-33mpg. Access to trunk area great because of wide with of tailgate. Get monthly email from Subaru with systems check report which is reassuring. Still wish electronics were a little more user friendly but other assets of the vehicle offset those annoyances. Update: 26 months into ownership. There have been zero mechanical problems. That’s huge. Software problem with radio in that the presets disappear somewhere between starting and turning off car. Dealer reports fix available so will live with the annoyance until after covid crisis. Subaru has won me over with this vehicle. Update:32 months. Other than a couple of recall items (promptly alerted by Subaru and dealt with by local dealer) we’ve had no mechanical issues or costs associated with ownership. Still handles beautifully.
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