2006 Subaru Forester consumer reviews

The Forester isn't the flashiest but it is the most reliable car I have ever owned. 150k miles and still running just fine. It is comfortable and drives very well. The kind of car that will easily surpass the 300k mile mark.

Great car!! Excellent gas mileage, great stability and control, easy to enter and egress, lots of visibility. Many superb safety features.

255,000 miles with zero problems on the '06 forester 2.5l 5-speed manual. Towed with it too. Hauled people and cargo. Fun to drive.

I absolutely love this car, but the cost of purely routine maintenance has been astounding. There have been very few 'freak' repairs (ie things breaking or going wrong), so in that way it has been thoroughly reliable. But what has also been reliable is the routine maintenance (every 15-25,000 miles) costs me an arm and a leg. This, as well as no longer needing two AWD cars led me to sell it. If you can afford the maintenance, it's an incredible vehicle.

I am glad to own my fourth Subaru. I can only hope I get as much pleasure out of owning this one as I have the other three!!!

This is such a great car, I've owned 3 not a bad one among them. Even my family has them. The best buy all wheel drive in the market period.

I had previously owned a 1998 Outback with 113,000 miles on it. I was planning to take it to at least 200,000 but someone ran a stop sign and ended my wonderful Outback's life. With the paltry insurance payment I wasn't able to get an Outback but someone suggested I look at the Forester. I thought it would be too small, but it's very roomy! It has a lot of pep, and since it's the LL Bean edition it has all the bells and whistles. I expect that I'll have as good an experience with longevity as I had in my Outback and I'm very satisfied.

I actually bought my Subaru BECAUSE of something I remembered from an old Cartalk radio show. The problem had to do with someone wanting to get a car that handled well in bad weather and was easy to get into and out of, for an elderly person with a hip replacement -- and for her lifting groeries in and out. I tucked that info away and decided, after 2 years of my beloved Toyota Camry sliding off the snowy back roads where I lived, that the Subaru might be a good change. After a lifetime of Toyotas (this was my 4th in 30-something years) I test drove and bought the Forrester and fell in love. Finally, I could see over my shoulder in all directions, because of the windows. It held well in ice and snow and rain. It was a cinch to put packages in the back and lift them out, without having to bend deep into a trunk. And still looks brand new, after 4 years ... I see the new Forresters look like true SUVs (mine looks like a "baby" SUV next to all the huge truck-like SUVs) so I don't know what I'll do, if I ever have to replace it...but with only 35,000 miles on it (driving it every day, mostly locally), I hope it lasts FOREVER.

Ive had my forester about 3 years. The only problem Ive had is with the gas door other than that the car has been flawless. Believe me when I say it will do anything. I've pulled an 18 ft pontoon boat out of a lake with out the benefit of a ramp...didn't spin at all; towed 1/2 pallets of sod; moved a 4 bedroom house; and I use it as a work vehicle taking it to constructions sites where I have to drive thru deep sand and ruts...the awd is a life saver. Who needs a gas guzzling truck?? Just get a Forester and an 8x4 utility trailer and go to it.

I've had my had my '06 Forester xt for 3 years and have loved every minute of it. Having a 2 year old it has been practical for hauling strollers and such, yet the 230 horses in the turbo make it pretty quick off the line. The all wheel drive is great for the curvy roads and the New Jersey winters. The biggest problem I have is it is still a small car, or suv I should say. The back seat leg room is quite tight for an adult. But not too bad to live with. But for the money, it is an all-around great car to have.