Subaru Forester

A GREAT CAR ALL ROUND – I bought this new car about 8 weeks ago. We live in the country, and the previous European car just wasnt made for country driving. The Forrester has all the features and is HUGE on safety. The headlights are very bright also. The car handles brilliantly also. I travel 10 into our local town, and occasionally in to the city where it is equally impressive. Our local dealer is easy for servicing also. Show details ·  1

A very well built car that will last many decades – This car is used for everything! From shopping to interstate trips. Tows the rubbish to the tip and the boat down 4WD tracks to secret fishing locations. Just Awesome. Only a couple of minor faults in the first few years. I still have it (September 2021) and have no intention to part with it. Show details ·  1

Safe, Reliable and wonderful car to drive! Highy Recommend! 53K update – I have a my18 XT Premium Forester, for the uninitiated that’s means a petrol turbo charged, symmetrical All Wheel Drive vehicle with leather interior. I owned it since new for nearly 18mths with over 32,000 km travelled. Coming from a Highway Patrol background and presently being a National Road Safety and Compliance Manager for a global… Read more ·  1

company, I have over 30 years experience in road safety and collision investigations, I cannot give a higher recommendation than I personally entrust this vehicle to convey my most precious cargo of two kids 9 and 7, .... alright and the minister for war and finance (wife) as she’s hovering around me as I write.

It is often brushed over or dismissed by reviewers that don’t understand crash dynamics the actual benefits of “Symmetrical” AWD that only Subaru offer standard from a general road handling and holding in all conditions but it seriously rises above all others in adverse conditions where the traction is second to non. Add to this all the safety technology and wizardry and you have an amazing vehicle for the money. From a safety background it’s the attention to detail to safety that makes this car a true champion of champions. The seating position and driver ergonomics are in a word “brilliant” giving excellent all round vision even to the placement of side mirrors to minimise obstruction in usual blind spot at the front in some other brands. The “eyesight” features along with all the other multifaceted safety features come together in concert to deliver a premium safety package far beyond the price paid delivering true value for money. I must mention here that impact forces in collision are massive that I’ve seen Subaru handle in real world collision situations extremely well protecting the occupants from potential serious or fatal injuries. This is due to Subaru’s clever design and impact crumple zones again often overlooked by reviewers. Let me explain, they have a boxer motor (flat) that it actually designed go under the vehicle not into front seat occupants as normal raised engines do in frontal impacts, as I’ve seen previously in serious or fatal collisions. I would not dismiss this fact, seriously clever and smart.

You only need one collision whether you are in the right or wrong the laws of physics and impact forces come into play and it is always better to put the odds in your favour as you can’t have a dress rehearsal.

I have also been towing an Adria caravan since December 2018 that’s 1.6 ton fully laden albeit to my wife that appears to be trying to impersonate a gifted prophet of carry enough food to feed as well as clothe the 5000 whilst allocating me enough space for 1 pair of underpants, singlet and socks...although I still waiting for her to turn water into wine for medicinal purposes only to no avail! So, I recently towed it for 4,200 Klm over 3 weeks up steep hills in extreme temperatures 45 degree heat and all terrains and with the turbo model these hills were not noticed. It is extremely comfortable for all passengers and my two kids under 9 love it, especially albeit perfectly their back seat driving techniques vide watching all instruments inciting entertaining back seat driving conversations genetically passed on by the mobile handbrake aka Clayton driving instructor that has had more prangs than Evil Kaneval in front passenger seat (wife)- but seriously they all love the seat and door pockets. It has the perfect carry space for our “soccer” kit.... yes dad.... alas our AFL gene was not dominant here compared to the dark side (in-laws)! That said, the Forester has never failed us for room.

Fuel consumption; is great on highway only I’ve had around 6.4kl to 100klm at 110kph. On average I get 8 to 9 litres to 100klm combined which is excellent for 2ltr turbo. It is all relative to travel times (peak) and distance of travel.

All round the Subaru Forester has been brilliant, I have only had the battery replaced under warranty after running it flat in which Subaru immediately replaced in 40 minutes. Further the servicing from Subaru Parramatta has been wonderful and brilliant. I must say that I am meticulous about my car being former highway patrol in relation to nil dents or scratched rims that the dealer has always returned in A1 condition.

All around excellent experience with Subaru Forester and Servicing, highly recommend this vehicle.

53,000 Kilometre 2.5 year update: This car just keeps getting better, still a lot of fun to drive, I actually still look forward to driving it every day. Super reliable and I have not had one ounce of trouble and I have done a lot more kilometres towing Caravan too. Nil Complaints. If anything I am in a dilemma as I have to upgrade car in 6 months, however there is no Turbo Subaru Forester or equivalent Forester with a 1800kg tow capacity for my caravan. I will let you know what I choose and why.....

To clarify and debunk this garbage about the Subaru CVT. I have had not one issue with the Subaru CVT and I do not understand what some peoples issues are. I think it is one of the best CVT systems on the market. Smooth, fast and reliable. I have reversed up a steep dirt hills with Caravan on great Ocean Road, Victoria to reversing it into many locations. I have used it towing up extremely steep hills in hot days. Not one issue. Every day driving and off road. Not one issue. I think really it comes back to the old saying of a good tradesman doesn’t blame his tool or in this scenario a good driver does not blame his CVT! Lol 5 stars on CVT, well done Subaru.

Now from a drivers perspective of speed and handling, although this is not its intended design, let me say this girl can hold her own with all things being considered, excellent handling and impressive acceleration for a SUV she is quite sporty, best in her class by a long shot. Yes, I test drove a lot of competitors to the Forester before buying this one. 2 ltr Turbo.... hehehe got to love Subaru’s work. Having the car now two and half years, you know it better than some two bit car reviewer that doesn’t even read the manual or most not been professionally trained to drive or understand the dynamic or forces acting on the vehicle. I did and have also been trained and know how to drive high speed on the road, not race track two very different things. If you have the desire or want use the S# engine mapping that holds gears to maximise revving it does it very well or play over into manual mode it gets even better....hehehehe magic. Subaru really created a drivers car as well as a family car with the XT, probably why Subaru has such a cult following, it caters for a dads that fancy themselves to be drivers and sates their wants to transitioning for the soccer mum.... yes a wolf in sheep’s clothing that can also then get down and dirty off road..... or tow your caravan.... this car does all extremely well. Highly recommend buying it.

The only remorse or negative I have about my Forester is that I have only six months left with this car before lease is up and no new Subaru XT to go too... none of the new Foresters tow 1800kg, I am even thinking do I buy if off my novated lease as I still will have 2 of the 5 year warranty left? ..... It will be hard to find a car that will come close to tick all the boxes of the Forester XT Premium, really the best all round car I have had bar none.

This car saved our lives, twice! Eyesight technology should be in all cars – We bought a new Subaru Forester Special Edition with all the extra features. My first Subaru I've owned. I liked it very much. Drove beautifully, but what stood out for me were the safety features. We had two situations where we were nearly in a serious accident, however the eyesight technology saved our life. First was a kangaroo and wildlife at… Read more ·  1

sunset jumping in front of us at 90km hour on a remote road in WA the second was when a reckless driver nearly pushed us off the road and the eyesight warned us and stopped the collision. I love my car.

If AWD and space are your priority - get a Forester – It’s a popular choice for families here in Australia as an affordable, capable and safe daily driver. There’s sharp competition in the form of the Toyota RAV 4 and the Mazda CX-5, however neither of these claim to be as off-road focused as the Forester. Around the exterior trim, pieces look and feel tightly bolted to the body of this SUV. There… Read more

isn’t a thread out of line along the stitching, and buttons have a satisfying spring to them when pressed. Although, don’t press too hard on the climate controls, as that whole panel in our test car moved a little too much for my liking.

Over coarse sections of road, the Forester doesn’t rattle like it used to in previous generations. It certainly feels like Subaru has upped the ante in its build quality process, and this is especially apparent in the new Forester.

This is the second most expensive Subaru Forester you can buy, coming in at $44,190 before on-road costs. The hybrid variant sits at the top of the tree, sneaking in at just under $50,000 before on roads. You receive upgraded wheels, interior trim, a 2.5L engine, a sunroof, creature comfort features like heated seats and an upgraded speaker system.

Sure, you can live without these upgrades, but this certainly does show the Forester in its best form.

All Foresters are covered by Subaru’s 5 year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and come with a capped price service program that again covers 5 years or 62,500km. Total cost of servicing is $2,422 over this period. Service intervals are a little short, and I would have liked to have seen coverage extend a little beyond 62,500km of driving.

Since there’s a lack of turbocharging and this is a petrol engine paired to a single-gear CVT automatic gearbox, this isn’t the quietest engine option.

At low rpms and under mild acceleration, the Forester is indeed a quiet car. However, step deeper into the accelerator and you can’t avoid the unmistakable drone of a single-gear, high-revving petrol motor straining to deliver all of its power.

I felt confident and comfortable bringing the car down to a stop. It’s certainly a vehicle that’s approachable and easy for a range of drivers - even first time drivers - to operate.

Subaru have fitted their ‘EyeSight’ camera safety system to the Forester, which automatically detects any obstacles that might pose a threat. It’s active and warns you before deploying the brakes autonomously, which is a nicer experience than just activating before warning you, a habit older versions of this safety system used to possess.

At 136kW and 249Nm, this isn’t a powerhouse of an engine, but it is enough for daily driving and light off-roading needs. Like many other buyers, I would have liked to have seen the return of a turbocharger to the top-of-the-range petrol motor.

Despite feeling strong enough to allow the Forester to feel brisk, I could only imagine it feeling a little strained when faced with a school holiday-packed car.

Power is delivered instantly thanks to the lack of said turbocharger, however peak power is produced high up in the rev range. This means you’ll need to endure higher revs to squeeze maximum power when facing overtakes or long, steep inclines.

There are no gears to shift through in the Forester, even if Subaru provides a set of paddle shifters on the steering wheel. There are artificially programmed gears to move through, however you can tell they’re not really there and that it’s just a way to manually adjust engine rpms. Instead, this single-gear CVT gearbox finds the optimal rev range and holds that rev through to its top speed.

I was exceptionally comfortable during my time in the Forester. It’s not as plush as the more expensive Land Rover I had the same week, but the Subaru manages to avoid translating the worst parts of the tarmac through to the cabin.

A flat four engine has a lower centre of gravity than a traditional inline motor, which helps with cornering and handling. Add in Subaru’s ‘Symmetrical AWD’ system and you have a distinct grip that doesn’t skip a beat, even when being pushed.

Off-road, the Forester managed to behave extremely put together across sand, rocks and gravel. I’d love to see more ground clearance and grippier tyres to really enjoy these dirt trails.

Combined fuel efficiency is claimed to be 7.4L per 100km. I saw an average of around 10L per 100km during my time with the Forester.

It’s not the most efficient engine by comparison to the hybrid engine option, however it can return lower consumption figures over long distance drives.

There hasn’t been a massive overhaul of the Forester’s interior for this generation. There’s still that three digital display set-up alongside the most amount of buttons I’ve encountered in a car’s interior.

Subaru has hesitated to implement that futuristic and forward thinking vertical screen found in the Outback, and instead have kept the multiple screen setup. I’m certainly more of a fan of the Outback’s interior over the Forester’s, however it means you don’t have a shortage of information or control over your car’s individual features.

There’s plenty of light that can enter this interior via a large glass sunroof and tall side windows. Analogue dials are still used in Subaru’s interiors, which are easy to read and aren’t a low point by any means.

There’s 498L of boot space with all seats folded up and a total of 1740L space available when the second row is folded.

Part of the Forester’s appeal is its boxy, almost station wagon-like proportions. It allows for plenty of vertical space and a flat load floor to make ingress and egress a breeze. Add the fact that you can electronically fold the seats from the boot in a 60:40 split, and you’ll absolutely understand why families have been buying generations of Forester for their daily driving needs.

Front row seats provided plenty of comfort and support over long periods of time, and the same can be said for the second row.

It’s the combination of space, reliability, all-wheel drive and comfort that makes the Forester so appealing. Against the Toyota RAV 4 and Mazda CX-5, the Forester complements a more adventure-focused family simply because it’s a tried and tested vehicle many Aussies rely on to drive across a variety of terrain.

It’s not an aggressive off-roader, but you should definitely buy the Forester over its competitors if you’re someone who needs all of those previously mentioned qualities that make this Subaru so appealing. Consider it if you want a more tarmac-focused SUV, as a Mazda CX-5 for example will be more driver-focused with sharper driving dynamics and a turbocharged engine.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.

Subaru excessive engine oil consumption – Not long ago, Subaru ran an advertising campaign called "Share The Experience". A Google AI search for the campaign states "Subaru Share the Experience refers to the brand's focus on memorable journeys, customer stories, and its annual charitable "Share the Love" event". With the following story, I am sharing my experience with my Subaru. … Read more

Please read on:

I live in Sydney, Australia. The attached photo shows a row of 10, 5-litre oil containers on top of the engine of my Subaru Forester which represents how much engine oil it can consume between the regular Subaru recommended oil changes. The engine was tested by Subaru and it was found that it can consume up to 49 litres of oil between each 12,500km oil change. That represents about $900 of oil consumed before the oil is changed again at the next regular service. Furthermore, the entire engine sump capacity is about 5 litres which also means I have to replace the entire engine sump oil ten times between regular services.

Subaru excessive oil burning is well documented on the Internet since Subaru released its new FB engine in 2011 and it is still basically the same engine in 2023. Some Subaru owners call their cars “Oil-Oholics”.

In fact, in the United States of America a legal challenge by some owners resulted in a Court Order to fix the problem free of charge to the owners. The Court settlement was finally approved on 31 August 2016. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the law suit where it said “piston rings in the vehicles wear out quickly and some vehicles burn excessive amounts of oil”. It also reported that the oil consumption issue "can cause engine failure while the Class Vehicles are in operation at any time and under any driving condition or speed”.

Initially Subaru set about tearing the engines down and replacing the piston rings, however, Subaru later decided to fit a new engine Short Block. A short block is the bottom part of the engine consisting of the crank case, crank shaft and pistons. Over the ensuing years Subaru America issued a Service Bulletin (02-157-14R) about excessive oil consumption and fitting a short block. The Bulletin has been updated several times and the last issue I found is dated 26th January 2021. The replacement short block program is still underway with an extra 8 year or 160,000 kilometres warranty on the engine after the replacement. (Note: Subaru Canada has issued similar documentation but it is a little more lenient than its US counterpart.)

Apart from owner complaints; the Sydney Morning Herald article and motor car test reporter commentary, there does not appear to be any official Australian documentation about Subaru excessive oil consumption. However, it is important to note that the Vehicle Identifier Number (VIN – a unique number for every vehicle made) of my car is listed in the Subaru America engine replacement Bulletin as it covers Subaru production by year and model - not the country it is sold in. It’s possible other Subaru Australian cars (including models) are affected and indeed in comments in this Product Review website other owners have mentioned oil consumption. If my exact car was sold in America, I should be eligible for a new engine but not here in Australia.

Knowing that the Subaru America Bulletin existed, I sent a letter containing the Bulletin to the CEO of Subaru Australia; the CEO of Inchcape Australia (the Subaru dealership franchise holder in Australia); the CEO of the Inchcape empire in England; the CEO of Subaru Japan; and, the CEO of Fuji Heavy Industries (major shareholder of Subaru). All I received was a telephone call from Subaru Australia Customer Service and was told to see my local Subaru dealer and well after I did that, I received a letter saying Subaru (Australia) was disappointed to hear of my experience and it wanted to work with me. I was surprised that the other Subaru related groups did not even acknowledge my letters. So much for customer service taking into account that the very first words, on the first page of the Subaru (Japan) Corporate Profile brochure says “Pursuing our Goal of Delivering Happiness to All”. In my work we always acknowledged every letter and email. Normal business courtesy is to reply with a letter that would say something like “We acknowledge receipt of your letter and have forwarded it to Subaru Australia. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Regards and signed……”.

Subaru test the oil consumption by sealing the engine oil filler hole and dipstick and have the owner drive the vehicle over three set 1000km distances. The oil level is checked on the dipstick at each 1000km and the volume of any oil replaced is measured and recorded for the Subaru Customer Service section. The limit that Subaru set to initiate a short block replacement is 1/3 Quart per 1200 miles US. This equates to 0.16 litres per 1000km of oil. At the first 1000km dealer test my car consumed 3.9 litres of oil (that is, more than 24 times the Subaru specified limit). The second test resulted in slightly less oil usage as it included some country driving. Nevertheless, the Service Manager concluded that the oil consumption was so high that there was no point to continue with a third test and the results would be forwarded to Subaru Australia Head Office, Customer Service.

At the time I had completed the testing, my car had travelled about 133,000km and as already stated, on the first test it consumed more than 24 times the oil volume than the Subaru set maximum limit to issue an order to fit a new short block. However, Subaru Australia ignored the US replacement program where my car VIN number was included and said: “Subaru does not deem this as a manufacturing defect for the age or milage of the vehicle, they have however offered a greatly reduced price to carry out a replacement short block with a head service at a cost of $7136.25 including GST.”

Firstly, The argument that my car’s excessive oil consumption is expected for its age and distance covered is wrong. The poor oil consumption is documented in the Subaru Bulletin as a mechanical design fault. Such faults are not age dependant particularly as the Bulletin has been updated in 2021 to continue the short block replacement program. The pistons, piston rings and cylinder bores are made of metal, not from materials that could deteriorate over time. For example, it appears that what is being suggested is that if I purchased a brand-new Subaru with FB engine today but not drive it and put in storage for ten or twelve years, when I start the engine for the first time it would immediately consume the same 3.9 litres of oil per 1000km as my car does due to its age.

Secondly, the Subaru Bulletin States, "Effective immediately through April 21, 2017, ALL affected vehicles, regardless of mileage and warranty start date will be covered for these repairs". Furthermore, I am surprised that age was considered as part of the argument when initially Subaru Australia Customer Service told me to go to a Subaru dealer when they had the letter I initially sent to them showing detailed information of my own recorded oil usage readings and vehicle details such as the VIN and the first registration date. Clearly, they already knew the age of my car and the distance it had travelled.

Also, before the Service Manager sent the oil consumption tests to Subaru Australia Customer Service, I was asked to provide a copy of my car’s service history book back to the time it was first registered. That history showed all the servicing except for one (done at a licensed workshop) was performed by Subaru dealers. In addition, before beginning the official consumption tests I was asked to pay for an oil change and new oil filter (which incidentally is not charged in the US if the dealer decides an oil consumption test is warranted). If they knew age and distance was the defining factor, why was I asked to go to a dealer and pay for an oil change and filter replacement? I can’t see that age is a defining factor when Subaru Australia had all my vehicle details and the Service Manager decided to begin the testing procedure.

I started investigating Subaru excessive oil consumption when my car had travelled about 112,000km and it was about 10 years old. It is hard to believe that Subaru Australia could be serious that using 24 times more oil is normal for a car having travelled such low kilometres. Assuming the oil consumption is linear over time, my car would meet the Subaru oil consumption limit at 5,500km only. Indeed, you will find owners on the internet and in this forum complaining about excessive oil consumption with very low kilometres vehicles – some from nearly new. Why would someone buy a new car for $50,000 and have it wear out so early in its life. My other car, a 1992 Toyota having travelled 286,000km doesn’t use any oil; nor does my wife’s 2000 Mazda nor my daughter’s 1994 Toyota. My family keep our cars for about 25 years and pass them on in good condition including the engine. I was expecting my Subaru to be the last car I would buy.

I am looking for other Subaru owners having experienced high engine oil consumption to build a case with the Consumer Authorities. You can contact me on Subarupooroilconsumption@gmail.com

In addition, I would expect the Consumer Authorities to investigate the ADR Compliance Plate approval. The ADR states that the emissions output must be maintained for 5 years or 100,000km. I have witnessed ADR emissions tests and took note that even the temperature of the fuel is critical to pass the test. It makes one wonder then what of the emissions compliance of an engine that is consuming copious amounts of oil during the compliance approval period. The way compliance works for a large volume of production vehicles is that a single set of tests might be performed by a manufacturer and it then certifies that all the other vehicles are constructed in the same way by a ‘Conformity of Production’ statement. This is one of the documents that can lead to a possible recall campaign if a non-compliance is found. This process is set out in the various Board Circulars issued by the Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board such as, 0-1-2, 0-13-1 etc.

A recent Subaru marketing email used the phrase to describe its cars as “Confidence in Motion”. In the case of my car, it is ‘No Oil No Motion”.

Please send me any information or give me any assistance you can on this subject. Has anyone had a short block replacement? I am planning to produce a YouTube video and read out the Subaru response to me and/or give Subaru the offer of standing in front of the video camera and explain why a car that has travelled so few kilometres can consume nearly 50 litres of oil between regular services.

Failure to disclose actual pricing – I received an email to subscribe to two years of map updates for my 2019 Subaru Forester. The quoted price was $ 214 I duly took out the subscription and it was only when an emailed receipt was received that I noted that the price was in US dollars. The actual cost to me was $329.68 which Includes a bank Foreign Exchange fee of $9.60 I am… Read more

reasonably certain that the website did not state that the price was in US dollars and the fact that Subaru Australia advised, after 4 weeks, that they would refund the extra charge ($115.60) confirms to me that the subscription was not given in US dollars.

After 19 business days from that advice, Subaru Australia are yet to make this payment even though they advised on 24 Jan to allow 7-10 business days for receipt of payment.

Any contacts from Subaru Australia have only been received after my emailing or phoning them.

The Forrester is a great vehicle but the very poor customer service by Subaru Australia has somewhat lessened the ownership experience.

The failure to clearly identify that payment was in US dollars has been reported to the ACCC.

Should Subaru Australia be monitoring this site, your case reference is 00726565.

2022 Subaru Forester 2.5i-S – In April 2022, I ordered a Subaru Forester 2.5i-S in Ice Silver. I took delivery late May 2022. I ordered the top of the range model with leather seats, tow bar, GPS and whatever else you get with paying $10K extra. Originally, I wanted a 100% electric vehicle. Unfortunately, decent electric cars are hard to come by in Australia. We still think… Read more

that we have a god given right to contaminate the environment. Also, there were no car dealers that sold electric cars in a 1,000km radius, and, towing a boat with an electric car wouldn’t have worked anyway.

My son and I drove to every car dealer in town and I first zeroed-in on the Subaru XV. I took it for a test drive. I was very impressed with the overall comfort, quality of the fit-out and handling. Because I had driven a Mercedes E280 for over 10 years and an Audi A6 3.0 Quattro for 5 years, I had high expectations.. and I wanted a 4WD. I was about to pay the deposit when I was told that the XV would not tow a boat confidently. I did notice the lackluster performance during the test drive but thought it may have been due to the “intelligent” i-drive system wanting to save me money. It was suggested I look at the Subaru Forester because of the larger engine.

To be honest, I did not like the size or looks of the Forester. The bat-car style wings on the bonnet, the long nose and 80’s look didn’t enthuse me. So, back to the drawing board. I test drove the Mazda CX5 and a few other cars. Except for the Subaru, and Mazda, all other cars in that price range and vehicle class were unacceptable. The manufacturing standard of most vehicles I saw was so poor that I left these dealerships without even test driving them. The exterior designs of some of these vehicles were also plain ugly. Just look at Toyota's new models...yuck.

The Mazda CX5 didn’t do it for me in the end. Although the design was appealing compared to the Forester, the motor was weak, visibility was poor and, compared to the Subaru, brakes and steering were also very poor.

So, why did I buy the Forester? Well, the above for starters. I have also split my review into pros and cons. Let’s start with pros.

Pros: the interior is well designed. Despite the retro-look, the instruments, buttons etc. are *easy to see and access. It’s a very well designed, high quality interior*. It doesn’t creak, vibrate or annoy me. The seats are relatively *comfortable, visibility all around the cabin and outside the vehicle is great. The engine is powerful enough for day-to-day driving without heavy loads and is very zippy. The brakes are excellent and the steering is like my Mercedes E280. The car turns where I turn the steering wheel. Overall, the basics of this 4WD cross-over are excellent. Handling is great. Cornering is good and it can easily handle bumps, sand, unsurfaced roads and wet roads. I like being able to get in and out of the car easily and it has plenty of room inside the cabin. Environmental controls are great with heated seats, air-con and cabin heating. It also comes with GPS and you can hook up your mobile to the entertainment system. An interesting feature is EyeSight Driver Assist and the front, parking and reversing cameras. Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist system includes Pre-Collision Brake Assist, Pre-Collision Braking System, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lead Vehicle Start Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Sway Warning, Emergency Lane Keep Assist and Speed Limiter. They all work relatively well*. For example, when reversing, you don’t just see what’s behind you in a TV camera but yellow, green and red lines bend as you turn the steering wheel so that you can anticipate how the car will turn. Great idea. So, overall, it’s a very nice car, easy to drive and it feels great.

Now to the cons. I have two cats. I never had a problem with them getting into my Mercedes or Audi as there was nothing for them to wreck…but this is not so with the Subaru. The *premium leather seats are so thin that my cats actually ripped one seat. Yes, you read correctly, in only a matter of seconds, my female cat sliced through the paper thin leather as if it were Glad Wrap. They could never do that to my Mercedes or Audi. There, the leather seats were several mm thick. In contrast, the Subaru has extremely thin leather. My son doesn’t even believe that it’s genuine leather. It looks fake. I now have dozens of little holes around the head rest and lean and a 5mm tear on the passenger seat on a brand new car. Also, after dripping hand sanitizer on the interior door, it has stained the black leather. Yes, folks, the black leather is not color-fast. It comes off or discolors.

This brings me to my second gripe: the hinges on the doors are like a cheap 1970’s Japanese car...or Ikea furniture. They are very thin with no springs or a proper closing mechanism. I have to slam the doors shut. Subaru squeezed some grease into the hinges but there’s not much improvement. The doors don’t close automatically when pushed. You have to slam them shut. Yes - slam! They sometimes creak like rusty hinges when closing them. Cheap, I say. Very disappointing.

Also, I have never seen such thin rubber seals and plastic around the doors and windows of a car, ever. My previous cars had thick, semi-stiff rubber that lasted for decades. I’m not happy with thin prissy seals. The exterior paneling is so thin that you can easily dent the car. Whatever you do, don't lean on it. The seats do not have lambda support and the button on the rear hatch to open from the outside is difficult to locate. I hate having to feel my way around the back hatch every time I want to open it to feel the little bump to press the knob-button. Also, the 'start/off' button is hidden on the lower dash obscured by the steering wheel. That is not a good place to put it because I either have to lean forward to see it or feel my way around the lower dash.

Then there’s the annoying auto engine turn off thingamajig. This might be OK on some occasions but when I turn it off on the dash, I expect it to stay off. But when I restart the engine, it resets to auto mode and the engine again turns off at traffic lights and intersections.

A really annoying feature is the constant bleep-bleep-bleep and the “keep your eyes on the road”, “lane departure” and most recently “have a rest” and “stay awake” messages. I like driving with the windows down. But because it was a windy day today, I squinted my eyes a bit. EyeSight thought that I was falling asleep. There are various warning signals that come on every few seconds. How bloody annoying. Apparently, you can turn off EyeSight but I don't want to turn everything off - only the annoying things.

Subaru make a big deal out of the Harman Kardon speaker system. When you connect a phone and play songs via bluetooth it's not that bad because my phone can EQ the sound. However, the signal coming from the entertainment unit and the radio sound crap. Despite bass, middle and treble, the frequencies are not matched to the speakers. They sound tinny. They are unacceptable. Having worked in the music industry for decades and understanding sound, you want to hear the individual frequencies of a song whether you turn the volume up or down, whether you’re driving 10km/h or 100km/h and whether the windows are up or down. The sound is so bad in this car that I stopped listening to music in the Subaru altogether.

The hands-free, voice activation feature is useless. To be able to use it, you need to know the voice commands by heart. If I have to scroll through the commands to read them first, I might as well just press the button of the function I want and get it over with. But that isn't the real issue. The voice command feature doesn't understand people with deep voices and usually just cuts me off half-way after speaking the address. The AI says: "I did not understand that command". Then the car wants me to agree to road rules before I drive and it constantly wants me to register myself as a user. Sheesh. Why can't I turn this rubbish off? OK, it does have benefits...but some people just want to drive. To be fair, you can turn off/down the volume of each safety feature but if you want it off, there's a button at the bottom of the dash that turns everything off. I'm sure it comes back on when you restart the vehicle.

Even more bizarre is that if the engine is off, I can’t raise or lower the windows. Huh? Yep, I have never sat in a car before where the engine had to be running for me to raise or lower windows.

When I went to the tip the other day, a piece of cardboard accidentally turned on the rear ceiling light without me knowing it. It flattened the battery. Seriously, in this day and age, every car should have a battery management system. My Audi would have turned off that light and maintained charge. And that was a 2006 model - 16 years old. For $50,000, and being the top-of-the-range, luxury Subaru Forester, I was expecting more!

Despite driving in i-drive all the time, my petrol consumption has never gone below 10L/100km as measured at the bowser. Unless every bowser is wrong and cheating me, I'm always at or around 10L/100km. It’s higher than what Subaru states...and no, I’m not a led foot. Many other reviewers have stated the same. Ironically, the car's fuel consumption screen on the dash always says 7.4L/100km. Aren't there penalties for car makers misleading buyers? Could this be the new Volkswagen scandal? Also, if I switch to s-drive, it always defaults back to i-drive. Bloody hell. Let me choose how I want to drive without resetting everything to how Subaru thinks I should drive.

Honestly, for little extra money, Subaru should have offered a turbocharger. That would have reduced fuel consumption quite a bit. Also, when opening the bonnet, I have to stem it open with a stick. How retro is that?!

EyeSight has almost caused a few crashes. When driving around a bend and you approach a cyclist, and even if you and the cyclist follow the road's bend, the unintelligent safety feature thinks that I’m going to drive in a straight line and run over the cyclist (and not follow the gentle bend in the road). The unintelligent computer takes over the steering wheel and slams on the brakes. This has happened twice already. Same with a car turning left or right in another lane. The unintelligent feature slams on the brakes although I’m driving past the turning vehicle in another lane. This could cause rear collisions or distress to a panicked driver.

Subaru advertises: "Whether you're on the road or planning adventures, the MySubaru app connects you to your Subaru. From your phone, you can monitor your vehicle's health, schedule service, access owner resources, and use STARLINK Safety and Security controls like remote start and lock". This is rubbish because the MySubaru app is only available in the US and Starlink, which is available here but does not work anyway, will cease to function in March 2023. If someone steals my car, I can't even track it. For the top model not having an alarm or tracking is pathetic. Subaru writes: "Every new car in the Subaru range is fitted with advanced engine immobilizers and also includes DATADOTDNA anti-theft technology". The immobilizer kicks-in if the wrong key fob is used. OK smarty-pants, but what if someone steals the key? The thief can merrily drive around. The DATADOTDNA is only useful if police actually find the car, and provided police even know what DATADOTDNA is, then, only only then, can they ascertain ownership. Why not use the user registration system and Eyesight to scan the owner/user's face as an identification mechanism? This could be programmed during purchase at Subaru. Sheesh.

Sometimes when I park in the garage, my Subaru beeps a few times. Why you ask? How the hell would I know. I've googled it but could not find anything. My guess is that because my key fob is still in the car, it's a reminder to remove it... except that out of convenience, I don't.

Finally, when parking in the garage, I need to reverse out. The reversing camera is great and starts in daylight mode. After a few seconds, the display goes to night view meaning the display is dim until I fully exit the garage, after which it takes several more seconds to switch back to daylight mode. In those 5-10 seconds I’m reversing blind because the outside sunlight is far brighter than the dimmed reversing screen. This isn’t good enough Subaru. Turning the auto screen brightness off is silly because at night time I'd get blinded by a bright screen.

Overall, the car is a joy to drive. It handles well and appears relatively safe despite the odd nonsense and continuous warnings. Would I buy it again? No. I’d buy another second hand luxury European vehicle. After driving several Mercedes’, Audi’s and other EU brands, I know that they know how to design and build cars. Subaru is still hung up on making the car cheaper by making the leather as thin as possible, by using dodgy door hinges, by having to prop up the bonnet with a stick, by introducing admirable features but that aren't thought through properly or by not offering the same services (e.g. car tracing as in North America).

Subaru has some basics right but at the same time have overlooked basic features, such as battery management, and being able to turn off some nonsense without having to turn off everything. Subaru have built a car marketed for a certain price range and have severely compromised on common sense and quality (e.g. non color-fast leather, poor hinges, no BMS etc.). Because I worked as an international product manager and have manufactured in Asian countries, I understand their philosophy, which is: how thin can we make the part so that it doesn't break? How thin can the leather be so that it doesn't rip straight away? How many cents can we save if the rear windows don't go up or down automatically and so on. They apply minimum standards to save a few bucks here and here.

I would have rather paid $1,000 extra and got proper door hinges, better rubber seals, lambda support, turbocharger, better speakers/entertainment unit and my choice of turning off annoying features. I don't know what my next car will be but it won't be a Subaru.