PLEASE NOTE: This Video was filmed using 2020 Models. The 2021's have these minor changes: All 2021 Foresters get Adaptive Headlights (they turn with the steering wheel) and rear-seat reminder. For 2021 Forester Premium AND Forester Sport all have Keyless Access with Push Button Start standard (Only base model has the regular key). 2021 Forester Premium now only has one Option Pacakge: Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Power Rear Lift Gate for $1,095. 2021 Forester Sport now only has one Option Package which gives you 8.0" Touch Screen, Parking Sensors with Reverse Automatic Braking, Harmon/Kardon Audio System and Power Rear Lift Gate for $1,645.
I recently drove a 2021 Subaru Forester limited but it had everything you showed here except leather seats or heated steering wheel. Seats were “leather trimmed”. I wasn’t aware that there are different packages even on the same limited model. I’m going between this and a 2021 Honda CR-V. Help! Ty
you probably dont give a damn but does someone know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost the password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me
Thank you. You are the only reviewer that correctly described the side bolster part of the seat as vinyl / synthetic material. Every other reviewer says it is real leather.
Chalk that up to experience. I had a 2016 Forester XT Premium and the seats were almost identical to those in the new Forester Sport, just slightly darker and no orange stitching, but same materials. Thanks for watching!
Hard Workrr12 some reviewers are claiming the new foresters have adaptive front grills that open and close for aero and cooling affect. Is there any truth to this? I am doubting this technology on such a economic car
One of the best reviews of compact SUV's ever, will definitely get the Forester Sport, (had my eye on the Forester for 2 years) thank you for the input, once again fantastic review.
Great video and so easy to follow! A couple of other items: The Touring also offers memory settings for the front driver seat, and the front passenger seat is manual in the limited.
Thanks so much again! Back in Dec2019 and earlier I began watching your videos regarding Subaru. This really is helpful to so many folks! I realize this is on 2020 models, however, as you know Subaru doesn't change that much but every 5yrs. I believe this is one of the best years (not that the previous weren't) for Subaru Forester, Outback and more. These cars may not win the Indianapolis 500, however they will last you a long time, 200,000K is still the believable limit, without spending tons of money on maintenance. I DO recommend maintenance where you purchased your car at Dealership. My old Subaru Forester lasted close to 250,000mi, without spending lots in maintenance. Bought this new, lasted almost 17yrs! Now I own a 2020 Forester Limited. Very roomy, more than most SUVs in its class and more! Check these cars out! Forester is now small SUV, if you prefer more of a wagon type vehicle Outback is perfect! Don't forget ground clearance on both are close to 9" ..(8.7")!
Today I went on my second test drive of the 2021 Forester Sport and really got to know it well after trying most of the features it has. Continues to be an outstanding high wagon as I call it. I own the '18 model, Premium trim and highly recommend the car. mine has been easy to live with and absolutely flawless. The new one is in all probabilities just as superb. I drove several models from the competition, even the Hyundai Santa Fe which isn't a compact but a mid size. I'm still a fan of the Forester. The Sport is the one I'll get as the higher trims come with toys and gadgets I don't need or want. Price isn't an issue and neither is the 0% financing. This is a suv that just on reliability and dependability will pay for itself. And no, I don't work for Subaru and don't have loyalty to any manufacturer, just to the Forester.
Nice summary. Very informative. The different trim levels and available packages definitely can be confusing. We’re torn between the sport with the power rear lift gate and harman kardon stereo or the Touring with the adjustable passenger seat and all the bells and whistles like all LED lights in front. It’s just a fair amount more for the top model where we can get a good deal on just an upgraded package in the sport. Looking for slightly used 6,000 to 12,000 for that off the lot price drop. Thanks for the video definitely helps.
Buy both, swap the interiors and trade the touring body / sport interior back in. I honestly considered doing that with a base model manual transmission Crosstrek. Buy a limited with it, harvest the leather interior (and maybe climate control?) and swap them to the base model manual one, then sell the leftover parts to carmax.
Well good news Mike, the 2020 Crosstreks all have automatic climate control. If you want a manual with leather seats, just buy one with a stick and have leather installed. Most dealers can arrange this for you, the price is typically $1,295 in my area.
Great basic review. Had been looking at purchasing new Subaru Forrester and upon taking a test drive in one even asa gadget guy I was a bit confused at all the features in the touring edition. While the salesman went through some of the functions this explains in quick/simple detail. Thanks
Such good information. Thank you! I have a 2016 Forester and have never used the sunroof. I wish that wasn’t automatically included since I never use it. Subaru has a customer loyalty/trade-in program/0% interest which is making it hard to resist upgrading to a 2020.
Glad you made this video. I was reading manual instructions about the memory face profile and didn’t know it only comes with touring. I thought sport has it. Save me time from reading all the instructions.just picked one up. Subaru has good promotions due to pandemics.
I wouldn't mind seeing a hybrid myself, and Subaru does offer this model in other countries besides the USA. Feel free to call 1-800-SUBARU3 and let them know your thoughts!
You just made me check the Subaru Canada website and voila. The Forester in Canada comes in 6 trim levels, in order of Canadian price, here they are..... 1) Base Forester $30,799 2) Convenience $34,399 3) Touring $35,999 4) Sport $37,599 5) Limited $40.299 and last but not least 6) Premier $42.099. Again Canadian dollar prices (freight & fees included, taxes extra). ps. I don't work for Subaru lol
Thank you very much for this very informative video so now I know what trim and package i should look for if i need power seat and blind spot with cross traffic alert 👍
Good revew! Thank u. If I'm not mistaken top editions of Forester for the US don't have camera under a right mirror. But Subaru gives this option for Russia and Kazakhstan.
I'm thinking about trading my 2015 Forester Premium for an Outback at first. But after watching (other) comparison videos I'm thinking I may just go with a new Forester Premium. This was very informative. Thank you.
The one great thing about the base is that there are no roof rails, which makes removing snow much easier as the rails don't get in the way when removing snow from the both sides of the roof. Most people never use them. I did a roof rail delete on my 2006 wagon way back when. To be honest I'd never want to do that again as it took a long time and required many interior pieces to be removed. Swapped with a saabaru owner who actually wanted roof rails. Also, I wish they kept the manual emergency breaks in the foresters. My 2016 legacy as the electronic emergency break and honestly, I hate them. There are other reasons why manual e brakes are better but I won't post them here as some idiot will try something that they never tried before and cause themselves some problems.
I get that eyesight can detect things faster than humans but I'd rather just pay attention to my driving. I think too many people get reliant on it and slack off. I'm keeping my 2013 crosstrek until it dies, which hopefully will be a long time since it doesn't burn a drop of oil like many of the 1st gen.... and then I will buy a 2019 base model since it has no eyesight, auto start, etc. I do love that these cars are easy to work on and the AWD is unbeatable for the price, just wish the newer ones had an option to not have as much tech that can go wrong.
Your not missing ‘anything’ if you went instead with Limited, Touring. These other trims have what I call (faster mode), gives you ‘more throttle’, faster take off. Called sport sharp mode for Forester Sport Trim. Really not that much of difference compared to as I call ‘regular drive take off mode’, regardless of Sport, Limited or Touring.
I'm glad you love your car, they are fantastic! My mom has had a 2017 Forester Limited for a couple of years now and she loves her car too. Thanks for watching!
I loved your presentation and I learned a lot! I’m leaning between a forester or a Toyota 4Runner. I just got my license and not sure which to go for: My only criticism would be..I wish you included the prices for the diff trim levels and specifically for the cars you Showed. Thanks! Bahar
Yeah I wish Subaru would allow a little more creativity on custom orders. I have a client right now who wants a 2020 Legacy Sport with the XT engine, and it can't be ordered that way.
Thanks so much for the video! Easier than trying to figure out the book. I had a dealer tell me that although the trims are different, the Forresters all drive the same? Is this true? I test drove the Touring, but because of cost, now trying to decide between the Limited and Premium
All new Foresters have the same engine, transmission, and suspension, so yes they pretty much all do drive the same. I've always felt Premium was the sweet spot for value, but the Limited is fancier so that's up to you...
On paper the CR-V is very slightly larger than Forester as far as overall Cargo Space, but I think the Forester's space might be a little more useable because it has a wider rear door opening. At any rate it isn't a huge difference once way or the other.
You did talk about the wheels, but you failed to mention that the base and the premium come with 17 inch wheels. All the other trim levels come with 18 inch wheels. Also with 28 inch wheels, you get larger brakes. We purchased,a premium .Had I known about the wheels, I would have stepped up to the sport..
Okay thank you SO MUCH for letting me know which one I got, I got the alloy wheel base🥲, anyways I was wondering, could I potentially add the spoiler that the higher trim versions come with? And can I replace the screen for the 8 inch one?
I'd like to see a video encompassing the actual crash-test results, for the 2020/21 Forester. Even better, one that compares the foresters crash-test results to results of the same with cars like the Volvo, and Mercedes models with the highest crash-test ratings.
@@CarDietrich I didn't word my post accurately enough. I only meant a video of crash-test results you may be privy to obtain from Subaru, based on possible inside contacts you may have with them. Sorry for the mix-up, peace!!
Oh no problem at all. Subaru does not actually make their own internal crash testing data available to the public or to their salespeople. The crash test results that we as salespeople (or former salespeople in my case) have access to are the same ones that are available to the public from NHTSA, IIHS, and Euro NCAP. I will tell you that Subaru takes safety very seriously, and the Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frame is a feature that is unique to Subaru and makes the cars' passenger compartments extremely strong. My budget for a monthly payment would allow my the choice of probably 50 different models if not more, and I have not sold Subarus my whole career. However, I personally have had five Subarus. And I sold one to my mom. And I talked my dad into buying one way back in 2003 before I was even in the car business. So, yeah, I'm a fan. www.firehouse.com/rescue/article/10503660/subaru-ringshaped-reinforcement-frame
Unfortunately this video features the previous generation Forester, but I did send it to my mom after I sold her the 2017 Forester she's driving now. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wmCZZ_Ef3Js.html
This has been really helpful, as I dither between the Forester and the Crosstrek. Looks like roof rails are standard on everything but the base model, but what if I don't want them? Can they be removed by the dealer without causing any issues with the integrity of the roof? Thanks.
When sitting in the driver's seat, look to the left of the steering wheel and down low on the dash. There are a bunch of buttons down there, push and hold the one with the icon of the car with the rear cargo hatch open for a couple seconds. That will open or close the power liftgate. Don't push the one that says "Memory," that is to activate the memory height on the hatchback.
excellent presentation of all models ! however I want a suggestion - 2017 Touring just under 20k miles in 3 years and now I am hunting to replace it confused and spoilt by Touring never really used all features your tip on which one to go for in Forester would help -ThankQ
Well if you liked your Touring you have now I would recommend looking at either a limited or a touring, there isn't a HUGE difference between the two, they will still both have the leather seats, and it might be worth it for you to step down to a limited if you didn't use all the features your touring has now and save a couple grand.
Not from the factory. If you have your heart set on it I suppose you could buy a Touring, get all the Sport trim pieces and have them replaced on your car.
Wait, the limited doesn't come with paddle shifters?? Thats shitty.. Sort of a deal breaker for me, I heard those CVT's are horrendous and the only way to pass someone is by down shifting.
I wouldn't let that put you off, if you floor it in a Forester without the paddle shifters the transmission will essentially "downshift" for you and kick up the revs for the pass.
What is the difference between X-Mode on the Premium, Limited & Touring? How are they different than the Sport X-Mode. Really wish I could have seen this as this was my only reason I watched the video.
Base model = no X Mode Premium = basic X mode that's just one setting to make the car more effective in off road/limited traction conditions Sport, Limited, and Touring = Dual Mode X Mode, the two modes are Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud
