Used 2020 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
First Subaru
Jersey Girl, 06/05/2020
updated 12/08/2022
2020 Subaru Forester Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
24 of 25 people found this review helpful
I had been driving a 2018 Lexus RX350 and wanted to switch to something a little smaller. I tested RAV4, Sante Fe, CRV, CX5 and the NX300. Subaru was never on my radar and I am not sure why?? I was not blown away by any of these models except the NX. The problem was my desire for a lower car payment. The last 4 cars I've owned have been Lexus or Toyota so I was leaning towards the RAV4. I loved the new look and interior but the drive was just horrible! A friend of mine sells Subaru's and I figured I had nothing to lose by testing the Forester. I am sooo glad I did! Smooth ride, plush and roomy interior, safety features that amaze me! I was not a fan of the look of the older model but the 2020 looks pretty polished to me. 0% financing sealed the deal. I have zero regrets as of this review. I've driven just over 1,000 miles. The car feels solid and handles better than my Lexus. The only thing I would change on my 'Baru is I would love ventilated seats. Do not purchase anything in this class until you test drive this car. Let's see how reliable after many miles, but I may have been converted from a Toyota loyalist!
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Awesome ride!!!!!
David, 03/07/2020
updated 09/16/2022
2020 Subaru Forester Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
The 2020 Subaru Forester is a fantastic car, it’s smooth, quick, and very good on gas! We bought the Touring model and it’s loaded with features! We shopped around and found the Forester was the Best Buy, even Consumer Reports magazine rated the Subaru Forester best in class recently! Highly recommend the Subaru Forester!
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2020 Subaru Forester for sale near you
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- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $14,737In-stock online
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My First Subaru
Mark W, 02/25/2020
2020 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
32 of 34 people found this review helpful
So I'm writing this review after only 2 weeks of ownership so keep that in mind. I discovered the Forester while researching other small SUVs. Was looking at Kia and Honda and Toyota. Not interested in Subaru. But the Forester kept popping up on everyone's "Best of" lists. Consumer Reports, Car & Driver, and countless other reviews in print and on YouTube. I figured I owed it to myself to check it out. So far, I am not disappointed. The Forester has a great ride, great tech and the most safety features of any vehicle in its class. The criticism that I keep reading is that the Forester is lackluster to drive. That is simply not the case. In its standard "I" (intelligent mode) the drive is geared toward fuel economy. In "S" mode (sport) the throttle is very responsive and if you have the Sport model as I do the "S#" mode gives the car even more pep. Nobody buys an SUV to drag race. The Forester is comfortable, roomy, solidly built and a bargain considering all you get in the Premium and Sport trim levels. I'm looking forward to driving this car for many, many miles and reporting back along the way.
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Forester Sport in Grey Color GET IT!
NJ Momma, 12/22/2019
2020 Subaru Forester Sport 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
79 of 87 people found this review helpful
The car I liked the best was the Mazda cx5. I got the Subaru because of the width of the trunk. It is definately bigger than my old Rogue, and deeper. The trunk cover covers a lot. It also has a big storage area under the trunk but on top of the spare. This is good cause the glove box is a bit small. The door does hold bottles of soda. Plus small bottles of water. I love the orange trim which adds some style. Subaru is not a cute car. It is a practical car. It is a momma car. I am a momma, just dont want to drive a momma car. The orange is hot and gorgeous. Just the right touch. Inside the car is really comfortable. I am a cuddly 58 year old women. The Mazda seats where to narrow. The Forrester gave me lots of but room. I also am 5 ft 9 and have bad knees. The seat adjusts so that I can keep from getting stiff. We love the seat warmers. You only need to keep it on for a few minutes and it stays warm for a while. KEEP STUFF FROM UNDER THE SEAT. IT GETS WARM. The other practicality is the gas mileage. I left a 2012 Rogue that got 25.7 mpg in the winter. Subaru does get the 29. One of the reasons is the sleep mode at lights. This feature does not kick in unless you have good battery. YOU can get it to come on by turning down the fan. I have exceeded the highway rating. I like the safety features. The lane assist works well. I wish I would allow you to be not dead center. I love the vehicle hold. This car has better pick up than other cars I have. I like the CVT. It is not as sluggish. The car almost steers itself. It gets mad at you if you take your hand off the wheel or divert your eyes to long. It dings and the seat gently vibrates when you get distracted. The cruise keeps you at a safe distance. BEware, if you get behind someone that is slow, you may not notice and that may make your trip longer. Back up camera is beautiful and can see more than my old Nissan. IT has a better view than the Mazda I test drove. The cross hazard works well, and the car will stop for barriers. Kept me from running over a small hedge. I would have stopped. Car did it for me. This car has lots of windows. And the sun roof is huge. The big windows caused me to take the car back to get the window shades put in. The windshield shade goes across the top so I am not blinded by sun light. It extends when you put it to the side. The climate controls are a bit harder. Cant figure out why the ac is always on. Gotta cut that off. The window defogger works well and the windshield wipers have a heating function The display is big. Would not want it bigger. It has a top display which I can't figure out why I need it. Except it is kinda cool. It has lots of usb chargers. hey are 2 in the back seat. The back seat reclines and has center air vents. The leg room is good back there as well. My Note 10 plus synced really easily into the system. The upgraded Harmon sounds great and has good bass. I don't like that you cant scroll through your music while driving. Android Auto gives you access to a lot of your apps. The phone book and message display was easy to use. The Mazda rode better. The Subaru has a more steady hold to the rode. I liked the steering better. What I was interested in was the sturdier frame. I spent a lot on repairing my suspension in the NIssan. NOT WANTING TO DO THAT AGAIN. It does not shake you when you bump. I had to take the car back to the dealer after a week because the orange piece was loose on the driver door. The rug was wearing out. I love the car. It could be cuter. It rides well, is cheaper than most brands of cars with the options. EVEN HYUNDAI. Mazda was slightly cheaper, but seats to narrow and it burns more gas than my old Nissan Rogue.
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First Subaru - so far pretty darn good
JbDelmar, 03/22/2020
updated 11/08/2021
2020 Subaru Forester Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
35 of 38 people found this review helpful
Was a Honda person for a long time. Wanted something a bit tougher and with a bit more personality. Didn't like the turbo in the CRV and no real deals on the hybrid yet. Got 0% on the Forester touring, plus $3500 off of sticker, and a good deal on my 2013 CRV with 90k miles on trade ($9k). Not sure about the complaints about lack of power. Is it fast? No. It is more than adequate and even fun. Engine noise is quiet except under hard acceleration. Road noise is noticeably lower than the CRV I had. Wind noise on the highway seems a bit more than the CRV. So far, gas mileage is already better on the Forester than my CRV. I was getting 16-17 at best around town in my CRV since I got it. My highway mileage in the CRV just about hit its target at about 28mpg. Seats are very comfortable and I sit a bit higher than in my CRV - which I like. I am a short male at about 5'7". Lots of rear legroom and about as much space as the CRV. I like the all the gadgets, though it took a lot of reading to learn most of them. I dread the day the battery has to be replaced and I need to reset everything. I wish there was a way to backup and restore... So, things I don't like. The armrest is pretty frustrating. It is too low and too far back. I wish Subaru or someone else would sell an add on or something so that this could be adjusted. The glossy dashboard surfaces do not add value or attractiveness - they just attract dust and finger prints. The glossy screen should have been flat, so that sun doesn't glare off of it and into your eyes, especially when the sunroof screen is open. There are too few little storage locations, especially compared to my CRV; I miss that. I am disappointed in the towing limit. This sits on the same frame as the outback, and has the same engine; the outback limit with the same engine is 2700lbs, but the Forester is 1500. Why? I would've gladly paid more for the Outback 2.4 turbo motor... Also, why no cooling seats, front camera, quieter glass, and a couple more features that can be found in the Outback Touring? While the Outback is more expensive, the lack of these features seems out of whack with the pricing differential. That's really about the only complaints I have. Given the deal that I got, I couldn't pass it up and couldn't justify the extra cost of the Outback (which I wanted more) since the Outback didn't have the discounts and 0% interest rate. I hope to get many many years and trouble free miles from this, as I did from my CRV. Maybe I can afford and Outback XT Touring next time... Update: Still really appreciate what a well balanced vehicle this is. good performance, very reliable, good gas mileage, comfortable, roomy, not bad looking, safe. If getting the 2.5, definitely recommend the Forester. That said, with the great trade in values, I’m upgrading to an Outback XT if it ever comes in from the factory. Would love the turbo in the Forester and would certainly upgrade to that if available. Follow up: Just traded it in for a ridiculous price - nearly what I paid for it, but 18k miles later. I traded for a 2022 Outback Touring XT. I really liked the Forester, but wanted the additional power of the Outback XT, the significant increase in towing capacity, and I like the longer length of the wagon - it is more useful than the height of the Forester. It's certainly a trade off - the Forester handled a bit better (not by much) and will be 9 inches easier to park than the Outback. The Forester had zero problems in the time I owned it. It was comfortable, quite, efficient, great in the snow and hot weather. I don't know why I felt this way (it makes no sense) but the Outback felt more like a grown up car (purely an emotional response - I'm in my 50's and should not base decisions on this kind of nonsense). If they put the 2.4 turbo in the Forester, or made it a hybrid and still had towing capacity like the Outback, I might consider it again. I thought about the Ascent as well, but that made me feel a bit too old, or a bit like a minivan. If they had made it look just a bit more like Jeep Grand Cherokee, or Honda Passport, I would definitely have bought the Ascent, even with its poor gas mileage and new-model-reliability issues.
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