2005 Subaru Forester Reviews

Small fuel tank, lousy suspension (rolls a lot), skinny left door rest for arm, great performance but would not buy another, because it was enticing to spend money on it: with a face lift, suspension roll limit kit, bigger intercooler, and generally it cost too much to own.

Owned an '05 XT turbo. Great comfortable car to drive, but could not keep gasoline in it. It just drank fuel!

This car is seriously quick and handles like it's on rails going straight, but cornering is nerve wracking.

However the cabin is very gloomy and the seats are uncomfortable.

The transmission failed after only 35000 miles. The cost to replace the transmission is $4000. Failure occurred right after the guarantee ended. A transmission should last more than 5 years and 35000 miles

This car is very comfortable.

Looks good, even after 5 years.

Unreliable, should have lasted longer.

Spot light fuse blown (replaced).

Front and rear brakes replaced.

Coin holder latch snapped off.

Overall, this car is a brilliant and fun drive.

The performance is excellent, although there is a definite turbo lag, non-the-less when the turbo kicks in, I can't help but get a big grin on my face.

As with many Subaru's, the interior console is a little plasticky, and can feel a little cheap, but for a SUV that gets a lot of things thrown in and out of it, I don't mind.

The steering is direct, and gives you good road feel, which is important in a car like this. Acceleration is smooth up to 3000rpm when the turbo kicks in.

Seats are the cars biggest let down, little side support, and they can feel hard, making long trips a little uncomfortable.

Rear boot room is great with the back seats folding down flat. Great for trips away or lots of shopping.

Fuel consumption can be high, but you don't buy a turbo charged AWD vehicle expecting it to run as efficiently as a Prius.

No problems, on third set of tires. Just wear and tear.

Timing belt at replaced @ 105k.

Just replaced suspension end links and bushings @ 116k.

2005 Forester with 119k now. I drive it almost 30k a year, regular wear and tear, but no problems to speak of.

Using Mobil 1 every 6k and get regular basic maintenance a-la carte per Subaru schedule. I just use a good, regular octane, brand name gas.

Great no-frills engineering, and just drive it without worry. Very happy with this generation of the model.

Windows wobble at speed when open.

Harsh suspension and premature rattles on bad roads.

Scratch on phony aluminum dash panel.

Noisy and cheap engine sound.

Need full throttle for lane changes.

Hundreds of HP on the chart, but not available on the wheels.

Symmetrical AWD is a another word for 50-50 torque split. After research, it is based on a viscous coupling design available on a 1993 patented Jeep Quadratrac. Not to mention the Boxer engine based on a German design (also available in a Tucker).

Will last forever if you can suffer a loose chassis.

Nothing has ever gone wrong with this car. Everything functions on demand 100% reliably.

This car is reliable and cheap to maintain. The cloth interior is cool in hot weather, the cabin roomy and airy. Excellent seat warmers, heat, and air conditioning.

This is my second Subaru. And I will buy a third.

I had a 1984 Subaru Brat for 20 years and 270K miles and it had two Subaru problems. I was constantly replacing manual clutch -- seems to be a Subaru design fault. My new Forrester is an automatic and has not had similar failures. Also on the Brat, I replaced the emissions train constantly, including two catalytic converters (California).

Loved the Brat's on-demand 4WD and prefer it to AWD, because I want to decide when I need traction, rather than have the car decide.

Also, there's no such thing as replacing one tire on an AWD car, unless it's shaved down to match the others, and the tire and spare rotation is a pain.