Subaru Forester S3 (2008-2012)
Verified95 reviews
I drive at the legal speed limits however I do not tow anything. I do not know why some Foresters use too much oil? – I purchased brand new and to date it has 115000 on odometer. I do not see any excessive oil consumption issue so far, like I do not have to add oil between service schedules. However I do change oil every 12000 km rather than at 12500 km. I have always performed early service with all my vehicles as a standard practice. Show details
Great but isn’t worth buying anymore in 2023 – Not a great first car, as it is SHOCKING on fuel efficiency! Driving mainly on country roads has absolutely wrecked its suspension and brakes, however its practical design offers ample cargo space, making it suitable for both daily errands and adventurous journeys. It’s also good for 4WD driving, just invest in a great mechanic because you’ll be there A LOT. Show details
Subaru excessive engine oil consumption – Not long ago, Subaru ran an advertising campaign called "Share The Experience". A Google AI search for the campaign states "Subaru Share the Experience refers to the brand's focus on memorable journeys, customer stories, and its annual charitable "Share the Love" event". With the following story, I am sharing my experience with my Subaru. … Read more
Please read on:
I live in Sydney, Australia. The attached photo shows a row of 10, 5-litre oil containers on top of the engine of my Subaru Forester which represents how much engine oil it can consume between the regular Subaru recommended oil changes. The engine was tested by Subaru and it was found that it can consume up to 49 litres of oil between each 12,500km oil change. That represents about $900 of oil consumed before the oil is changed again at the next regular service. Furthermore, the entire engine sump capacity is about 5 litres which also means I have to replace the entire engine sump oil ten times between regular services.
Subaru excessive oil burning is well documented on the Internet since Subaru released its new FB engine in 2011 and it is still basically the same engine in 2023. Some Subaru owners call their cars “Oil-Oholics”.
In fact, in the United States of America a legal challenge by some owners resulted in a Court Order to fix the problem free of charge to the owners. The Court settlement was finally approved on 31 August 2016. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the law suit where it said “piston rings in the vehicles wear out quickly and some vehicles burn excessive amounts of oil”. It also reported that the oil consumption issue "can cause engine failure while the Class Vehicles are in operation at any time and under any driving condition or speed”.
Initially Subaru set about tearing the engines down and replacing the piston rings, however, Subaru later decided to fit a new engine Short Block. A short block is the bottom part of the engine consisting of the crank case, crank shaft and pistons. Over the ensuing years Subaru America issued a Service Bulletin (02-157-14R) about excessive oil consumption and fitting a short block. The Bulletin has been updated several times and the last issue I found is dated 26th January 2021. The replacement short block program is still underway with an extra 8 year or 160,000 kilometres warranty on the engine after the replacement. (Note: Subaru Canada has issued similar documentation but it is a little more lenient than its US counterpart.)
Apart from owner complaints; the Sydney Morning Herald article and motor car test reporter commentary, there does not appear to be any official Australian documentation about Subaru excessive oil consumption. However, it is important to note that the Vehicle Identifier Number (VIN – a unique number for every vehicle made) of my car is listed in the Subaru America engine replacement Bulletin as it covers Subaru production by year and model - not the country it is sold in. It’s possible other Subaru Australian cars (including models) are affected and indeed in comments in this Product Review website other owners have mentioned oil consumption. If my exact car was sold in America, I should be eligible for a new engine but not here in Australia.
Knowing that the Subaru America Bulletin existed, I sent a letter containing the Bulletin to the CEO of Subaru Australia; the CEO of Inchcape Australia (the Subaru dealership franchise holder in Australia); the CEO of the Inchcape empire in England; the CEO of Subaru Japan; and, the CEO of Fuji Heavy Industries (major shareholder of Subaru). All I received was a telephone call from Subaru Australia Customer Service and was told to see my local Subaru dealer and well after I did that, I received a letter saying Subaru (Australia) was disappointed to hear of my experience and it wanted to work with me. I was surprised that the other Subaru related groups did not even acknowledge my letters. So much for customer service taking into account that the very first words, on the first page of the Subaru (Japan) Corporate Profile brochure says “Pursuing our Goal of Delivering Happiness to All”. In my work we always acknowledged every letter and email. Normal business courtesy is to reply with a letter that would say something like “We acknowledge receipt of your letter and have forwarded it to Subaru Australia. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Regards and signed……”.
Subaru test the oil consumption by sealing the engine oil filler hole and dipstick and have the owner drive the vehicle over three set 1000km distances. The oil level is checked on the dipstick at each 1000km and the volume of any oil replaced is measured and recorded for the Subaru Customer Service section. The limit that Subaru set to initiate a short block replacement is 1/3 Quart per 1200 miles US. This equates to 0.16 litres per 1000km of oil. At the first 1000km dealer test my car consumed 3.9 litres of oil (that is, more than 24 times the Subaru specified limit). The second test resulted in slightly less oil usage as it included some country driving. Nevertheless, the Service Manager concluded that the oil consumption was so high that there was no point to continue with a third test and the results would be forwarded to Subaru Australia Head Office, Customer Service.
At the time I had completed the testing, my car had travelled about 133,000km and as already stated, on the first test it consumed more than 24 times the oil volume than the Subaru set maximum limit to issue an order to fit a new short block. However, Subaru Australia ignored the US replacement program where my car VIN number was included and said: “Subaru does not deem this as a manufacturing defect for the age or milage of the vehicle, they have however offered a greatly reduced price to carry out a replacement short block with a head service at a cost of $7136.25 including GST.”
Firstly, The argument that my car’s excessive oil consumption is expected for its age and distance covered is wrong. The poor oil consumption is documented in the Subaru Bulletin as a mechanical design fault. Such faults are not age dependant particularly as the Bulletin has been updated in 2021 to continue the short block replacement program. The pistons, piston rings and cylinder bores are made of metal, not from materials that could deteriorate over time. For example, it appears that what is being suggested is that if I purchased a brand-new Subaru with FB engine today but not drive it and put in storage for ten or twelve years, when I start the engine for the first time it would immediately consume the same 3.9 litres of oil per 1000km as my car does due to its age.
Secondly, the Subaru Bulletin States, "Effective immediately through April 21, 2017, ALL affected vehicles, regardless of mileage and warranty start date will be covered for these repairs". Furthermore, I am surprised that age was considered as part of the argument when initially Subaru Australia Customer Service told me to go to a Subaru dealer when they had the letter I initially sent to them showing detailed information of my own recorded oil usage readings and vehicle details such as the VIN and the first registration date. Clearly, they already knew the age of my car and the distance it had travelled.
Also, before the Service Manager sent the oil consumption tests to Subaru Australia Customer Service, I was asked to provide a copy of my car’s service history book back to the time it was first registered. That history showed all the servicing except for one (done at a licensed workshop) was performed by Subaru dealers. In addition, before beginning the official consumption tests I was asked to pay for an oil change and new oil filter (which incidentally is not charged in the US if the dealer decides an oil consumption test is warranted). If they knew age and distance was the defining factor, why was I asked to go to a dealer and pay for an oil change and filter replacement? I can’t see that age is a defining factor when Subaru Australia had all my vehicle details and the Service Manager decided to begin the testing procedure.
I started investigating Subaru excessive oil consumption when my car had travelled about 112,000km and it was about 10 years old. It is hard to believe that Subaru Australia could be serious that using 24 times more oil is normal for a car having travelled such low kilometres. Assuming the oil consumption is linear over time, my car would meet the Subaru oil consumption limit at 5,500km only. Indeed, you will find owners on the internet and in this forum complaining about excessive oil consumption with very low kilometres vehicles – some from nearly new. Why would someone buy a new car for $50,000 and have it wear out so early in its life. My other car, a 1992 Toyota having travelled 286,000km doesn’t use any oil; nor does my wife’s 2000 Mazda nor my daughter’s 1994 Toyota. My family keep our cars for about 25 years and pass them on in good condition including the engine. I was expecting my Subaru to be the last car I would buy.
I am looking for other Subaru owners having experienced high engine oil consumption to build a case with the Consumer Authorities. You can contact me on Subarupooroilconsumption@gmail.com
In addition, I would expect the Consumer Authorities to investigate the ADR Compliance Plate approval. The ADR states that the emissions output must be maintained for 5 years or 100,000km. I have witnessed ADR emissions tests and took note that even the temperature of the fuel is critical to pass the test. It makes one wonder then what of the emissions compliance of an engine that is consuming copious amounts of oil during the compliance approval period. The way compliance works for a large volume of production vehicles is that a single set of tests might be performed by a manufacturer and it then certifies that all the other vehicles are constructed in the same way by a ‘Conformity of Production’ statement. This is one of the documents that can lead to a possible recall campaign if a non-compliance is found. This process is set out in the various Board Circulars issued by the Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board such as, 0-1-2, 0-13-1 etc.
A recent Subaru marketing email used the phrase to describe its cars as “Confidence in Motion”. In the case of my car, it is ‘No Oil No Motion”.
Please send me any information or give me any assistance you can on this subject. Has anyone had a short block replacement? I am planning to produce a YouTube video and read out the Subaru response to me and/or give Subaru the offer of standing in front of the video camera and explain why a car that has travelled so few kilometres can consume nearly 50 litres of oil between regular services.
In-depth reviews
S Edition for the money – Picked up a nice S Edition Foz last month. It's had some extras put into it, such as bigger intercooler, cold air intake, brembo brakes, full stainless system, upgraded coilover suspension, heavy duty front and rear sway bars and a host of other things, and it runs hard, sounds great and steers beautifully on the road. I sold a beautiful 370Z and… Read more
bought this and have not regretted it in the least. In fact, the Foz is much more fun to drive, much better handling and has room for tons more things. I've pretty much driven sport's cars and nothing else for the past 10 years, but now I've driven a Foz, I won't be buying another sport's car. They have tons of character and the S edition has plenty of poke. The seats aren't what you would call super comfy, but nor are they that bad. Air con works very well, Inbuilt satnav is nothing special No USB port 'field of vision is outstanding Stereo is good without being brilliant. My only gripe is the automatic; even though its a five speed and from a wrx, it saps a lot of the engine's performance. A six speed manual would really bring this car to life, but the S edition only comes in semi auto. Such is life. Would I reocommend a Forester? You bet! Great fun and loads of character.
$170 diagnosis fee after Takata Air Bag Recall – AirBag Recall Time: 29/09/2018 AirBag signal displayed on the instrument panel in May 2019 Airbag signal disappeared on the day 31/05/2019 when sent to 174 High Street Maitland NSW 2320 Airbag signal appeared again from 15/06/2019 I called the customer service on 21/06/2019, [name removed] gave me a quote "$170 for diagnosing the issue" and "more… Read more
for fixing the issue" I called 130 550 994 and [name removed] serviced me. [name removed] also suggested me writing an email to feedback@subaru.com.au.
Subaru Official reply: if the airbag warning issued proved to not relating to the airbag recall, the dialog and fixing fee apply still.
My arguments are: (1) how to prove that if no airbag recall installed, the airbag warning will be on? (2) how to trust another review comments from the Subaru Service Centre?
If you have similar issue about the airbag warning, please show your details here. So we could present our complaints to NSW Fair Trading.
Best car I've owned – Our Forester has been a great family car. The all-wheel drive makes it feel safe and sure on any surface - especially in the wet and the dirt. It's perfect for camping and touring - 12 volt in the boot and integrated roof rails are a few features that stand out. It has a killer sub-woofer under the passenger seat which was a big surprise when I… Read more
bought it. Much easier to park and manoeuvre in the city than bigger SUVs!
Has been very reliable - I've driven it from 95,000 - 129,000 kms and have had no mechanical costs apart from the usual brakes, timing belts, etc. Servicing is very reasonable. Does around 13 litres/100 km around town and 9 litres / 100km on the highway. The 4 speed auto is a little clunky but it's now quite an old package and the new gen CVTs are much smoother. If I had my time again I would've opted for a turbo XT as the engine starts to struggle when it's fully loaded especially now the kids are getting heavier and we take more stuff on holidays with us.
All-in-all it's a great car and would highly recommend.
Positive reviews
2.0D Premium by name and nature – Bought new in 2011 for $43K with the SAT Nav option. Wanted a diesel that I could sleep in the back if got too intoxicated. Got more thn I bargained for although sleeping in the back is a little tight. Whilst only done 70,000km I lent it to a mate that traveled Perth to Broome and back a few months ago and wanted to buy it. No massive mechanical… Read more · 1
issues and certainly nothing that ever stopped me. Drives great, handles well awesome visibility, good ergonomics and well thought out cabin. Averaged 7 litres per 100km since new with mainly city driving. Kids getting bigger so just signed up for a Merc X Class 350d Power with a canopy to fit bikes and all that other necessary crap in. Will be sad to see the Forrester gone soon as the engine is probably just worn in after 9 years :).
Reliable and maintainable family car – Bought it when it was 7 years old. We used it for our family and it is always reliable. We drove it across states, went to the snowy mountain. Never had a problem. Show details
Best in its class – After owning a 2002 sf5 gt forester it was time for something bigger. Kids were starting to feel abit cramped. Luckily along comes the SH . Size wise it is as amazing with plenty of room for 5 adults. But after having a gt and being able to boost down the highway I needed an xt. With the 2.5l turbo out of a wrx (gt had a WRX motor with different… Read more
heads and turbo) wow was I surprised when I put my foot down. Plant of power. A car that makes you smile everytime you get in. Was lucky to get the premium edition so full leather. Sun roof and sat navigation. For only $10000 with moderate is on the clock if this is the size car your after take one for a drive. I promise you wont be disappointed
Negative reviews
Essendon Subaru Service Centre – I booked my car at Essendon Subaru and want to charge me for repair. The car still under warranty and want to charge me to replace the Front Lower Control Arm bushes Poor customer service :( Note: check the car history or warranty. So disappointing :( Show details
Less than 10 years old, fully serviced and requires engine rebuild – We've had our 2011 Forester since new, always serviced on time and has less than 150,000kms on the clock. We've had to replace the clutch recently and we have now been told the car requires a full engine rebuild as it is burning too much oil. We were advised this is an issue that Subaru are well aware of and won't fix. My family and I have been Subaru owners for a long time but we won't be any more, this is disgraceful! Show details
Hi Josh, we are truly sorry to hear of your… Read more (+1 reply)
Doesn't live up to the hype! – Bought a Forester XS Premium new, and after 10 years of ownership (and 130,000kms) it has cost me far more in repairs than my old SAAB that I have owned for 20 years!! The Forester has been used every day since new, mostly around the city with the occasional country drive, and serviced religiously according to the service manual. Apart from… Read more
the frustrations of having to shift down to 3rd on any long steep hill, the car drives reasonably well, but replacing the bushes at 80,000kms, the timing belt at 110,000kms and now the head gasket, and recent problems with a dodgy air-conditioning unit, I'm not about to go back to Subaru for my next new car. A little on line research and talking to local mechanics has revealed that Subaru are well aware that head gasket issues are a recurring problem in the Forester, and at $3,500 to replace, a cost that is hard to swallow.
So disappointed, as one of the key reasons I bought the Forester was the supposed build quality reputation, but clearly that is all marketing hype. I need to get rid of this vehicle before the next problem rears its ugly head, and a Subaru Forester will definitely NOT be on my shopping list for a new SUV in the next couple of months!
Recent reviews
Perfect car – I brought this car in 2014 and i have been in love with it ever since. its a very fun and reliable car to drive. it is the perfect size and is very stable on the road in all road and weather conditions. I mostly use the car to commute to and from work in the city but have also been very happy using to to go on road trips up the coast in the summer… Read more
months. I find this car to be very reliable and fuel efficient and would recommend a Subaru Forester to anyone :)
Find out how Subaru Forester S3 compares to other Midsize / Medium SUVs
Know better, choose better.
Fantastic all rounder car – This is my 3rd subaru forester. I originally purchased an old SF5 as a rounaround car and fell in love with it. Since then I've upgraded to a SG9 and now a SH9 because I can't fault them. They can handle soft off-road and quite comfortable on the highways too. Lots of legroom in front and back even with child seat. Show details
One of the most comfortable drives – Very comfortable car to drive - visibility, headroom, legroom all great. A little too responsive sometimes and expected the AWD to feel more capable but it struggles up our steep drive. Good clearance for dirt road drives though. All round very pleased with this car and felt we got the best choice. Show details
Love it – Great car. Managed to take my 2008 forester on the beach, it went well for an AWD! Big interior, lovely style and quite cheap for uptake. Very good car and glad I invested in it! The best part is how the car drives in wet weather! Never slides, and is very safe. Lots of air bags too. Show details
a brilliant motor vehicle – A brilliant car purchased it in October 2015 with 169,000 km on the clock and now has nearly 250,000 km on the clock. Only non maintenance item that has needed to be replaced is the clutch at 210,000 km and it was the original clutch that was replaced. I have found servicing to be very reasonable since owning it and managed to have the timing… Read more · 4
belt done for less than $800 just recently. Mind you i am not using the dealer for servicing as you don't get the same service as you would from an independent mechanic
Love the Forester – Fantastic city and country car - we regularly take it camping. Havent tried it properly off road but is very comfortable on unsealed roads. Love the pilot seat, easy handling and steering. Lots of legroom in the back, even for tall family members. Very solid build and feel compared to some of the new SUVs available. Show details
Completely let down – We loved our 2000 Forrester so much that we didnt even consider another brand (or dealership) when it was time for a new car. This was the only car we've ever bought brand new. And we got a lemon. We were told the incredibly high oil consumption was "in spec" but I've never had to replace oil between 6 monthly services before. In desperation,… Read more
after 4 years of poor performance, my father took the car to his mechanic of 30 years to get a second opinion. He identified a crack in the engine timer. The dealership indicated our extended warranty was now void because we had gone to another mechanic! After a battle they agreed to replace the engine timer as a show of good will, but we had to pay $2K to get the a/c working again. Now the car has consumed over 15L of oil in the 6 months since the engine timer was replaced and the a/c still isn't working properly. The size and comfort of the Forrester, plus the off road performance, remain perfect for our family. Did we just get the lemon or were these problems typical of this model? Not sure, but either way we'll never own a Subaru again!
Awesome Car – This is a great car that has slowly existed the wagon market and entered the SUV market. It's gotten larger but just as reliable as before. It's a great family car and has plenty of storage space for when you need to move stuff. It's very versatile and is good value for money Show details
A car for all seasons – Slightly miffed that they didn't have an auto on hand, but this car pulls like a tractor. Awesome torque, very good fuel economy, and traction control in mud and snow. A bit disappointed with the false floor over the spare wheel; nothing but gravity keeps it closed. Over bumps and humps my extra equipment tends to jump about. I gave up dealer servicing due to apparent extreme costs of filters. Would certainly purchase another one. Show details
Very reliable.vehicle – My introduction to cruise control which was lucky because I always found that I was travelling about twenty k's faster than I should because the forester drove so well. Minimal wind noise at speed the car handled really well and there was always power under the peddle when passing on the highway. In the three years I owned and it was already two… Read more
years old it needed no extra work or parts outside normal servicing.
To be honest I thought Subaru's were toy cars especially the WRX'rs until I actually bought one. I was looking for a second hand SUV and it was the best value for money on Cars.com.au. This model MY2009 is the last with a dual transfer case which for those who don't know means you can manually put it into low gearing suitable for off road. Round town it was a delight to drive. Very sad to get rid of my Forester but I needed a ute. One of the best SUV's out there both in terms of performance and style.
Find out how Subaru Forester S3 compares to other Midsize / Medium SUVs
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Good on Pick up – I find the car handles well even in the wet, has very little road noise. the interior is stream lined and comfortable, the glove box could be a little bigger. Would be good if it could have a usb port in the back Also for the reserving camera a beep noise would also be useful. Show details
amazing vehicle – One of the most reliable vehicles, i have always owned a subaru the performance of the vehicle and reliability of the car is next to none. Petrol and maintenance on this vehicle is 10/10 for a turbo engine the fuel holds it value, luxury at its finest. If you are considering any vehicle that you dont need to spend thousands on and it will last forever this is the car for you Show details
Subaru = reliable, poweful 4 cyl – We purchased our Subaru Forester AWD, brand new, back in 2011 - it was our THIRD Subaru Forester (the other two being company-owned cars) and we have every intention of purchasing another one in a couple of years. We honestly believe that it is the best recreational AWD on the road ... totally reliable, quiet engine, comfortable roomy interior… Read more
and is one of the most powerful Big 4cyl vehicles on the road ... can go from 0 to 70 kph in seconds! I absolutely LOVE Subaru and even though it doesn't have the clearance required for serious 4WDriving on roads such as the Canning Stock Route or through the bull dust on the Cape York Peninsular, we have taken our Subaru on countless outback dirt roads (such as the Darling River Run, the Birdsville Track and up through Tibooburra, Wombeyan Caves road and from Sydney to Perth detouring on dozens of bouncy dirt roads along the way) without a hitch! We get our Subaru serviced every six months and have not had a single thing go wrong with it in six years! I thoroughly recommend this car for 4WD enthusiasts - especially women who find the larger 4WD sedans (like the Nissan Patrol) too big and cumbersome. The only negative I can say about Subaru is that it only takes Premium Unleaded which can be pretty expensive to fill (often around $70+ to fill the car) but, at least, it gets good mileage if the car is regularly maintained.
My car – The car drives well and is generally reliable. The electronics are excellent, including reverse camera and satnav, as well as aux input. Fuel economy sits around 9L / 100km for city driving. The only issue is consumption of engine oil, which requires a top-up of about 1L every 1500 kms, which is unfortunate. Show details
Lots of problems and poor customer service – Nice car to drive good points stop there. Expensive to repair - air conditioner repair cost $1000 and still never worked well. Alternator belt broke and car had to be towed. Airbag lights appeared on dash , just spent $220 repairing this fault (seat belt tensioner problem). Worst to come. Oil leak due to the common head gasket problem due to poor… Read more
manufacturing - quoted between $2000-3000 to repair. Car has done 94000ks. Also received a recall a recall notice for a faulty passenger airbag. Service centre not great to deal with - would never buy another Subaru.
Best vehicle ever! – The Subaru Forester is my new favourite car. The driving experience has been fantastic - smooth acceleration, super quiet on the road (even on the gnarly north coast of NSW) and the handling is amazing. In particular, the Xmode has been a great aspect driving on very slippery, muddy roads. The interior is great. The seats are really… Read more
comfortable, and the space is quite surprising. The matt finish of the plastic finish is taking me a little while to get used to - can be difficult to clean.
The car is safe, reliable, VERY cost effective and FUN!
Comfort and reliability – I have a 2008 Forester 2.5 xs auto with 70k on the clock. Around town I average 10.4 per 100km and highway 8.2 I have always felt safe and confident whilst driving this vehicle. Because of the low km and use the seating remains firm and very comfortable, nothing has changed since new. The only items i would like that this vehicle doesn't… Read more
have would be the latest electronic devices found in the newer,.NAV. B/TOOTH. BRAKE SENSORS and so on. Maybe next time.
Regarding the 2.5 engine, it has all the power i will need to get me safely to my destination. The only thing I am concerned with is the low Tow Ball Weight of 80kg. This really limits the size of the towing capacity unless you spend $1000 and fit a W.D.H.
(Weight Distribution Hitch) and a 50mm tow receiver this will allow a 140kg tow ball weight. Very important to get this correct or lose your insurance coverage if you nee to make a claim. Also the Police are checking vehicle towing capacities and a heavy fine for not abiding to the manufacturer's recommendations.KEEP IT SAFE.
Well there is not much more i can say about my Subaru Forester as i am still very happy with it with no intension of up dating for a while yet.
A TRULY NICE RELIABLE VEHICLE.
Few glitches but generally happy – Leased a MY 2011 Forester 2.0D from new, with the basic specs and the manual diesel motor. Paid out the residual at lease end. Performance is not extraordinary, but it's not wanting when overtaking, where it's a big improvement over the 2.5 petrol (had that in the previous Outback). If you're a boy racer you won't be buying a diesel SUV anyway.… Read more
Happy with the handling although not as good as the 2008 Outback I had previously. Do enjoy driving the diesel though. Hasn't done what I would call offroad, a bit of driving on outback unsealed roads, such as the Darling River run from Wentworth to Goodooga in NSW, and some excursions on forest roads locally (Sunshine Coast hinterland). The car manages this well and no squeaks as a result.
Driving for economy (virtually all my driving is open road) I average around 900 km out of a tank, for about 6 l/100 km, about 6.5 in hillier conditions. At 130k in the NT it was doing about 8.5 l/100 km. The engine has been flawless and hasn't skipped a beat. However I've also been careful to service it within the service interval kilometres. Don't touch a Subaru without logbooks or that hasn't been regularly serviced.
Service costs are pretty high, negating any fuel economy advantage for the diesel. The diesel particulate indicator warning light came on on a few occasions, generally only staying on till the next start. This was a bit bizarre as my driving is virtually all highway. The lower control arm bushes split, conveniently announced at the first service after the warranty expired. Normal wear and tear they will no doubt tell you. Well this wasn't wear and tear that happened in the Outback, the two Camrys, the Nissan and the Mazda I had for about 800,000 km before this, with just as much outback driving in all of them.
The dealer wanted to do a few other things of dubious merit at the time of the first service after warranty expired, with a total cost of $1,600. Similar experience at the first service after the Outback ran out of warranty kms. Been going to my local dealer ever since and the whole after sales experience with Subaru is my biggest incentive to move on to something else next time. My wife has had light years better service from Hyundai.
very hard to drive – Have a 2009 manual Forrester. Revs out of co trol every time you have the clutch pedal in. Always have to leave it in nuetral or else! Spoke to subaru and they said its an environmental saving feature and the car is not designed for traffic. Well unfortunately there is not a lot of open roads in the suburbs! Show details
Great Car – Very Reliable, and a good size not too big like most SUV's also has lots of safety, more than most cars. Interior is practical and comfortable at the same time. Running costs can get expensive if needing repairs outside the normal wear and tare. Generally a good solid vehicle. Easy to drive and responds well. Show details
Did the big Lap – Great to drive, just like car but can do beach and off-road with decent tyres . I upgraded rear springs as the set-up is not good when towing. It did Cape Leveque, Gibb river road across the top-end and many beach and bush trips. Pulling a trailer and having a roof box I was getting better then 14L per 100K that's good compared to a full on 4WD pulling a trailer. Show details
Typically fantastic Subaru 2.5 litre turbo – Great car in many ways, the only thing letting it down is the boat-like handling mainly due to the front end being so high and the lack of decent sway control. Simply add an under-bonnet strut brace and decent front and rear sway bars as well as lowering the front end a little and it becomes quite a handler (for an SUV). Stiffer springs help… Read more
also - note if you lower the back end as well you will lose the auto-level adjust functionality, but it shouldn't be a problem if you install stiff springs front and rear - which is a given if you are looking for sporty handling anyway.
The engine is virtually unbreakable in standard turbo format.
Go for the auto trans if you want to get the most out of the turbo for performance and laziness or manual if you intend to off-road (the auto doesn't have low-range capability).
Pretty Good Car – We bought the car at just over a year old. We found the car to be nice to drive, being an SUV it isn't as good as a sedan, but not bad. The motor runs nicely, and pretty good for a 4 cylinder. It tows our small pop-top caravan quite well. The auto trans is way too keen to drop down to second, even in the country, I regularly put it in manual… Read more
mode.
Being the standard X model, it is not over equipped, our previous cars were better specced, especially the stereo is a bit ordinary, the bluetooth works pretty well though.
Our only pet hates would be the door stops that don't stop the doors on anything but flat areas, and the suspension is a little soft for the towing we do.
Also look out for the servicing costs, the Subaru dealers (Jarvis) seem to charge like a wounded bull (maybe we were spoilt by Holden servicing costs)
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Marylin, thank you for your review. We are sorry… Read more