2014 Subaru Forester consumer reviews

After test driving and reseaching several small SUV's, chose the Forester. What stood out most to me was its smooth shifting transmission, its great driving visibility and lack of blind spots. In my (limited) two weeks of ownership it's gas mileage is as advertised; also adapted easily to its gauges and instrumentation. An excellent value.

Test drove the Mazda CX-5 and didn't get excited. Noticed the high engine rev's after downshifting and the road noise, and the lack of personality. Interior finish is base, just put the dog back there comfort that felt cramped. Subaru has the CVT which I didn't want to like and fell in love with. It down shifts like a normal automatic, but in between the shift points the transmission changes the output ratio so that when a shift occurs the transition is barely noticeable. At first it feels like a manual with a slipping clutch. Back seat room and comfort is 10 out of 10, really nice. You sit up on the road and the visibility is great. The car fits both my wife and I very comfortably. The front passenger seat is not as comfy as the drivers power adjustable seat, and that had me squirming a couple of times. The seat is firm, very firm and until I get broken-in it will remain uncomfortable. We're shopping for sheepskin seat covers and that may help a little. Or just doing the driving. Rear seats recline, nice. Fuel efficiency is stellar and the wife (hot rod) is getting over 30mpg. This is a 2.5L engine with an automatic. My 2012 1.6L Hyundai with DCT gets 34mpg and weighs 1000 pounds less. So this is very impressive. The options on the mid level model are adequate to excellent. My only desire would be the ability to store more than one blue-tooth device and be able to switch between them. This model only allows for linking one device. Changing devices is clumsy and time consuming and old fashioned and cheep and ... the radio could sound better, but I blame that on the speakers and amp power and those can be upgraded without touching the head unit. Watch the Subaru (u-tube) crash test for partial area front impact on the 2014 model and see how a top rated car survives. No remorse still very happy that we bought her. Named her "the tesla". We smile when we decide to drive "the tesla" somewhere.

This is a great vehicle for the money, it has all wheel drive, great handling, very safe, fun to drive yet you still get a truck feel even though it is a compact SUV. Has plenty of cargo room and passenger room. Also if you are environmentally aware it has Partial Zero Vehicle Emission (PZVE)! I love this vehicle

3800 miles in, and coming from a mini-van past, I don't think I could be more pleased with this car. I purchased the Limited, one step down from the touring (I didn't need the zillion watt stereo...too much temptation for riders to 'turn it up'), but included navi, which isn't nearly as bad as some websites reviews. I went to 13 different dealerships before buying the Forester, and, actually went to the Subaru dealership after finding nothing I liked as the Outback was sort of my last resort...I didn't even think of the Forester until the sales person steered me toward it, after I didn't like the Outback. I looked at most all small to mid sized SUV's and crossovers out there. The reasons I picked the Forester are (in no particular order): 1. Visibility...It's totally a different driving experience compared to the other small SUV's and crossovers. You really have a command view over all that is around you. No other even came close. 2. CVT with X-Mode...I live in North Carolina and often visit relatives in the mountains, both in NC and Tennessee. When times of family emergency arise, I don't get to pick the weather, and never felt safe driving on icy roads in a mini-van. I did a bit of reading after my test drive, and feel very confident in this car for just about any driving conditions. 3. Interior layout...There just isn't any other small SUV that can handle five 6'2" men in it...this one can...and no one feels cramped. The control knobs and buttons are clearly marked and not the 'Air Force Jet' layout like Audi decided to go with for who knows what reason....Further, the instrument panel is perfectly aligned with the steering wheel (in the position that is comfortable to me.) 4. Entry and egress...I'm well over 6 feet tall, and have a long torso and average length legs. The problem I had with pretty much all of the small SUV's was getting in and out of them. There is no problem with the Forester. 5. Standard features...There is just no way to get a base car that has a CVT and a Subaru quality AWD for the base they offer. I paid slightly over 30K out the door for my Forester, a Limited with several options I wanted including leather and NAVI...but I never found anything close in the way of standard features, even lesser vehicles like the RAV4. 6. Safety...This isn't the first car, or truck or van...it is the first VEHICLE, period...to ACE every aspect of the new small overlap test done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [IIHS]. That test is head on, at 40MPH, where all the impact is on the left 25% [the drivers side] of the vehicle. You will feel comfortable, safe and secure in any conditions driving this car...I promise...

for a long time owner of Toyota's & Honda's, I am very pleased with the overall package that Subaru has done with Forester - 2.5 Touring. I've test drove CX-5, Escape, CR-V, RAV4 before try Forester (it was not only original list). Forester does everything better than others in the segment. I have to say that I am disappointed with CR-V & RAV4. glad to see Mazda and Ford are making great crossover/SUVs in this segment. but Forester is the best I think.

Great small crossover, best in class affordable small suv. Tested them all,(escape, cx5, equinox, crv etc) Forrester easily wins. Better acceleration, variable transmission much smoother with far superior road handling capabilities. Interior is very nice with a huge moonroof, doors that open wider and better vision than the others. With the improved exterior styling the Forrester is a winner!

Its the first we bought the really new car in our life, it good for my drive. Whish all my friend will buy this kind car. I truly commended them to buy!

My only negative comment is in the speedometer not showing 50 mph and not distinguishing the half way mark between the 10 mph ingrements.

I have doubt to purchase this brand. Boy was I wrong. I love the way the engine slides to the next gear. How many times you forget to put your headlights on, don't worry it will turn on automatically. I am pleased with my new Forester.

I was so disappointed with my Forster 2013, that after just a few months, I began looking for a replacement. The 2013 is a cheap tinny car, that features lots of road and wind noise, a 4 gear auto transmission that forces the engine to whine in overdrive with any press of the gas pedal, and don't get me talking about the horrible gas mileage. But I did like a few things about the Forester - that excellent window visibility and inspiring 4 wheel drive. So when good reviews of the 2014 makeover broke, I stopped by my Subaru dealer and gave the 2014 a test drive. I traded in the 2013 that day. What you get in the 2014 is what we should have had from the very start. Polish. First off, the car is now *much* quieter. At 80 mph, you can have a conversation without raising your voice. The engine is rarely heard, and the wind noise is tamed. The drive is much better too. The bouncing is gone as so are much of the vibrations. The electric steering is ok - I would like a bit more feedback through the wheel, but overall, it's a fine driving experience. The CVT is great, keeping the engine at about 2k at all times, though I think it is tuned to deliver a jarring start from a start (probably done to give the illusion of power). Gas mileage is wonderful. At 75mph, I log 29 mpg. City seems to be more around 22 mpg. The interior is still forgettable. There are a few ergonomic improvements: the seat warmer switches are no longer hidden, the elbow rest is a bit longer. But there are some misses - the speedometer is smaller, and the backup camera screen is a bit too small and far down the dashboard for my eyes. Yeah, there are more softer plastics, but you won't confuse the Subaru for a VW interior. The Bluetooth system has improved a little, though the voice recognition system is still more miss than hit. The std radio is rather blah, but the sound does improve thanks to the quieter cabin. The gas mileage and vehicle operations are nicely displayed on the dashboard - and now you can view real time gas mileage consumption as opposed to only seeing the average (which was the case for the 2013). Overall, I'm a huge fan of this makeover. The Subaru Forester finally feels refined and caught up to peers like the CRV, CX5, and the Rav 4.