2004 Subaru Forester X All weather pack from UK and Ireland - Comments

So far, nothing at all.

The car looks and drives very nicely in the short time I have owned it (1 week).

I researched this site to choose my new car.

The engine is very tight, but I expect it to loosen up in the next month or so.

This should improve fuel consumption which came out at 25 MPG for the first tank full.

The car is well equipped with boys toys, including heated seats and category one alarm.

The only slight disappointment is the drivers seat does not go as far back as I would like, but I'll get used to it.

As the original writer I can now report on the Foresters progress.

Fuel consumption has slowly improved from the first tank-full.

Now averaging 28 MPG with 33 on a long run.

The car had its first service last week with no faults to report to the dealer.

The dealer has said they will honor the three years servicing deal so I'm very happy about that.

The car is a joy to drive and I look forward to driving to work and back.

The only problem on the horizon is the sunroof seemed to malfunction tonight, it refused to close properly, bouncing back to half open. I eventually managed to close it. Will ask the dealer about it tomorrow.

I found this narrative (in particular the 33 miles per gallon information) to be very positive. At this time (Summer, 2004), the 2005 Subaru Forrester is just making an appearance at the dealerships here in the great central valley (of California). And - wouldn't you know it - the EPA rating for the '05 manual shift Subaru is 30 MPG. And if you understand how the EPA ratings are "dumbed down" for the great unwashed, then that 33 as reported herein - is certainly right in the ball park. Keep up the good work.

Likewise have just traded up/sidewards :-) from previous Isuzu Trooper & Subaru SVX to a 2004 Forester XT Auto AWP. Nice :-) Trooper carried more, but ghastly mpg & no corner-handling. SVX initially AOK, but then gearbox went after 8ths (though it has 131,000) & still getting fixed. Forester, so far, (with 'Trooper p-ex) covers just about 'all the bases' - great ride / visibility / toys / security / mpg (still on first tank, but expecting 450miles+ vs. 'Trooper 300) / versatility / overtaking. Bit worried by all the reports of MY1999 wheel-bearing faults (apparently also a 'feature' of SVX's :- (but hopefully all ironed out now. Will update as/when anything develops.

As the original writer I have an update on the Forrester's progress. I have now done 5000 miles since new and so far the car has no faults.

The sunroof problem I mentioned last time sorted itself out, I think I confused it by opening and closing it rapidly several times. MPG is 28 round town and 33 on a long run. I have had the dealer put in a CD multi-changer and this works really well. Can't get away from the tiny buttons on the radio console though!

All in all, glad I bought it, lives up to all expectations as does the dealer here in Leeds.

Be carefull when comparing MPG data from UK and USA.

UK gallons are larger than US gallons (1.2 factor)

UK MPG are 20% higher than US MPG.

33 mpg UK equals 27.5 mpg US.

As the original writer of this review I can report on the car's progress. I have now owned the car for 2 years since new and it now has 20,000 miles on it. The car has behaved perfectly throughout the two years with no trips to the dealer for any faults at all. Servicing is free for the first three years and KT Green of Leeds have provided a loan car for the twice it has been in for service. The car is and has been fault free and is a joy to own and drive, can't praise it highly enough.

I traded up to an 07 X Premium Package and it was hard to get rid of my 04 X. I put 43,000 miles on it in 20 months and towed a 1900 lb pop up camper for about 12 to 13,000 miles of the 43K.

I had a manual transmission on it and for city driving I was able to get about 25 mpg (American) and as high as 31 mpg highway, with a tailwind. I averaged 29 mpg on the highway.

The biggest surprise was how well it towed. I averaged 21 mpg on trips towing (low profile pop up camper), including going 75 mph across the Dakotas and Colorado. It went very nicely over mountains. The gearing was well suited for that purpose. I later found out that in other parts of the world Subaru touts the towing capabilities. In the U.S., Subaru minimizes it.

I loved that car and am adapting to my 07 Premium Package. The goodies (moon roof, heated seats) and the limited slip differential and four wheel disc brakes are nice. I did modify it with STi springs ("Pinks") to actually get the ride back more toward the 04 ride.

My 04 was just about perfect for my needs in retrospect. And I miss the green...

As the original writer of this review, I can now say that after five years of fantastic service with no warranty claims at all, I have part-exchanged this car for another new Forester and am looking forward to another five years of absolute delight in driving. The new car has an LPG conversion on it and I will be reviewing this soon.

James.