I love my Forester. Absolutely love it.

You made the right decision avoiding a Cherokee. They are garbage, have been garbage and woes. They have not fixed the 4qt a mile oil usage and if you so much as forget to check it at a fuel up and run low that engine is on you.

I've got a line on a 2002 outback. My in-laws want it gone and it may replace my wrangler. Eventually, it'll be a toy. It depends if they get what they want out of it. If not I'll have one with all major services complete and no remaining issues.

 

I was hesitant about the Cherokee for that reason, and I'm glad you and others have reaffirmed my apprehensions. I really wish they had better reliability, because from having one as a rental car on vacation, they're damned nice to drive and sit in.

The Toyota that wouldn't start though... It felt a little too much like foreshadowing. What a shame.

 

My issue with the Toyotas I have looked at isn't fear of reliability. It's price vs the competition. They always tend to lean in to that Toyota name and sit a little higher than their competition. Namely Honda.

 

We're a Subaru family and I often consider cross-shopping other brands for the next car to mix it up a bit. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very helpful!

 

Both my wife and youngest daughter went with the Forester high on their list in recent-ish purchases. Neither bought one.

Wife had had 18 years in two entry level luxury sedans, and was ready for something more practical and without the high cost of maintenance. In 2017, she went with the intent of getting either a Forester Outback, or CRV. She tested the whole gamut of CUV style vehicles, and came home with the then new Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring. What a wonderful car for the money! Extremely comfortable, fuel efficient, full-featured, and affordable.

Daughter wanted something with more room to haul stuff after her Smart and Mazda 3 Touring. In January 2020, she went shopping specifically for a Forester. And came back with a Toyota Rav 4 XLE

Feature for feature, and dollar for dollar, both were similar or better than the Forester Limited or Touring. The biggest deciding factor for both was the perceived quality and comfort. And, the CVT, which both found jarring by comparison to a traditional automatic.

 

Weird. We had the exact opposite experience. When we first started looking we had the intention of buying the Toyota, but ended up with the Subaru. Maybe it came with the new model refresh, but the interior felt much more high quality in the Subaru.

I've always been a fan of the way our CVT Crosstrek drives. It's so easy and it feels butter smooth to me. Granted, I'm rarely over 30% throttle. I drive really slow and non-assertive in cars outside of the STI. (Not that I drive like a tool in the STI)

I would have really loved to try the Mazda, but that has been out of the question for her since I suggested it when we bought the Crosstrek. She absolutely hates the way they look, which I don't understand. It's primarily her car, so I didn't push it.

 

Yep, it's been two and five years, so I don't know what changes have occurred.

The Subaru CVT I've driven is fine. Neither of them liked it because it feels and sounds different than a traditional automatic. Now, my Dad's first-year Mini Cooper CVT was the worse car I've ever driven, as far as being able to drive sportily. Lift the right pedal, and sometimes it freewheels, sometimes there's engine breaking. Push on the right pedal, and sometimes it accelerates quickly, and sometimes the engine revs higher but it accelerates slowly. Terrible!!

 

Some members are familiar with the significant issues I've had with my two STI's. As a result, I did not want to purchase another Subaru in the near future.
Long. Winded.

My wife and I went to the STL auto show a couple weeks ago. Our first (and last ever) toddler is making us out grow our 16 Crosstrek. I was very interested in the Rav 4, and the Cherokee, since both dealerships are close. We liked the styling, and the nearest Subaru dealership is 45 minutes away. Unfortunately, Mrs. ProZach did not like exterior of the Jeep, period.

The CX 5 was ruled out, for the same reason. (wtf) She wouldn't consider the CRV, because her sister has one and she didn't want the same vehicle. (In fairness, her sister married my best friend, lives a block away from us, and had a kid at the same time... so maybe it's time to differentiate?)

We looked at the Santa Fe. What a jumbled cheap mess of knobs, buttons, contours, and radical styling. It was like a space ship, with shit we'd never figure out or use.

We looked at the VW (whatever model in the same class). It felt cheap and the exterior was boring. Not what I expected.

We looked at the Rav 4, but they didn't have the upper trim.

We also looked at the Jeep Cherokee and Toyota Highlander. Both were nice, but we simply don't need a vehicle that large. I also hate 3rd row vehicles, especially middle-row captain's chairs. I don't know why, but they're cheesy to me.

We went to the Subaru area to keep an open mind about the Forester and laugh at the WRX prototype we were hoping would be there. (it was) We saw a Touring 22 Forester and immediately liked the way the refresh looked. The sharp hood lines and new headlight design look great. Once we sat inside, it felt (to us) absolutely night and day from the other vehicles. The visibility is incredible. The interior is handsome with our preference of simplicity and really clean lines. It felt more spacious. The back seats felt so much higher than the other models and provided great comfort and visibility for the rear passengers. (Let's be honest though... we'll rarely have 1 rear seat passenger not seated in a car/booster seat.)

We were highly impressed. Maybe it's because we are familiar with the interior/cabins, but it was almost disappointing for me knowing so far it had risen to the top of our list. I wanted to branch off, and at least try something different. But damn... it was tailor-made for our wants and needs.

Also shocking, I really loved the way the WRX looked, despite being the ugly traffic cone orange. (which I would never consider) Again with the visibility, the seating position, and the interior. I liked it all, including the massive controversial infotainment screen. The rear end though... we all know the story, but it's not nearly as hideous in person. I get Subaru was going for, but I heard similar complaints from all ages. I sat in a few of the WRX's competitors, and again hated myself for the WRX being easily my top pick inside and out, at least standing still. I can absolutely see myself in ANOTHER lemon STI when it's time to give up the time bomb, when the warranty runs out. I can't escape.

Flash forward to yesterday, we decided we were going to try out the Rav 4 and Forester (would have really liked to at least try the CRV). Our intentions were to consider ordering a car, if it felt right. My philosophy was getting the inflated trade-in value for our car locked-in, while we waited several months for a new car. That would allow for time to pad our savings account to soften the blow of writing the check, instead of nearly zeroing it out.

We went to Toyota and drove a 19 Rav 4, in whatever comparable model was available to the Forester Touring. Of course, there were no new available vehicles on the lot. Again, with the lesser visibility, and you could feel every bump in the road, to the point where it felt a lot more jarring than I thought an SUV in that class should feel. The automatic transmission wasn't very smooth. It was loud, or at least as loud as our Crosstrek, which is in the economy class.

Now, granted the car was two years old with 40k miles on it, but our Crosstrek mostly rides/drives like the day we purchased it, despite being 6 years old, having 65k miles, and not being garaged. It has been a phenomenal car, with virtually no problems. Although, I believe the AC compressor may be on its last leg, as it's a common problem with our year. By comparison, that kind of takes the used car vs new car excuse for the Toyota out of the equation. We were disappointed, but we went back to drive the hybrid. After ten minutes of us and the sales guy messing with the car, it wouldn't go into drive, or start, even after it was jumped. After being explained, "I think it's only some kind of loose connection, I asked for his card and we left. The Rav 4 crushed our dreams of driving 5 minutes for service, and it was time for me to swallow pride and driver 45 minutes to Subaru.

When we got back in our Crosstrek covered in dog hair and toddler destruction, we realized how much more of a solid vehicle it is. I actually like the smooth CVT, it takes better to road imperfections, and the road noise is at least comparable to the Rav 4, which doesn't say much for the Toyota, since the Crosstrek is in a more economical class. 27k vs 37k. My only real complaint about the Crosstrek is the infotainment system, which is buggy and powers the Subaru renowned terrible stereo.

The only Forester on the lot was a new red premium. We took the interior and features out of the equation, since we'd already sat in the Touring we'd want. The car drove great. The dynamics were similar to our Crosstrek, with slightly less road noise, and it performed even better on the bumps. There wasn't any real excitement, it was just easy and relaxing to drive. It felt solid. One of the complaints I saw from auto journalist reviews is it "lacks character." Perfect, because I'm looking for comfort, reliability, quality, and practicality, not "character." Our STI has more than enough, "character" for our two vehicles...

Everything was great for us. The interior layout. The driver position. And my God... the visibility was just unmatched compared to everything we sat in. We even went through a snowy/slushy parking lot and the car was unaffected, just like with our Crosstrek.

We ended up ordering a Satin White Pearl 22 Touring, with optioned on mud guards, seat back protectors, all weather mats, and side body moldings (I like the way they look). Upon delivery, it will have a remote starter installed and window tint applied. Of note, I can't believe Subaru doesn't offer a true remote start option, and instead they rely on third party installers. The thing is loaded with just about every interior and exterior option offered, including Harman Kardon (Thank God). I can't believe how much comes standard on the Touring.

Of course, the total was more than I wanted. "Destination" fees and what not. At the present, cars are made, delivery is estimated, and they are sold prior to arrival. Prior to the purchase I frequently checked dealership status online and saw "In transit" Rav 4's and Foresters. A day later they were either marked "sold" or completely removed. We even noticed a "sold" sticker on the car we test drove... (We'll make sure to pick ours up immediately upon delivery...)

I was able to negotiate very little, we paid around MSRP, if you consider taxes were thrown into the bill. I also negotiated the remote start into the price, and... a Subaru hat, which I said was absolutely necessary upon delivery. (I ended up winning big on that one, as he said he'd give us two.)

However... We got "19k on our trade." Considering we originally paid 28k OTD, drove the vehicle for six years, it is in 'decent' condition, (dog hair/slobber/toddler damage) had been in one accident (deer), and has exactly 65,000 miles on it... that's pretty good. Essentially, the car depreciated $9,000.

Timeline for delivery: 3-6 months. Whatever. We're not in a hurry and I much prefer getting cars in the Spring/Summer. This will probably be a seven-year car for us. Ever since we decided payments weren't for us, it has incentivized us to not get rid of cars every two years.

You're welcome, Subaru. Five new cars between my wife and I since 2013. (3rd one in SWP, including the STI in the garage...)

It's late. Go to bed.

I had the opposite experience as I bought a 2019 Forester Touring new 3 years ago, and bought my WRX 6 months ago. But I'm a lot older without a toddler but with some older relatives to cart around from time to time. When we shopped for a new car 3 years ago, Forester was not on our radar screen. Thought we'd buy a Ford Edge (me being a Ford guy for many years decades). Was a little too cramped. Went to a Subaru dealer based on the 5 star safety rating and pretty much realized it was the car for us. Brand new model with plenty of room for 3 adults in the back along with some of the items you mentioned. Like I said, I drive older relatives around. Have not had any problems with the car; it is a very nice family vehicle. I don't think the HK is as good as advertised and there are some nitpicky things I don't like with it (no auto folding side mirrors with top of the line, can't toggle to front cameras, poor lumbar support, etc.). On the whole, we're very satisfied. Good luck with yours when it gets here!

 

HK isn't great, but I don't want to deal with another factory Subaru sound system. My Recaro optioned STI was $40,000 and the stereo system on a car that expensive is embarrassing. I won't go without an upgrade again.

 

So, we got the car about a month ago and we love it. It feels very high quality. It's incredibly easy to drive and it has a ton of tech. It's a very solid vehicle. The Forester has plenty of room for the three of us, and our 75 pound dog easily fits in the hatch area. I think it will definitely be easy to keep for 7-8 years. We're itching to take it on our first road trip next month.