2005 Subaru Forester 2.0 X 2 from Romania

Summary:

Best value for money option for a young outdoor loving family

Faults:

Nothing wrong with the car.

The service is professional and prompt.

Suggested improvement: separate interior light for front seats (to go on when opening the doors), preferably in the lower part of the cabin.

General Comments:

The car runs smooth both on road and in difficult conditions (mud, snow, sand).

Roomy and comfortable (the so-blamed hand rest is very useful for long trips, especially with the cruise control).

Fuel consumption is reasonable for this type of car & engine (10-11L urban, 7.5-9 @ 120km/h with passengers and luggage).

The steering is incredibly easy.

The Air Conditioning cuts off automatically when the engine needs all the power - very useful feature.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th September, 2005

21st Jul 2008, 05:47

Update on the initial review:

- 60,000 km, only one problem (sunroof malfunctioning, no wonder considering the dust and dirt in the city; it will be repaired under the 3-years warranty) ; all others (transmission, engine, brakes, dashboard & controls, audio etc.) work as new; no rattle, no other noise, not even from the trunk;

- the car handles excellent in all types of terrain; misses some power occasionally but it's something to live with; Low Range very useful in mud, sand & snow as well as at high altitude (2,500m - 3,000m) where the lack of a turbine is more obvious;

- new dealer in town (Subaru Motors) - cost of periodical inspection is now half of what it used to be with the previous dealer in Bucharest (Radacini) ; dealers in other cities had the cost low already;

- as the kid grows we tend to realize there's not too much legroom in the back; we'll probably upgrade to the new Forester

- fuel consumption still reasonable (I tend to drive more aggressively in the city and faster outside yet I get maximum 13l/100km in the city with AC and up to 10 outside, sometimes with ski-box and 140km/h cruise speed)

- very comfortable to use in the city (drive & park) due to the power steering;

- very good visibility around the car;

- changed summer tires after more than 45,000 km - I believe it's reasonable for the type of car and driving style;

2005 Subaru Forester 2.5X SE 2.5 gas from North America

Summary:

Lack of quality control and reliability kill this vehicle

Faults:

The vehicle was delivered with a defective engine. Oil was leaking through a crack on the engine block. Dealer replaced the engine, but now the idling is not very stable. Sometimes the idle RPM would drop too low (around 400) and the vehicle starts to shake. Also now engine has a rattling noise which it didn't have before. Currently trying to replace this with another Forester. We will even try to trade this in for a Honda CRV.

General Comments:

Interior is comfortable and doesn't look cheap

2.5L non-turbo engine has enough power.

It drives like a car not a SUV.

Special Edition extras moon-roof and heated seats are nice to have.

Engine problem masks all possible good points.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th April, 2005

2005 Subaru Forester XS 2.5L 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Definitely worth a close look if you're interested in this class of vehicle

Faults:

Nothing so far, but still very new.

General Comments:

I drove everything comparable and researched thoroughly and this vehicle was by far the best choice for me.

I recently moved to Cleveland area and my rear wheel drive Mercedes even with traction, was a bit scary at times last winter on my 25 mile commute. The AWD Subie should be far better. I'm almost looking forward to snow to see how it does.

Mileage so far has been about 30 mpg on the highway, which is mostly what I do. It uses regular fuel which the MB needed premium, as does the Turbo Forester XT.

Handling is excellent for an SUV. No tippy feel at all. I ended up hanging upside down in my overturned Explorer a few years ago (not my fault) and I don't want that to happen again.

Handles and rides almost as well as by MB and the 165 HP is plenty adequate.

Space is very good for a small SUV for both passengers and cargo.

I went with L.L. Bean package to get leather, sunroof (huge) and a couple of other features, but I mostly just liked the look better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th September, 2004

14th Dec 2004, 12:22

Just to follow-up on this report...

I now have about 6,800 miles on my Forester and it is going very well.

In my first report, I had not driven it in snow yet. That changed last night.

We received about 10 inches of snow yesterday and overnight and the vehicle was terrific. I had about a 25 mile commute on the interstate and fairly hilly back roads and never felt out of control. The only problem was dodging other vehicles that were stuck.