Any Subaru Forester or Crosstrek owners?

[dave1068]

Any 2016-2018 Crosstrek or Forester owners here?

If so, how do you like them, ride, comfort, long term maintainence costs, 4x4 use in snow, etc etc
Also, wont dont you like about them

Thanks,
D

[fotoguzzi]

Sorry, my Forester is a 2009 but I'm very happy with it and have no reason to get a newer version.. mostly trouble free, just got new tires, new stabilizer links and one wheel bearing ($1400) and she purrs down the road. Superb in snow ( I have winter tires then). About 130k now, new timing belt and plug wires at 105k, $1400.  Uses no oil, some do being a boxer engine. Newer version has a timing chain, after that change somewhere in 2012-2015? They had an oil consumption issue, check with google to know more about that.
Love the sunroof, leather interior. I treat it more like a truck, dogs own the back seat, tows a motorcycle trailer with ease.

[slowmover]

The drivers compartment is a bit small.If I’m wearing a baseball hat it hits the roof and I’m 5”10.The doors don’t automatically lock when you start it like my old Saturn Vue did. But I do have the no frills model

[Kev m]

We've got a couple of relatives who have or had the Crosstrek.

Besides it being horribly slow many are not a fan of the CVT used on the automatic models and it seems they might be more prone to transmission failures/repairs than many other modern alternatives.

Most of our personal Subarus (both the Baja, and Impreza Wagon) were manuals and very trouble free.

They all go unbelievably well in rain and snow.

[jpv7]

2014 Outback with the CVT is our family hauler.  60K miles.  CVT is fine once you get used to it.  BTW - They have offered a 10 year warranty on the CVT.

It's been very reliable and I've not driven anything better in the snow.

I do keep an eye on the oil, and usually add a bit when the oil starts to get old. 

[LowRyter]

There's always Scotty Kilmer......   

https://youtu.be/5xylBi6ImiQ

https://youtu.be/qKPnpWd2P-I

[Rich A]

2014 Forester with 140K mi, aka the dogmobile. I keep up with maintenance, but otherwise beat the crap out of it: minimal pride in ownership, and even so, it's been very reliable and I think a good value. Performance is not at all exciting but more than adequate for me. At somewhere over 100K, it started burning a quart of oil in 6k mi. Good in the snow, decent mpg. Overall, a good utilitarian vehicle. I'm definitely considering buying another.

[dave1068]

Appreciate all the replies, of course I did some sunday morning looking while dealers were closed and came across a 2017 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN ALL4,
an AWD sport car, wasnt familiar with that and performance to boot...

[blackcat]

Can't say about the other models but we have a 13 Outback with the 6 cylinder 3.6 engine and the non-rubberband transmission. No complaints, plenty of power but with slightly less gas mileage. I've towed my CX and could hardly notice it was back there; engine takes a large amount of oil but I always take it to the dealer as they give (suspender snap) free oil changes.  I have test driven the new 3.6's with the CV transmission and they are greatly improved over the older models. This is our first Subaru; have owned plenty of Toyota's but grew tired of the local dealer's BS.

I think we have 80K on the vehicle. 

[Snowman]

Have a 2019, its my work car and has 155K miles already. Has been reliable and has cost me only regular maintenance. I hear a lot about the CVTs, fingers crossed, no problems. If buying a new one go with the 2.5L engine, the 2.0 is a bit of a slug but I wind mine up to 75mph on the freeway happy as can be to sit there all day.

[tommy2cyl]

The Mini Cooper Countryman All 4 is larger/taller than the Clubman.  Clubman is sportier thus a little stiffer ride.   Would recommend the manual.  In years past Mini has had some issues with their automatics.  Not that it has any bearing on your search, but our manual 2006 Mini S went 155,xxx miles on original clutch.  We have several friends with Subaru Outbacks and Foresters and they all love their cars.

[twowings]

MINI Countryman FTW! 

I also owned a 2013 Subaru Forester. 

Both are excellent values and are computer-controlled AWD so if any family members are intimidated by the levers and operation of part-time 4WD they can rest easy as the vehicle manages traction and torque vectoring at all times. 

[tommy2cyl]

A friend of mine needed something bigger than his Mini Cooper S.  After searching the market he just wasn't getting excited until I suggested he go back and check out the Countryman.  Yup.  He went with the Sage Green and brown leather interior.  Just did the deal about 3 months ago.  Beautiful car, especially the interior.  Nice color combo..  Would be the one I would choose.  Go drive one so you can compare to the Subie's. 

[Ryan]

Currently have a 2014 Outback, last year with a manual. Love it, and with snow tires it is amazing in the fluff. This is my second Subaru, and when it dies I will rebuild the motor because a manual won't be an option. We have also owned a Mini Cooper. Will never own another.

[sidecarnutz]

Scotty Kilmer is like the "Judge Judy" of cars.  Occasionally entertaining, often annoying and rarely right.

[Scud]

We got a new Forester a few years ago. Sadly, it had a string of electrical issues (including de-activated passenger airbags) and we ended up dealing with Subaru corporate who cut us a check but didn't buy the car back. They were fair about it, but all I wanted them to do was give me a new-car warranty as of the date they finally fixed everything. That's when they cut me a check, but it soured us on the brand. Unfortunate, because I think they are overall good cars. My wife was the primary driver, so we sold the Subaru and got her a Toyota RAV4. Like someone else said about the Subaru, The RAV4 gives very little pride of ownership, but it is reliable.

[craigclu]

My ex-wife and also my daughter and son-in-law have Crosstreks.  The ride is surprisingly decent for this type of vehicle.  Horribly slow, especially when loaded down a bit.  I'm not sure if they ever truly re-engineered the head gasket issues after accumulating some miles?  I think it was in here somewhere that someone mentioned that UK dealers were re-torqueing head bolts as part of preventive maintenance while US dealers haven't been doing it....?  I worked with an engineer who had one of the first ones and had a surprising number of irritating small issues, mostly electrical but I believe that was an anomaly as Subarus aren't know for this sort of issue that I've heard of.

[dave1068]

Appreciate all the replies, ill probably keep my jeep renegade trailhawk, like it, the color is great, good mileage, etc

My thought process was Jeeps arent the best for longevity and i have about 57k miles on her now, drive 100 miles daily a(when weather and my back permits, I take the goose 2x a week) and was thinking if I got a subaru as an example with low mileage, it might make it over 200k miles but I know the Jeep well.

I have been persuaded by a Jade green Audi Q5 which ive never seen in that color but its a bit pricey at 32k and 50k miles.  She's a looker...lol

[evank]

I have a 2013 (1st year) I bought in Dec 2012.  Now has almost 60,000 and has been fantastic in all respects.  The CVT trans is not my favorite but works well once you
learn how to modulate your throttle inputs.  My understanding is they use it because it gives a better mpg rating than a conventional auto.  I will definitely replace it with
a new model when I find out when the last NON electric/hybrid will be available, which here in CA may be soon.

[LowRyter]

Dave, you think an Audi will treat better than a Jeep?

This reminds me of dear friends in Colorado.  The husband had a heart attack and the wife had to do all the driving when he was healing.  So she traded the 4 door Jeep for a Honda CRV.  He's so pissed now that he refuses to drive it.  It's a nice car, leather, roof, AWD.  Nice little car. 

[ozarquebus]

A 2016 Forester, here 35Kmi. No real problems whatsoever. 30 mpg if you take it easy in the highway. 25mpg pulling motorcycle on trailer. 4-cylinder is a kind of a dog on hills with AC on and a 1500lb trailer. It has the 6 speed standard and no roof rack. I would have got an Outback, but std tranny was no longer available in '16 for Outback.
 Hit a curb going very slowly on ice and due to that had to replace front noisy wheel bearing.
 I put 5w30 oil in it instead of the 0w20 by brain fart and mpg went down 15%. I was surprised. Stick with 0w20
 I dislike the seat belt dinger and it cannot be defeated by plugging the right male seatbelt into the left female seatbelt socket. They made them different sizes! You cannot dim the lcd screen on the radio/navigation lcd screen in the middle of the console for night driving. The automatic/remote doorlocks have a weird logic to my way of thinking. The back is too short for my 6'1" frame to sleep in stretched out. I do not like ABS and it cannot be defeated. I believe it has superior awd non-slip than other AWD cars.

 Other than pet peeves, it is wonderful, but it aint no V8 Tahoe and it would not be a vehicle to abuse off road even though it will handle terrain and snow good as a stock jeep 4 cyl YJ.

If they would put their 6 cylinder with their turbo and their 6 spd standard into something, you would almost have a supercar. I have only heard of junkyard guys doing that, however.

[dave1068]

Dave, you think an Audi will treat better than a Jeep?

This reminds me of dear friends in Colorado.  The husband had a heart attack and the wife had to do all the driving when he was healing.  So she traded the 4 door Jeep for a Honda CRV.  He's so pissed now that he refuses to drive it.  It's a nice car, leather, roof, AWD.  Nice little car.

I did have a VW rabbit (5cyl) and it one of the most reliable cars I ever had, I dont think it needed anything aside from oil changes.

I think Audi may have better longevity than Jeep...Definitely a more comfortable ride..

[fotoguzzi]

A 2016 Forester, here 35Kmi. No real problems whatsoever. 30 mpg if you take it easy in the highway. 25mpg pulling motorcycle on trailer. 4-cylinder is a kind of a dog on hills with AC on and a 1500lb trailer. It has the 6 speed standard and no roof rack. I would have got an Outback, but std tranny was no longer available in '16 for Outback.
 Hit a curb going very slowly on ice and due to that had to replace front noisy wheel bearing.
 I put 5w30 oil in it instead of the 0w20 by brain fart and mpg went down 15%. I was surprised. Stick with 0w20
 I dislike the seat belt dinger and it cannot be defeated by plugging the right male seatbelt into the left female seatbelt socket. They made them different sizes! You cannot dim the lcd screen on the radio/navigation lcd screen in the middle of the console for night driving. The automatic/remote doorlocks have a weird logic to my way of thinking. The back is too short for my 6'1" frame to sleep in stretched out. I do not like ABS and it cannot be defeated. I believe it has superior awd non-slip than other AWD cars.

 Other than pet peeves, it is wonderful, but it aint no V8 Tahoe and it would not be a vehicle to abuse off road even though it will handle terrain and snow good as a stock jeep 4 cyl YJ.

If they would put their 6 cylinder with their turbo and their 6 spd standard into something, you would almost have a supercar. I have only heard of junkyard guys doing that, however.

on mine I can turn off the seat belt dinger after the initial ring and same with doors locks I can turn off with some sequence of key turns and window switches or something, it was a long time ago I set that up but have you googled a work around?
Or try a dummy seat belt input,


plenty lyrics

[LowRyter]

on mine I can turn off the seat belt dinger after the initial ring and same with doors locks I can turn off with some sequence of key turns and window switches or something, it was a long time ago I set that up but have you googled a work around?
Or try a dummy seat belt input,


plenty lyrics

So what is the purpose of these? 

[Testarossa]

I've had a long series of Subarus, primarily because nothing beats them in snow, but also because they've been reliable, inexpensive to run and maintain, and reasonably comfortable. Current incumbent is Gail's 2008 Forester turbo, now at 165,000 miles. It's been dead reliable. It's no sports car, but the turbo makes it fun to drive -- I can always pass going uphill, even going over 12,000-foot passes. Downside is 25 mpg on premium fuel, compared to 30 to 32 highway mpg for the normally aspirated 2.2 and 2.5 liter engines.

[Kev m]

To be clear our first generation Forester made it to nearly 300k miles before it was given to a family member for more use. Don't know the final tally on it, but it needed very little maintenance all those years.

Our other ones were sold newer because of vehicle ADD and just wanting something different.

But I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.... except I still don't like the CVT. I had one in a Nissan Juke that I bought on a whim (turbo, CVT, AWD, kinda fun). I guess I had it 20-30k miles give or take before I "sold" it to the eldest who has been driving it for 6 years. He's fine with it, and somehow gets the rated gas mileage (30 mpg) that I could never achieve. But I still don't like CVTs.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I have a 2012 impreza, pretty good car but I dont *love* it. I have the 'Sport' wagon which is a normal impreza running gear with side skirts, a low front bumper, and low profile tires on aluminum wheels. It has been reliable and it mostly shines in rain & snow even tho I run sporty-ish all season tires year round (I even did in montana) and the ground clearance isn't great.

I only chime in because it is an underpowered dog lol...  since the crosstrek is more or less an impreza with more weight and huge tires, that thing has to be a joke in the performance department.

For the years you are looking at, I think the head gasket issues and timing belt woes Subies are known for have been resolved. I never had any electrical issues except losing the 'high' setting on the driver's heated seat. I add about 2qrts of oil between changes (5kmi interval)- usually add a qrt after 2kmiles, then another at 4k.  Has been like that since the day I bought it new off the lot (110kmi now)

[fotoguzzi]

So what is the purpose of these?

defeating the seat belt dinger, it was something Ozark wanted to do.

[LowRyter]

defeating the seat belt dinger, it was something Ozark wanted to do.

Is this meant to drive with no belt?  Or for some other reason?

[dirtiegirtie]

I had a 2011 Outback with the CVT. I equated the CVT similar to Turbo Lag... you step on the gas and the engine winds up to the optimal RPMs before the transmission decides what ratio to start you in (and then continuously vary the ratio from there... duh). Anyways, I've heard the newer models, when you select 'sport' mode, are much better... but I would try before you buy and really feel for that lag. If you are someone that pulls out into traffic expecting immediate throttle response, you could be in for a rude awakening.

Reliability? Awesome.
Comfort? Awesome.
Dry to Rain to Snow grip? Awesome.
MPG? Awesome.
Slow as balz? Absolutely.