Subaru Forester Pros and Cons: What To Know When Weighing Your Decision
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The Subaru Forester is a compact SUV selection built for adventure. Through multiple trim levels, it provides room for passengers, excellent features, and a tie to the favorite Subaru name. If you’re interested in this vehicle, examine all the details. You might wonder - what are the vital Subaru Forester pros and cons to know before making a final decision?
If you’re interested in learning more about the pros and cons of the Subaru Forester, you’re in the right place. The more you know about what makes the Forester a triumph or a failure, the easier it will be to determine if it’s for you. Read on to learn about our favorite things about the Forester and some items we didn’t enjoy as much.
What We Love About the Subaru Forester
It’s always exciting to peek at the best part of a car. Let’s discuss some of the best features you’ll find amidst the Subaru Forester pros and cons.
Standard Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive
One of the best things about Subaru is the standard all-wheel drive offered in their vehicles, which also applies to the Subaru Forester. Those with a front-wheel-drive system won’t get anything close to the traction and control from the all-wheel-drive of the Forester.
This Subaru benefit will be helpful if you live where the roads can get slippery and traction is limited. It costs more to add on with other manufacturers, but Subaru makes it easy to hold control without paying more.
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Valuable Active Safety and Driver Technology
Safety technology and driver assistance features are baked into the Subaru Forester design to provide confidence to the person behind the wheel. The Forester seems to understand driver concerns and works to accommodate needs without a second thought.
According to subaru.com, some safety and driver assistance features include:
- Pre-Collision braking
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot detection
- Rear-vision camera
These are sure to keep drivers safe.
Subaru EyeSight also comes standard on each vehicle, bringing lane assist and more features. You can’t beat the intricacy of the Subaru Forester offerings.
Large Cargo Area
Another benefit of the Subaru Forester is the extensive cargo room. With all four seats in place, the Forester cargo has 26.9-28.9 cubic feet. When all four seats are folded, the room ranges from 69.1 to 74.2 cubic feet.
With all that room, you can take the Forester on a fun vacation or fit a family in for a trip to the grocery store. From camping gear to sports supplies, there are plenty of options with the room offered through the Subaru Forester.
Quiet and Comfortable Drive
Not only is the cabin comfortable, it’s also quiet. Although there can be some issues with wind noise - which we’ll touch on in the cons - other areas of a car that are typically loud, such as the engine, don’t make their way into the passenger or driver area.
There is padding inside each seat for maximum comfort, and higher models have heated and power-adjustable front seats. Cloth and leather upholstery decorate the seats depending on the trim selected - the bottom two are cloth, and any options above that one are leather.
Spacious Cabin
Finally, the Subaru Forester offers a spacious cabin. Those with long legs will be fine up front, while at least two full-sized adults will have no issue fitting in the back. In some cases, a third adult can squeeze into the middle seat with little issue.
The roominess makes the Subaru Forester ideal for an adventure. After all, cargo isn’t the most valuable part of any endeavor - it’s the people you bring along with you.
THE MOST RELIABLE YEAR FOR THE SUBARU FORESTER
The Forester has been in production since 1998, so there are a lot of models to choose from. So what is the most reliable year of the Subaru Forester?
What We Don’t Like About the Subaru Forester
Of course, you can’t discuss the best aspects of the Forester without going over some of the worst. Let’s mention the negatives associated with the Subaru Forester pros and cons.
Cabin Wind Noise
The Subaru Forester tends to sit a little higher than other vehicles, which makes it more prone to noise inside the cabin. As with most cars with this issue, the faster you go the louder the infiltration of sound will be.
Some people might not be annoyed by a whir every single time they get up past 60 mph on the highway, but it might drive others completely insane in time. Consider your tolerance to noise before purchasing the Forester for yourself.
Issues With The Base Engine
There are some issues with the power found in the base engine of the Forester. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine dramatically lacks in the power department, leaving plenty of longing in the heart of the driver. It’s an engine that seems like it should be in a smaller system.
Not only is the engine weak, but it also takes nearly 10 seconds for the Forester to kick from 0-60 mph. It isn’t as sporty as it seems like it should be, which is a disappointment in the overall design.
Less-Than-Ideal Towing Capacity
While some might be impressed with the Forester’s ability to tow 3,000 pounds, it’s far from the best on the market. Although it’s a vast improvement on the 2021 Forester’s ability to tow a maximum of 1,500 pounds, the car still has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with the rest of the competition.
Typically, the modern standard for towing is around 3,500 pounds, as seen in cars like the Honda Pilot. It seems the Subaru Forester should be able to handle more, which might come to fruition in later iterations of the machine.
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Should You Buy a Subaru Forester?
We’ve taken a good look at the Subaru Forester pros and cons, so now it’s time to consider the ultimate question - should you invest in the Subaru Forester? Should you put your money towards a different vehicle?
The Subaru Forester is a solid choice for a compact SUV. From its off-road ability to its fuel economy, there is much to love.
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