2011 Subaru Forester consumer reviews

If my 2011 forester is as good as my 2009 was, I'll be very happy....have had a heck of a winter in Connecticut...my 2009 Forester just kept on going in the very bad snows...so far, the 2011 is doing just as good..I like the new engine for 2011....dual overhead timing chains rather than a timing belt...the chains should last "forever" rather than having to change the belt out...also, now requires using synthetic oil...less oil changes...the 2011 is a bit peppier than it's older sibling, though I wish this car had a few more horses under the hood. I have gotten as high as 26.4 MPG on highway runs, and around 18 to 20 around town. GREAT visibility with this car!! Pretty comfortable seating in the front. I am not crazy about the gas fill on the passenger side, but, as a salesperson told me, it is there in case you run out of gas, when you put gas in the tank you are not standing in traffic...ok, I can deal with that. I have the All-Weather package and like it very much...moon roof included. All in all, a good SAFE vehicle....very impressive in bad, snowy conditions. I highly recomend this car.

Engine Sounds like a cement mixer. Rear hatch sometimes does not close completely shut. When you have a flat tire and run the temporary spare tire you have to place the vehicle in 2 wheel drive by inserting a fuse in the fuse box and removing it after going back to the full size tire. . Changing a flat is bad enough but now you have to fiddle around with the fuses, this is nuts.

We bought this 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premiium to replace our 2004 CR-V EX. Found purchasing through internet negotiations very effective, 11.3% below sticker delivered. We live on a small farm in MN, plenty of snow and a very steep driveway, relatively steep roads, and most of the roads unpaved. The CR-V was certainly reliable and to some degree adequate but barely so. If snow depth exceeded 3-4" getting up the driveway did not happen - yes the driveway is THAT steep. The Forester handles 6-7" of snow the the driveway deftly. . We ordered our Forester from the factory with a rather lengthly list of options which were chosen for functionality (or at least that was the intent). Rear spoiler, all-weather package, all-weather mats, wheel arch moldings, splash guards, body side moldings, puddle lights, rear bumper protector, fog lights, trailer hitch, auto-dimming mirror and compass. Long enough list? . If I had to do it again I would forget the rear spoiler - it did not meet my expectations for a clean rear window (the CR-V spoiler was very effective) and has the added benefit of protecting the rear window from cleaning by the automatic car wash. I'm not convinced the auto-dimming mirror is adequate, but I may be rushing to judgement since we don't have a great deal of traffic nor the opportunity to test it well. The front all-weather mats are entirely too small to be of much good. Go with Weather-Tech. . If you live where it is dark the puddle lights are quite nice. Push the unlock button on the remote, turn on the puddle lights and the front interior lights. The "automatic" headlights are a bit unusual. Off = DRL, middle = DRL + tail lights, On = headlights + fog lights. There is no ambient light sensor other than your eyes to know when to switch from DRL to headlights. When key is inserted, lights turn on; when removed, lights turn off. Other than that I am not quite certain of the definition for "automatic." . Fuel mileage calculator is off by about 2%, my 2009 Corolla off by 7%, both optimistic in their mileage estimates. Fuel economy is very disappointing. In winter driving 23 highway, 18 country/town and I have a light foot and use cruise when ever practical. So much for 27/20 - I am positively underwhelmed. . What I like: roomy interior automatic headlights unusual but very convenient instrument cluster lights on in daylight all-weather package and heated seats - YES! puddle lights are nice in the dark continuous rear wipers handles deep snow quite well - great ground clearance sport shifting system helps stopping on icy roads hood has hydraulic lifters rather than the steel stick hands-off Bluetooth is standard moon roof is positively gigantic. if you like convertibles you will like this moon roof . What I don't like: rear spoiler does nothing to keep rear hatch window clean doors must be shut rather firmly gasoline hatch does not open consistently nor open far enough - bring your keys with you to pry it open gasoline hatch is on the passenger side - I don't like that front all-weather mats are entirely too small and not protecting much - go with WeatherTech fuel economy rating rather optimistic - getting 18 in winter country/town driving - yuk. heated seat switches in awkward location and rather slow to heat the seats center console very small and even more awkwardly located no lip on rear cargo liner - if hatch is open things WILL fall out - get the cargo net! mp3 player is clunky, no practical fast forward or reverse headlights seem to need to go further out, and fog lights don't help that situation at all electrochromic mirror seems weak, certainly weaker than those I have used in GM rental cars

I am coming from a 2005 Forester X which had 120,000 trouble free miles. (I didn't replace the front discs until 105,000, and the rear drums are still going strong). This new model X Premium promises to be just as reliable. Subaru still needs some help with its interiors, but the interior is adequate. Too much cheap plastic for the dog to scratch is my major complaint. The new engine is breaking in well, but has the problem with the left side hydraulic tensioner that many are noticing. Subaru has already issued a service bulletin and will replace the tensioner if drivers find it objectionable. (oil leaks out of it during the night, causing a rattling noise when you crank up in the morning. It's not supposed to cause any problems with the engine.) Overall, I am very pleased. The premium comes with an ipod usb jack which works well, in fact, it sounds better than the standard radio.

We bought a Forester XT and are really happy with it. We already have a 2005 Outback XT and bought this Forester just because the Outback has been so outstanding. The Forester replaced a VW Eos that was a always breaking down and the Outback replaced a Jeep GC that was the worst most unreliable car that i ever owned. This 2011 Forester Xt is fun! Plenty of acceleration and simply beats everything else in the snow. Most people don't realize it but these Subarus are great on the beach too so we use ours for surf fishing. With 3500 miles on the Forester now, we are averaging 20.4 MPH. That includes a trip to Florida but most of the miles are city.

Very comfortable, visibility is super, and it's excellent in awful weather. I've owned a Forester before and this one is just enough bigger without being difficult to drive that it's definitely a step up! GREAT in difficult driving conditions and mileage is good too for it's size.

PROS:Versitility and resale values are among the best with these vehicles. There are many Subaru's with 200K+ miles on them and they are still running strong! Safety is 5star. From the grocery store to the ski slopes to home improvement projects, the Forester can do it all. CONS: Shifter is has a different feel than most vehicles. The hill assist take a bit to get use to and the center cupholders are square.

We've owned Nissans, Toyotas, Buicks, BMW, Cadillacs, Fords, Dodges...and this is the best car of any of them for the money. We took the Forester out on the beach this past weekend for fishing, through very soft sand and had no problem sailing through. The AWD feature is excellent! I've heard complaints about the transmission "searching" for gears on uphills but I find that if you pop the transmission lever into "Sport" mode, this problem goes away. I'm very happy with our decision to buy this car.

We just got this 2011 forester about a month ago. My wife drives it more then I do and she is very pleased with it. We are taking it on a trip this weekend and that will be the BIG test for it. This is our 5th Subaru & we love them !!

I already own a 2005 Legacy 2.5i, a 2008 Legacy GT (turbo) and now have added a 2011 Forrester XT (turbo). I'm 6'6" and have plenty of leg and headroom in this SUV. The 10 way power seat and tilt/telescopic steering wheel make it easy to find a great driving position. The large moonroof is amazing as is the interior styling. The steering wheel controls for the stereo and Bluetooth are a nice touch. The handsfree Bluetooth phone works very good and people on the other end say it sounds fine as long as I have the window up at highway speeds. The exterior styling is very good in my opinion. I love the aggressive hoodscoop that feeds cool air to the intercooler. The XT model with the turbo charged motor is fantastic! Very nice to have power to pass at will on 2 lane roads. I know the base engine would perform well but if you can afford the extra cost (premium fuel, lower mpg's and higher sticker) the XT is the way to go. I only have 670 miles on mine so far it I'm averaging 24 mpg in mixed driving. I know it'll get better when the motor is fully broken in but that is not bad at all considering the performance. All in all, I have 3 Subarus and they are very reliable and economical.