Used 2023 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
Used Forester for sale
Mikenavy62
Patrick Murphy, 03/31/2023
2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
8 of 15 people found this review helpful
I like the way it rides, all the safety features and the larger interior. What I don’t like you cannot get a heated steering wheel if you live in the USA but you can if you live in Canada
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Unintended consequences for too many functions
Shelly M., 07/17/2024
updated 07/21/2025
2023 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
7 of 13 people found this review helpful
I have never been this disappointed in a vehicle and never paid so much for something I loath. I've been driving for over 50 years and had no idea you need a college degree today in order to drive one. I have a college degree but unfortunately its not in "Car-idiosyncrasies-programed-by-12-year-olds." Everywhere I look is buttons, buttons, and more buttons--buttons to the right, buttons to the left, buttons up above and buttons below. The doors have them, the console has them, the touch screen has them, the mirror, steering wheel, the seat, the glove box, the trunk, the key fob, EVERYTHING has buttons and it seems every dang button can do more than one thing. I wanted to keep my extra key inside the car--my spare in case of emergency. It took me months before a salesman-in-training at the dealer could tell me how to do that. A month later I realized I didn't remember the process so I returned to the dealer and the sales people and the service department didn't know what I was talking about--told me the key couldn't be deactivated. I argued, telling them it was in the glove box right now and my car would lock--I just needed to know how to deactivate in case I needed it. They looked at the spare key and pushed some of its buttons and it reactivated. BUT they didn't know how to deactivate it again. Just treated me like I was stupid and it had been active all along. Then they asked why I would want to carry a spare because, "after all you have to have your key with you to get in." I explained I might lose my purse or have my key stolen, then have to get into my car where hopefully, I would have a spare. The guys hadn't thought of that. They made a service appointment for the following week to talk to their tech guys. UPDATE: I was asked to update this review--it's now 2 years later. Last month, I got my car to start remotely (works about 1 in 10 tries). I use web phone because I'm rural. Right after I started the car, the Internet went out (no phone). My keys were in the car and since the car locks automatically when you use the remote start--I could not get into my vehicle! Yes, Mr. Magoo, you can lock your keys in the car. In the meantime I was told by another source that there is a secret button on the hatch and when it is programed you can get into the vehicle without a key. I begged service to activate the secret button on the hatch. They emphatically told me Subaru had no such function. I begged to differ with them. Again, they treated me like an addled senior. The salesman asked his supervisor who rolled his eyes, and they called the manager of service who also said he'd never heard of that. I stood my ground and once again, a young man-in-training came by saying he had heard about that function (you could see the bemused look on the faces of the "experienced" Subaru personnel). He looked it up on his phone. Together we tried to program the vehicle--and he discovered why I couldn't do it earlier BECAUSE if you use numbers that are easy, it won't program. BUT Subaru does not tell you that, so you think you are doing it wrong. We were doing it right, the stupid program was making decisions for me without letting me know it was rejecting my numbers because it didn't like them, for safety reasons. If you have a safety feature like that TELL THE PEOPLE TRYING TO PROGRAM IT! My android app doesn't start the car except about every 10th try!!!!! I had it at the dealer for that--my vehicle was there for HOURS and no one could fix it. Their suggestion, "Get an iPhone!" For me, remote start is a biggie, especially in below zero weather--so I have a $35,000 vehicle that no can tell me why the remote start doesn't work. I am paying for a Starlink subscription. No one can tell what that is!!!! It's internet, been bought out by Subaru--they combined it with their console-dashboard--WHAT IS IT???? Can I get on the internet with it? Does it work the road map and navigation on the dashboard? No one knows. I do know that the navigation on my Subaru does not work. I was talking to the tech guy who was trying to fix the remote and he was at a loss as to what Starlink did too except call the dealer if you're in an accident. So I'm paying for a mystery service. My daughter drove me to the hospital once (minor procedure) and was to pick me up later. I got a call from her, "Mom, I'm at the gas station and I remember, you have the key. Can I turn the car off?" This was before I had a spare in the glove box--NO, she could not. She'd be stuck there. So you can drive off without a key!!!! Imagine how dangerous that can be. My radio constantly flips to Sirius out of the blue--trying to get me to subscribe. I have other mysterious, probably evil, apps that stare at me from the touchscreen. I'm afraid to explore because I'm afraid of my car. What's it going to do? Drive off without me? Take control of the steering and I'm unable to get it back? Lock me out again? Keep trying to force me to pay for Starlink again even though I'm paid to 2026? Call the dealer and make an appointment for me that I know nothing about. No, by gosh, I'm not messing with those evil apps. Now, I must compliment Subaru on the lumbar supporting heated seat. I love it. So, there is that. Originally I did a lot of research on AWD vehicles because I am in snow country and I was out for the safety features. Subaru won the reviews by a lot. However, driving in snow is only one of many safety features one must consider. It does drive well in snow. But not in the rain--in the rain it slips and slides--I'm sure there is a button somewhere for this but I can't find it. The remote doesn't work consistently and I have to get into snowy cold cars with snow on windows and it takes forever to get them defrosted. The car takes over the steering wheel a lot and I have to dig out the manual to try and figure out what button needs to be pushed to get it back to manual. I can't get over 26mpg in the winter and 27.5 in the summer and its mostly highway, very little city--My Honda got consistently close to 33 (once broken in). UPDATE 2 years later: After 20 K miles, the car decided to stop punishing me and now maintains a consistent 32 MPG--so there's that. My Forester is NOT safe. It's the unintended consequences things. Subaru has gone all out to create every safety feature in the book and created a nightmare. From locking yourself out of the vehicle, it taking off without a key, service not knowing how to carry a spare key or get into the vehicle without a key, broken sun roofs, a mysterious Starlink program, to an automatic hatch that smashes itself on tree limbs, there are so many unsafe things with this vehicle, it's not a laughing matter. There are so many functions that not even the folks who deal in the vehicles every day can tell you how to do things. Drivers and Subaru Service are so confused about what the car is doing and what can or cannot be programed, the new Foresters are UNSAFE. And I don't want you to think I'm just a Senior who tries to turn on the microwave with a cell phone kind of woman. I am not. I design and host websites, I program ads in online media, I write books, and I run a small publishing company. It is me everyone seeks, to figure out what their rouge computer is up to. So I'm not saying I'm an expert, but I'm certainly not the old guy who yells "hello" into the remote when the phone rings. This car is the worst mistake I've ever made from a company that I have loved and trusted.
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2023 Subaru Forester for sale near you
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K. Moore, 07/23/2023
2023 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
I like all the safety features. I'm still getting used to all the "buttons" on the Subaru and learning more each day. I like the lane alerts and the back up camera. It handles very well.
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great suv
joe g, 02/20/2023
updated 08/31/2023
2023 Subaru Forester Premium 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
6 of 12 people found this review helpful
great ride comfortable roomy
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So far so good.
John F, 12/14/2022
2023 Subaru Forester Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)
5 of 10 people found this review helpful
Love the Forrester so far, fully loaded. Smooth drives, comfortable interior and lots of head and legroom.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value