In surveys that J.D. Power and Associates has conducted with owners of the Subaru Forester, the people that actually own one told us what they like and don’t like about their car.

What Owners Like:

“Gas mileage – love it.”

“Gas mileage is great for small SUV.”

“Forester is fun to drive around town.”

“Performance is greater than expected.”

“Responsive and fun to drive.”

“Driving dynamics – pleasant, confident, stable.”

“Great in snow.”

“Excellent handling in snow/ice.”

“Stability and agility when driving on snow and ice.”

“High ground clearance for deep snow.”

“Easy to steer into tight places.”

“Excellent turning radius.”

“Ride is very comfortable.”

“Ride is very smooth for [an] SUV.”

“Smooth, quiet ride [and] responsive handling.”

“Excellent handling and ease of use.”

“Abundant cargo space.”

“Easy to load/unload rear compartment.”

“Amazing amount of space available inside for passengers and packages.”

“[I like the] front and rear seat leg room [and] comfort.”

“Roomy back seat.”

“Improved leg room in back seat – yeah!”

“I like the height – better for getting in and out of car.”

“Driver’s seat nice height for entry.”

“Driver seat [is] very comfortable, like it is hugging you.”

“Headroom great for tall people.”

“Excellent long trip comfort.”

“Interior layout is very well thought out.”

“Very easy to read dashboard at night.”

“Gauges are easy to see at night, but do not ruin the [driver’s] night vision.”

“Controls for heating [and] AC…intuitive to operate.”

“Visibility from inside the vehicle.”

“Visibility great from all angles.”

“Interior stays clean and avoids lint.”

“Really love the fabric. [It’s] easy to clean.”

“Exterior styling is way better than last year.”

“Fit and finish – above average attention to detail.”

“High quality paint on exterior.”

“Construction is solid and feels well built.”

“Overall quality [is] outstanding.”

“Reliability is outstanding.”

“Safety features are impressive.”

“Safety – myself and my dogs survived a head-on accident in a Forester, which is why I bought another one.”

“It is very safe. That is very important to us.”



What Owners Don’t Like:

“I was hoping for better gas mileage.”

“I thought I would get better gas mileage.”

“Highway mpg not as advertised.”

“Gas mileage less than advertised.”

“Gas mileage has not come close to estimated mpg.”

“[I don’t like the] fuel range.”

“Fuel gauge is not very accurate.”

“Gas tank lever is hard to reach while in the driver’s seat.”

“Needs an overdrive for better fuel economy at high speeds.”

“Turbo engine not available with manual transmission.”

“At times it is difficult to shift gears.”

“Transmission – [I’m] concerned about lagging, slipping. Dealer says, don’t worry.”

“Vehicle dynamic control malfunctioned. Dealer did nothing.”

“[The] car floats on grooved highways. Could be the tires.”

“[The Forester] is not aerodynamic. Constantly battling windy conditions.”

“[I don’t like the] handling in strong winds.”

“High winds affect control of car on freeways.”

“Wind and road noise.”

“Driver’s seat is uncomfortable.”

“Still needs good, comfortable, front seat armrests.”

“[I don’t like the limited] passenger seat height, comfort, adjustability.”

“[I don’t like] the differences [between] the driver [and] the passenger seat.”

“[Front] passenger seat should have the same comfort features as the driver’s seat.”

“[I don’t like the] seat adjustments – right [seat].”

“Passenger seat positions [are] way too low.”

“Passenger seat too low.”

“Passenger seat height [should] be adjustable.”

“The rear seats aren’t very comfortable.”

“Seats are uncomfortable on long trips.”

“Seats stain easily.”

“I’m not sure I like the fabric on the seats.”

“Would prefer a more durable fabric on seats.”

“No adjustable pedals available on this car.”

“No key entry on passenger door.”

“I don’t like the cupholders.”

“Cupholder does not accommodate round travel mug.”

“[Front] cupholders seem too big and my drinks move around.”

“Console between front seats [is] too far back [and] difficult to reach.”

“Center console storage [is] too deep and not easy to access.”

“Center console needs to be reconfigured.”

“I don’t understand the cubby hole at the bottom of the console.”

“I miss the compartment in the middle of the dash.”

“Far too few [storage] compartments on driver’s side.”

“Glovebox is very small.”

“The top of the CD player gets pretty hot when in use.”

“[I] think a 6-disc CD player should be standard.”

“The radio/CD controls are hard to figure out, [and the] panel scratches too easily.”

“Interior markings and instrumentation extremely difficult to read, especially in low light [conditions] or very bright sunlight.”

“Poor visibility of instruments in normal daylight.”

“Environmental controls [are] hard to read [but] nighttime is OK because then they are lit.”

“Red dash lights – cheesy.”

“[I don’t like the] ordinary visors coupled with oversize windshield.”

“Sky roof window needs to be tinted.”

“Should have a little more cargo space.”

“[The Forester] holds less than I thought.”

“Smaller rear cargo [space] than expected.”

“Rear cargo space [is] cramped and small.”

“Unusual electrical connector for trailer hook up in trunk.”

“[Hatch] is heavy. Should pop right up.”

“Back [hatch] is too hard to lift up and close.”

“Back hatch door [is] difficult to open or shut.”

“[I] prefer the 2008 Forester roof rack.”

“Low beam headlights have very sharp distance cut-off.”

“Interior scratches easily.”

“Cheap plastics and materials.”

“Interior rattles drive you crazy.”

“Purchased All Weather Package but this didn’t include fog lamps. Seems it should have.”

“[I don’t like] the front end styling.”

“Front end isn’t all that attractive.”

“The front end styling looks like a Hyundai.”

“Doesn’t seem to be as rugged as other SUVs.”