Looking into a 2020 Forester. Does anyone have one?

Bought mine a month ago. I got the premium...was tempted to get a sport but figured I would get tired of all the orange trim fairly quickly. Had it not had the orange trim I would have gone that route.

Anyway, I love it. It gets great gas mileage for an AWD SUV. I’m averaging around 33 mpg but my driving is around 75-80% highway. I was afraid that I wouldn’t like the CVT but it’s awesome in this vehicle. I came from a 2018 Jeep Cherokee with a 9 speed transmission and that thing had a tendency to really delay downshifting a lot of times. I can’t tell you how many times I would slow down for a turn or whatever and need to quickly speed back up...press on the gas pedal and it actually goes slower until it realizes that hey I want to go faster. The CVT in the Forester has none of that...it’s always ready to go. Don’t be put off by the lower hp at only 180-185 hp...it does just fine.

The biggest downfall of the vehicle is the standard stock stereo. It sounds good but is terribly lacking in bass response. I had the bass turned all the way up and the mids and treble down to around -3 or so to get it sounding like any other car stereo. Subaru sells a factory Rockford Fosgate upgrade kit that includes an amp with a DSP and replacement speakers for your front doors for a reasonable price and can be installed by your dealership in a couple hours. I paid less than $600 installed for mine and got it installed at a dealership by my work the other week. It sounds great now. In fact, the loaner I had was a touring level Forester and it had the Harmon kardon premium stereo in it with a subwoofer and all that....I’d say that my stereo with the RF upgrade kit sounds just as good as that HK system did. The sport I was considering had the HK system and that alone was a $2000 added cost to the price of the vehicle. So long story short...if you don’t like the standard stereo just get the Rockford Fosgate kit installed instead of the package with the HK system...save $1400.

We have a 2010. Not my first choice. But, my wife loves it. Got 130k on it with no major issues. For me personally at this time any vehicle with a CVT is a deal breaker.

I'm on my 3rd XT. Currently driving a 2017 XT Touring. Probably get a different vehicle next time unless Subaru puts a turbo back in the Forester.

Had a 2017, upgraded to a 2018. Both were the wife’s. The 2018 was a much nicer model with eyesight, premium sound, leather, etc. great cars. Loved them. Definitely recommend.

On my second one. Present 2017 has 96,000 trouble free miles. I intend buying another if this one wears out.

Had a 2017 XT, solid car and if I lived in the snow belt I would own one. But not the XT, the engine is quite peppy but the seats and CVT suck.

Got 25.5mpg on the highway, my wife's X3 gets 31mpg

Traded it in on a 2017 GTI.

Bring back the 6sp and give it outback or better yet give it an option to get the WRX seats.

Went to look at the Forester and Outback for my wife. Ended up buying the Ascent Touring model. Great car so far.

We love our 2017 Touring model. Subaru’s eyesight safety system has saved our bacon a couple of times. The CVT provides plenty of low end torque. Highly recommend this car.

I have a 2016 Limited with around 45k.

Tons of cargo space. Comfortable ride. Good AWD performance for inclement weather and light offroad use. Decent MPG. And the CVT isn't terrible.

My only real gripe so far was that the factory Yokohama tires were shit. I had to replace them at around 30k.

The Eyesight nanny cam lane assist and collision warning system is annoying, but can be disabled. On the flip side, Eyesight's adaptive cruise control is nice for highway driving and road trips.

As mentioned, the Rockford Fosgate speaker upgrade is definitely worth it. Mine came with those standard, and they're some of the best factory speakers I've experienced. The base speakers are kinda terrible.

I'd also recommend the rubberized cargo mats, especially the one for the back of the fold down rear seats, if you plan to utilize it for hauling stuff frequently. Or if you're like me and take your dog along frequently.

Wife loves hers, she wants a new one, but I think she's going to hold out until the next model year for the refresh (2022). Hers is a '17, which I believe is pretty much identical to the '20.

She just rolls her eyes when I try and convince her to get a new Bronco.

vs SUV's in it's class

Pros
Best AWD
Ease of maintenance
Room/comfort
Aftermarket

Cons
One engine option
Mileage
CVT
Interior styling

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
vs SUV's in it's class

Pros
Best AWD
Ease of maintenance
Room/comfort
Aftermarket

Cons
One engine option
Mileage
CVT
Interior styling

As far as your cons go....it has identical or better mileage than any other non-hybrid AWD SUV in it’s class. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons why I looked at the Forester. The other front runner was the RAV4 for me, but the AWD in the Forester is why I looked at it first.

As far as the CVT goes, have you driven one yet? I was very skeptical of the CVT myself, because I’ve had a CVT in a couple of vehicles before with mixed opinions...but mainly bad. The Pathfinder I had wasn’t too bad, but the power of the engine made up for what I didn’t like about it. The CVT in my wife’s Rogue was horrible. Hated it, and it was the main reason why I went to go look at the Forester and figured I would leave unimpressed. I was completely wrong...it’s a great transmission. Tons of low end torque as already mentioned and I honestly forget that it’s a CVT...it feels like a regular automatic transmission. I literally cannot tell the difference in how it behaves. Give it a drive if you haven’t done so before...it’ll likely change your mind.

2018 Black Edition is the 5th Subie in my stable here - coming up on 42,000 miles.

#2 son took my 2009 Forester off to grad school - pushing 255,000 miles.

They are popular for a reason - lesbians not withstanding .

In our region of PA - the weather has NEVER stopped me - short of all out ice!

Keep them maintained and they last forever - just retired a 2000 OB wagon with 365k on the dial - donated it to a church!

Beware SteveMoyer Subaru in Leesport - I highly recommend Ciocca(formerly Becker) in Allentown.

I have a 2014 with 63K miles on it. I love it. Replaced the brake light switch 3 times. No cost to me. They recalled the rear coil springs and replaced them again at no cost to me. I will keep it until the wheels fall off.

We have a 2017 Outback and my daughter has a 2019 Forester and just can't say enough good things about Subaru. Just got back from stomping around up in the mountains with ours.

I seriously love mine. have a 2015 touring edition. Love the headlight upgrade, 18" wheels and the Harmon Kardon stereo.

It handles well and I am happy with the 18 in town 25 on the highway. some people aren't happy with the HP but mine does fine for me

I have a 2000. I like it.

quote:

Originally posted by Largefarva:

As far as the CVT goes, have you driven one yet?

Yes I have. It's not really about the feel, it's more about the durability I'm worried about with the CVT. It's not like it's a Nissan, but I've seen a few problems with the TR580 and TR690.

I like the H4 in my Subaru but let's face it, mileage and emissions is not the strong point of these engines. It's the low center of gravity.

Also I forgot to list the visibility as a pro. IMHO it's the best in it's class.

For me it's not a long distance commute vehicle, but off road, in mud, in snow, on ice (snow tires) it's hard to beat.

We have an 18 premium. The eyesight creeps me out . If the car thinks you’re not gonna make the corner it takes it away from you.