Bought the limited 2 weeks ago. Car is decked out in safety features that can be easily turned off and on with buttons. Eyesight and lane assist systems work very well - good if you have young drivers or take a lot of long trips. I like to turn them off when driving. The auto on/off can be a bit annoying so I usually turn it off; I will turn it on when waiting in traffic or in a drive thru. A great combination is using auto on/off and auto vehicle hold while waiting in traffic. Car turns off and applies the parking break so you can rest your foot while waiting. It will also alert you when the car in front moves ahead. Put your foot on the gas and it automatically starts and disengages the parking break. My city gas mileage is as advertised, 26-27 mpg. The panoramic sun roof really opens up the back seating area for the kids. Fits 2 adults or 3 kids in the back comfortably. Good cargo space in the trunk. Not exceptionally powered so no drag racing at red lights, but that's okay because I am married with kids.
We own a 2019 Forester Sports. Been in the mountains in Colorado, and other places. We are hitting 17,000 miles. Has been the best car we have ever owned, and the Dealer in Waco Texas, couldn't be better. Great people, and great service.
thanks for this review. I am hoping to buy one this year and this helped convince me that it is the right car for me. I got much more out of your video than the visit to the Subaru dealer recently.
Just ordered the Sport today. In Canada, the features in the trims are different. The sport here has the 8" screen, power lift gate, RAB, Blind-Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Keyless Access with Push-Button Start, Intelligent mode & sport sharp mode, steering responsive headlights, & Dual-zone automatic climate control. We live in a lake-effect snow belt, so I'm looking forward to winter driving in it.
Great job describing the Forester. I just purchased the Forester Limited 2020 - A great car with a load of safety features. The BSM & adaptive cruise control are great. Good interior. Love the leather seats with lumbar support.
My 3rd Subaru (with the HK Sound), and after being in loaners without... I am absolutely sold on it being a must have. Love my Sport trim with the orange trim bits and black wheels and grille. Now that I sat in a 2020 OB XT Limited though, I could be persuaded back into a limited trim... They upgraded the leather from my 16 Legacy, I hated that leather... It wasn't supple compared to what's there now and honestly felt closer to vinyl than leather. I am jealous of Canadian spec Sport trims though... they get dual climate and the steering responsive headlights with the C shaped DRLs.
I purchased a new Outback in 2017. It had RAB and many other electrical problems from the start. I had it in the shop 10 times for repair. towed to the dealer no less than 4 times. Went a total of 42 days without my car. It was a Lemon. Even the district service manager told me to contact Subaru Customer service to get a full refund, as they could not figure out what is wrong with the car. After months of being given the run around, Subaru customer service did not refund my money as they should have. Major problem with the dealer, they do not give you any paperwork, to prove you were there in the first year, they delete the PC history, (destroy the evidence). I traded my car in, still under warranty, still not fixed. I lost over $14,000 because Subaru does not stand behind their cars. Toyota is looking better all the time.
Very comfortable, better than the Honda CRV 2017 which was stiff, leather was hard to find and when they had it, I just liked the cloth instead as it had more give. Just needs to be cleaned more.
They've been testing a Forester Hybrid abroad. Considering it's a volume vehicle they probably want to do it right before bringing it to the states. Would love to see the 2.4T in the Forester. I like my 19, but I do wish it had a bit more power, or at least not the CVT that sucks the life out of the power that is there.
2019 Forester didn't have DRL, it used LOW/HIGH led buld as DRL, by submitting a much lower voltage to it. Only LIMITED and TOURING had DRL strip. That's in 2019. Glad to hear all trims offer DRL STRIP in 2020 Forester Also worth mentioning, that ONLY SPORT trim offers SPORT PLUS mode, all other trims offer just SPORT mode. The difference in 0-60 between trims is insignificant however. Sport is faster by 0.4-0.8 seconds to be exact. As far as comfortable seats, I disagree. I have a sport trim and drove limited and touring before. Leather seats are WAY MORE COMFORTABLE than other cloth or leatherette bolsters offered in trims below LIMITED and TOURING. If you go for TOURING trim, I recommend SADDLE BROWN LEATHER. It can make the interior of your Forester look richer. It is worth mentioning that MOONROOF is NOT panoramic. It is quite large, but NOT panoramic. Panoramic moonroof is large enough for rear seat passenger to stick their head out. Clearly that is NOT the case in Subaru's Forester. 576Watt Harman Kardon Sound System is great and it is OPTIONAL starting on SPORT and LIMITED. Do NOT expect any heavy BASS from that 8' subwoofer, it is more of a MIDWOOFER. To sum it up, I wish Forester offered VENTILATED front seats, even Kia and Hyundai offer those on much lower class vehicle. I also wish Subaru had MORE SOUND SETTINGS. You are limited to LEFT/RIGHT, FRONT/REAR controls plus standard 1990's BASS, VOCAL, TREBLE. That is all. No EQUALIZER option, no separate SUBWOOFER option.
Just got one, love it, the only thing I did notice, the blind spot is a single sided notification only on the driver's side so you still need to be alert if you are moving over to the right. Also, it's not clear but it appears you need to push the fob to lock. It's not a walk away auto-lock which I had on my previous car. Also, crazy that in 2020 it still comes with a CD plwyer, very awesome.
Strange, I have the touring version and I have the blind spot detection on both sides and the lock on my works when I press the lock spot on the door handle,
I love my Forester Touring. Even though it’s a 2019 year model and it’s 8/23, it still doesn’t have 12K miles on it. I disable the stop start every time I start the car. I’d much rather pay for the gas to let it run while at a stoplight than the $1,800 cost to replace the starter
@@pablozirpolo8236 Yep, Right after I made this post, it literally started falling apart faster than I could put it back together. The last 12 weeks of owning it, it was in the shop for 9 weeks. It started having MAJOR electrical problems. The rear hatchback would open randomly, the facial recognition worked about 1/2 the time, the transmission went out, the computer fried and set me back over $4K, the low oil pressure light kept flickering, it wouldn’t remember what the pre- set radio stations were. The memory seats would move the seat wherever it wanted to go. The remote start never worked, even after I had to fork out $1,600 for something else that went wrong with the computer. I finally got tired of it and traded it in on a 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab, 6’ bed with premium and technology pkgs. We had also sold our older pickup so we only had to borrow $12K against the $48K for the Tacoma
The Forester still needs a stronger optional engine for some of us. Notice the reviewer doesn't simulate getting up to highway speeds from metered onramp, he just hit the gas once the Forester is up to speed. The Forester with its base engine works well for a lot of people, with an optional stronger engine, it would work for more people. We started looking in 2019 and may have been one of 5% that would have bought the previous Premium gas optional turbo engine and I can't tell if more people would opt for the new regular gas version. I think the use of a cheaper grade of gas might influence even more people to make the leap to a more expensive but better-performing vehicle.
> with an optional stronger engine, it would work for more people. I'm really hoping the popularity of "performance" SUV trims lately will push them to actually do a real STI Forester (or outback). The XT was almost there, but I'm concerned they're too small of a company for that to make financial sense given the relatively small amount of buyers that would actually opt for that option. A lot of Subaru buyers are octane sensitive, and it would turn many away if it required premium as you mention. There's also plenty examples of engines that will de-tune themselves to regular, and gone are the days that premium octane is really necessary for a forced induction engine. Guess we'll just have to wait...
@@voxnero Yeah, I don't know if they will ever make this a real STI sport variant of the Forester, I would enjoy this car with a more powerful, regular gas engine that offered at least the 220hp that our present V-6 engine gives us. Subaru has been building its regular gas Turbo since 2018 and put it in the Ascent, Outback, and Legacy. Why hasn't Subaru at least offered it as an option for the Forester for people desiring a little more power and improved performance? My problem is that I can't wait until next year, maybe you'll be fortunate enough to get one if they ever make it.
I love when one person has a problem with the vehicle they like to generalize it as if the entire product line is going to have the same problem. There are going to be problems. That’s just the way it happens when you sell hundreds of thousands of vehicles, not every single one is going to be perfect. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean they work for one side or the other. It’s like buying a 24 pack of Coke, you might get a busted one, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. Do I think manufacturers car warranties need to be longer? Absolutely, especially if they have as much confidence in their vehicles as they say they do, why not offer a 10 year 100 thousand mile warranty? Just because yours had a problem doesn’t mean 100% of people are going to have a problem. More people like to complain about the problems they’re having than they do talking about something good that happened. There are thousands of people out there who have bought Subarus who have put 100,000 or 200,000+ miles on their vehicle just by maintaining them properly. Some of you people need to grow up. Does it suck when you have a large repair bill from something that failed on your vehicle? Yes, but it doesn’t make every single car from that manufacture a piece of crap. It was just the luck of the draw.
I love when quality of the Japanese brand rears it's head like there wasn't issues before when everyone was drinking the Koolaid of quality, quality, quality...now it doesn't matter? Well when quality issues and constant recalls effect a auto brand they hurt profits and eventually sales when the Koolaid runs out www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/05/subaru-struggles-annual-profits-effectively-halved-due-to-quality-control-issues/
Does your website have ratings for stereos? It would be a great idea if you rated the stereos in the cars you have tested and listed the ratings. Eg. Subaru Forester Harman Kardon 8, Kia Telluride Harman Kardon 9. Honda CR-V upgraded infotainment with subwoofer 6. However you grade them for sound quality and add comments.
After owning the 2015 Subaru Forester for four years I totally agree with what others said below, this car NEEDS a 6 speed automatic transmission and a reliable long lasting 6 cylinder engine I would buy one again in a heart beat. CVT is a no go for me. Huge mistake by Subaru because this is indeed one of THE nicest fun cars I have ever been in and I strongly feel that the Forester DESERVES a much better engine and transmission. That four cylinder boxer has to go as well. When Subaru gets that done they will sell these puppies like hot cakes. I too test drove the 2020 Forester Sport, I LOVED the interior but the car has no torque. I know that same feeling when accelerating the car like Gold Pony did above on the flat street. Try doing that when going uphill or when entering the freeway and the feeling is not great at all.
"...70 percent of new Subaru vehicles are now the object of recalls or service campaigns within two years of being purchased, noting that the “permissible limit” should be around 10 percent." www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/06/report-outlines-how-subaru-is-coping-with-quality-control-issues/
Don denis we had a problem with the start/stop running rough..when it would stop and start up again the car would jerk hard to get in gear..complained many times, called corporate and was told this is normal which we believe is bull. Very dissatisfied how we were handled as customers. I hate this car. We always turn the start/stop off....at least they did that right. Will never buy another Subaru.
Alas, unlike on BMWs, the OFFsetting for auto start/stop does not survive turning the car off. When you start the car back up, you have to hit the button to turn off the auto start/stop yet again. This is a simple software fix-as demonstrated by what BMW did when they first introduced the “feature” on the 2013 X1. Evidently Bimmer owners complained loudly enough that within six months, the setting that was active when you shut the car off became the default setting when you start the car back up. Subaru needs to do the same, dang it. It’s not a feature for some of us; it’s simply a nuisance.
Carolann Stinedurf unfortunately my experience is that’s the way auto start/stop works in general. I detest it, turn it off as soon as I start the car up and curse loudly the first time it kicks in if I forget to turn it off. Plus, turning the car off and on so frequently can’t be good for the engine. I also called Subaru the day after I bought the car to suggest they make a software adjustment that retains the last setting (in my case OFF) as the default setting when restarting the car. Suggestion went nowhere, alas. That said, I can’t picture not buying a Subaru next time (this is my 11th Subie) simply because I hate the way auto star/stop is implemented. At least there IS an easy way to turn it off-unlike on the new 2020 Outbacks where I think you have to paw through a few menus on the infotainment screen to do so.
Marian Petrides thanks for commenting. We do turn it off before we take off. I didn’t like how corporate handled us. This car is less than 1 yr old. Most times they wouldn’t return our calls, we almost got a lawyer. This jerking happened 1 day after we bought the car, they should have replaced it. Numerous calls to the dealer, then corporate....they were worse then the dealer. It was like sorry your stuck with this, attitude. I’m told most new cars will have this because of over seas...we asked if they could uninstall it and they said NO! I don’t like anything about this car....I love my Honda but husband always wanted a Subaru...I’m ready to trade it in and get another Honda.
@@carolanns9986 The part about all cars eventually having this non-feature is probably true. I think it's already mandated in Europe. The thing that ticks me off is that they COULD make it retain your preferred setting as default. It's a simple piece of programming. But evidently not enough of us are griping about it. Grrrrrr...
Where's the part that says what the changes are from the 2019, as per the title? Seems like he's just doing a general overview of everything, different or not.
Meh...its quirky and the seats are uncomfortable ....I am not a long term fan...but it did well in the snow. It warms up and cools off quickly. Happy adventures! 🙃
My 2020 Limited is a solid daily driver. It has plenty of horsepower for this role and the CVT returns about 33 mpg. Visibility is outstanding and the vehicle is comfortable. However, the lane centering feature hugs the left line too close for my comfort. EYE SIGHT cowardly shuts down in the fog just when I need it most. The big question is: Will it hold up?
Sorry about your Nissan purchase. My wife made me basically give away her old Scion TC, I cried for a few weeks and I’m in counseling for the loss still. It happens.
Too busy being recalled... "...70 percent of new Subaru vehicles are now the object of recalls or service campaigns within two years of being purchased, noting that the “permissible limit” should be around 10 percent." www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/06/report-outlines-how-subaru-is-coping-with-quality-control-issues/
Hi Andrew, absolutely loved this review hands down. I'm 6'3, so it was awesome to see someone tall like me testing a Subie Forester, headroom and legroom seem to be no issue for you even with the great looking pano sunroof. I'm not sure what the exterior color is called of what you drove, but it's everything 👌. Is remote start available on Foresters? Ummm...the scene with you testing that incredible 9 speaker audio system was epic 😄.
@@goldpony Unless they have changed Starlink since the 2019 Forester model (unlikely) you are correct. If you pay $75 for the first 3 years (I forget the cost to renew after that) to upgrade to Safety and Security Plus (or some name like that), you will have remote start, remote door lock/unlock, remote horn and lights, vehicle locator and probably some other features I've forgotten. So remote door unlock using the MySubaru app is built into the car. You just have to pay a nominal sum to turn it on. It works wonderfully. Now whenever I use a different car and can't have it pre-warmed before I get into it in winter, I grumble. The nice thing is no after-market parts or dealer/electronics store install. It's there right out of the box and can be turned on without even going back to the dealer.
so'd they fix the oil burning and CVT's gernading? i mean i plan to keep the 08 impreza until i can't buy gas for it anymore. to give you an idea of how much i drive, Its been 1 month and a week and i just filled up.
I’m glad Subaru finally updated the forester to reflect its pricing. My issue (up til this point) was that Subaru priced these things so high- with a feature content/quality that didn’t match. I’m personally a fan of all of the latest generation Subaru products. I’m looking forward to seeing the refreshed Ascent.
I got a 2020 Forester Sport the other day! I love it so much already!!!!! One question tho... how come the AC blows warm for like 15 seconds sometimes and it's even on low...? And a few times it kicked on/off the AC compressor clutch pretty harsh. Like a whole engine jerk.
@@norme1850 Yeah I figured out the engine jerk was from the auto start/stop but I still don't know why my AC suddenly blows hot air off and on even though it's blowing nice and cold already. It happens when I'm stopped and driving..
Careful what you wish for. I test drove the 2020 OUTBACK twice. Trying to drive and navigate that touch screen is awkward at best. Loved the ride and the larger display, but some things should be left to being knobs. (And what do you do when you have gloves on?)
Can anyone who drives one of these comment on the placement of the center air vents? Seems like for the driver that vent if going to hit the back of the right hand on the steering wheel on those hot summer days when you really want the A/C to hit your body.
@@jrlittle337 Lexus also is keeping CD players in their vehicles. Not everyone has all their music stored on a computer or smartphone. Some people still rock out old school with physical hard copies. And I can totally respect that. I also prefer having hard copies of photographs on film, displayed in a photo album. That's just me.
Mine has a button on the left side for the cut-off so you can decide if you want it or not. like when you are using air condition the you don't want the motor to stop.
I like the Sport for all the features at that price point and it looks great with the black wheels but I am still not sure if I would like the orange interior trim long term. I really want the buttons in the rear hatch to lower the rear seat. They only come with the touring trim which seems expensive at $35k. The saddle interior is nice. But for that money you could get a Kia Telluride, larger, faster more luxurious car with a bigger engine and more features.
Best all wheel drive system, maybe, but the second worst CVT transmission out there. when it goes bad out of warranty it will cost you at lest $9000,00 to replace. Do your research before buying one.
The Forester is such a nice SUV/,CUV. Never paid attention to Subaru.I have now..That acceleration thing on the freeways is such BS! Any car can merge or pass on the freeways!
I am a Subaru fan...had 2 in the last 20 years (WRX and Forester), talked family into Imprezas and Outbacks, and found myself upset at this fanboy. He begins right off with how great Subaru is. Name another automaker building a car that offers ZERO options for engine? I mean, really? And, on one of its top 2 best-sellers? What a joke. My gf has a 2017 Forester XT....far better car than my 2013 forester (better mpg, far faster, better driving overall). How he can say, in 2020 that it's "hahah not bad" to accelerate, on the books, an almost 10 second 0-60 mph speed is a JOKE. This car is a pokey beast, and Subaru's stupid idea that it's all about "safety and mpg" (from them) is a joke too. This car is an over-teched beast that drives as slow as a car from the 90s. I am probably gonna deviate from a subie in the next 3 years: while subaru is good in the snow (best? No. My dad's Tesla Model x, dual motor with snow tires wrecks everything, subaru included), how often do you really need it? Not often. I'm in Utah and about 6 days a year I am passing everyone else who is stuck, but is it worth it to buy a pokey, overpriced car with A V E R A G E reliability? Sorry, Subaru, time to grow up and realize you're losing intelligent customers over fanboys who tout the "offroad friendly" cars like this guy (offroad? I'd call it "slightly offroad, kinda byway-friendly").
Oh, but DO understand that despite lacking any options for engines for real-world use outside of a flat planet, subaru DOES give a 3-car garage opener. Because we all have 3 garages. Or at least those of us millionaires driving a base-level forester with our three mistresses. DERP SUBARU. P.S. thanks for all the cupholders. My god.
Ohhh you kids and your cute little cars... you're just adorable. Driving around in snow and everything! Like a kid with his 1st bike on Christmas, no way anything could be better than This!!!! I'd like to have seen you follow me in my new 1980 Chevy Silverado with a 5.7L.
They haven't improved on the cracking windshields ... And the stupid idea to charge $400 to recalibrate the eyesore cameras if another one is put in ...... And it MUST be a Subaru Windshield because it has special glass .....🤣🤣🤣 RIGHT !!! Special Glass that Cracks from the defroster.....!!! Terrific Engineering ..... A $600+ Windshield ....+ $400+ to recalibrate the cameras ....( Like their really calibrated on the assembly line ) ...... This Stuff Just Never Stops ....!
No, they have not and now they are grrr setting sued...again like the oil consumption. My then friend had a 2009 Legacy and it had a cracked windshield and then she got a 2012 Forester and it cracked again. Along with oil consumption, coolant usage and p0300 misfire code with possible head gasket issue soon, she traded it on a GMC and never had any of those problems even with her second GMC. My summation is that Subaru is just a cheap car designed for developing countrys as utilitarian transporation.
@@NianticRiverWoodcraftingChrisN save up on repairs and maintenance for a pair of hearing aids as spending time in those tin boxes you are going to need it!
Norm T you’re nuts! Lol. They are as reliable and quiet as they need to be. Never had a problem. Opinions are like hemorrhoids, every @$$hole has one. Lol.
Bought a Forester with eye sight 1 month ago in Malaysia. Ever changing nightmare. Almost no sound proofing...tyres crunching and door traffic noise is so loud...will never ever buy Subaru cars again...in Malaysia. Total rip off....
@@robertktw That guy hates everything that's not a Toyota. Once Toyota starts using more CVTs he'll say he's always liked them. I'm looking for actual solid documentation about Subaru CVT issues in the past 5 years. I've read about issues with the Ascent that appears to be a wiring harness issue. Aside from that Subaru has only issued 4 service bulletins for their CVTs in a decade. On par with other manufacturers that use ATs.
@@tubemember21 literally anywhere, there's plenty of recalls I'm sure you can ask owners on Facebook I know that so many people leave Subaru because if transmission problems. My friend had a 2017 Forester and after 50,000 miles he had three transmission replacements at that point he bought a Toyota. I was really considering a Subaru Ascentbut after talking with all of the owners and seeing just how bad the transmission problems are I bought something else. I would have bought a Subaru a couple times now if it weren't for their transmission issues.
"Not too bad" and "I've experienced worse" aren't very helpful comments to those of us who may be trying to glean objective information from your review. Don't be so lazy.
Buy a Subaru Forester and wait for the CVT transmition to fail ......it’s not a matter or “if” but “when” ...and it will. Save up to pay the dealer $8000 for a replacement scam
You are welcome to pay for my transmission right now at the shop, not the $ 8000 Subaru dealer wanted.....after lying about fixing the body valve..... look it up in you tube and Subaru forums......
Well.... like I. Said, look it up..... the mechanics. Have access to that software they pay a service fee for, and he just showed me that in fact is Subaru number 1 problem ...... cvt failure..... along with oil burning issues and so on..... do you work for Subaru? Looks like it....
Beware new Subaru buyers of: oil consumption, valve body problems, bad wheel bearings, head gaskets issues. The quality of Subaru cars are not comparable to Toyota and Honda. Coming from a current Subaru owner.
@@thedude2897 "...70 percent of new Subaru vehicles are now the object of recalls or service campaigns within two years of being purchased, noting that the “permissible limit” should be around 10 percent." www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/06/report-outlines-how-subaru-is-coping-with-quality-control-issues/
Norm T Service campaigns and recalls or two different things. They should not be lumped together. Recalls are usually due to a safety issue that could cause injury or death. Service campaigns are usually voluntary fixes or something that is not immediately needed. Subaru sold 680,000 cars in 2018, let’s also assume they sold the same amount in 2019 which comes to a total of 1.3 million cars, so 70% of that is 952,000 vehicles that supposedly have a recall or service campaign. Compared to other car manufacturers if the 70% with Subaru is true, it’s a microscopic amount compared to other auto manufacturers. 2014 General Motors had to recall 6 million vehicles, in 2018 Ford had to recall 4.7 million different vehicles for various problems.
@@iCodyonline you act like the total number that counts and the bigger the worse. When in fact most of Subaru, and it seems like mostly Japanese today, have some of the most the recalled cars. Subaru has been under the microscope world-wide for the drop in quality lately.
