Forester 2.0X

[Deckbuild]

Interior looks dull as usual, unless using it for off road, plenty of better choices out there...

 

For me, I will definitely grab this if it's for off road, tested and proven in Top Gear Africa edition by Richard Hammond REX.

[Sforester]

Have already test drove the latest forester. A 2.0xt, 240hp @ 5.6rpm, 8 spd with cvt. Very nice pick up with ease of overtaking.. 3 modes. I , s and s +. I test drove in the s mode and tried s+ several times. Felt pretty good. No air scoop on hood though (not sure why they took it out). Decent dashboard (interior design is not scooby forte) but interior space is visibly bigger than that of predecessors. Love the ride but not the price. Going at about 150k.

[Sforester]

Thanks man. The vibration is it due to worn engine mountings or inherent in this model?

 

Besides wear and tear items, any other parts to look out for?

Nope.. Its inherent.. ihad it for 18 months before I went topless. :)

I have no complaints about it. It's a forester, so don't expect curvy slickly lines. I actually like the boxy lines and sturdy look. It's like buying a defender 90. You basically had an idea of what you would get out from a forester.

[Scandy]

Have already test drove the latest forester. A 2.0xt, 240hp @ 5.6rpm, 8 spd with cvt. Very nice pick up with ease of overtaking.. 3 modes. I , s and s +. I test drove in the s mode and tried s+ several times. Felt pretty good. No air scoop on hood though (not sure why they took it out). Decent dashboard (interior design is not scooby forte) but interior space is visibly bigger than that of predecessors. Love the ride but not the price. Going at about 150k.

 

Hi,

 

I've heard two versions why they removed the air scoop - both of which seem logical.

 

One is to give better visibility to the driver (they put in a lot of thought on visibility, including bonnet angle and bonnet light reflection which may cause distraction, when designing this newest Forester). It was mentioned at time 3 mins 30 sec of this official Subaru Forester Development video:

 

The other reason I heard is that it reduces the Cd. Seems they had fuel efficiency in mind, I guess to keep up with the competition.

 

I haven't test-driven the new Forester yet. Is it true that the new Forester, even with CVT, is very quiet? And with its supposedly STi-influenced suspensions, does it roll much during cornering?

 

 

[Fcw75]

Nope.. Its inherent.. ihad it for 18 months before I went topless. :)

I have no complaints about it. It's a forester, so don't expect curvy slickly lines. I actually like the boxy lines and sturdy look. It's like buying a defender 90. You basically had an idea of what you would get out from a forester.

 

Only 18 mths? Which topless car now bro?

 

Yep, somehow I like the boxy styling of the forester too.

[Zaxx]

Hi,

 

I've heard two versions why they removed the air scoop - both of which seem logical.

 

One is to give better visibility to the driver (they put in a lot of thought on visibility, including bonnet angle and bonnet light reflection which may cause distraction, when designing this newest Forester). It was mentioned at time 3 mins 30 sec of this official Subaru Forester Development video:

 

The other reason I heard is that it reduces the Cd. Seems they had fuel efficiency in mind, I guess to keep up with the competition.

 

I haven't test-driven the new Forester yet. Is it true that the new Forester, even with CVT, is very quiet? And with its supposedly STi-influenced suspensions, does it roll much during cornering?

 

To add to that what are the features of the sg specced models?does it come with drl, hid etc

 

[Sforester]

Only 18 mths? Which topless car now bro?

 

Yep, somehow I like the boxy styling of the forester too.

Got z4 before I pass it on to my colleague for a combination of reasons (overseas posting, wife nagging about the low ride, etc).. Anyway, I will also suggest that you go for the turbo version if within your means.. Price gap is not that far apart..

[Scandy]

Thanks man. The vibration is it due to worn engine mountings or inherent in this model?

 

Besides wear and tear items, any other parts to look out for?

 

Most Subarus of that time have some teething problems - nothing big, but they are almost definitely there.

 

For the Forester, you'll get wind noise from the frameless doors (coming from between the window and door frame), something which cannot be fixed within reasonable means and can be quite irritating - don't have to repair, just blast the stereo will do. Depending on your luck, other common minor problems for Foresters that age include rear bearings wearing out, ABS module breaking down (don't have to repair if you don't mind the dashboard ABS+handbrake lights), power steering fluid leakage. And a few other things lah...haha...but nothing really frightening. The most expensive would be the self-levelling rear suspensions leaking oil, but if its 8 years old, just don't care about it and drive on.

 

One thing to note is that Subarus still use timing belts which have to be changed every 100k km. And knowing that the mileage or used cars here is never accurate, it might be safer to change the timing belt after you get it (around $850-900). After all, an average 8 year old car should be approaching 200k km. So you may want to add this to the cost of the car.

 

Gearbox and engine seemed quite strong - never heard of any complaints regarding these for the model you referred to. But since its a used car, it also greatly depends on how the previous owner took care of it. Best if you can bring it to a pro-Subaru workshop for check before committing (I heard that only pro Subaru workshops can do this properly).

 

 

[Sforester]

Hi,

 

I've heard two versions why they removed the air scoop - both of which seem logical.

 

One is to give better visibility to the driver (they put in a lot of thought on visibility, including bonnet angle and bonnet light reflection which may cause distraction, when designing this newest Forester). It was mentioned at time 3 mins 30 sec of this official Subaru Forester Development video:

 

The other reason I heard is that it reduces the Cd. Seems they had fuel efficiency in mind, I guess to keep up with the competition.

 

I haven't test-driven the new Forester yet. Is it true that the new Forester, even with CVT, is very quiet? And with its supposedly STi-influenced suspensions, does it roll much during cornering?

I still find the cvt pairing a tad strange though I do agree that it's quieter.. I did some mild cornering (much to the uneasiness of my co-pilot SE)... After all, it's a still an SUV, so body roll is still evident.. The SE was tentative that I try the s# mode.. I am not about to test drive a forester in the granny mode, eh?? Anyway, I hardly floored test drives cos I do consider my passenger safety in mind.:) at least its direct injection turbo now (unlike before), so its more efficient and so the FC should be slightly better. Specs and features are good.. Try it..

[Scandy]

To add to that what are the features of the sg specced models?does it come with drl, hid etc

 

 

Oooh, sorry I don't know because I've never seen the SG models yet. And MI website also doesn't show the specs of this new Forester yet.

 

SForester will probably have more knowledge of this, since he's test driven the car.

 

 

[ChickenMob]

I just got the SG9 2.5T 07 recently. Tested the non turbo feels alittle laggy maybe due to

The heavy weight. So far no complaints about the car, power is there as and when u needs it

But the FC is alittle on the high side, for me about 7 km/L plus minus.

 

Currently on lower coilovers, but your passengers will not like it as its too

Stiff best keep to stock suspension. If FC is on yr mind, the non turbo version will be

More suitable my friend getting 10-11km/L light footer

[Fcw75]

Most Subarus of that time have some teething problems - nothing big, but they are almost definitely there.

 

For the Forester, you'll get wind noise from the frameless doors (coming from between the window and door frame), something which cannot be fixed within reasonable means and can be quite irritating - don't have to repair, just blast the stereo will do. Depending on your luck, other common minor problems for Foresters that age include rear bearings wearing out, ABS module breaking down (don't have to repair if you don't mind the dashboard ABS+handbrake lights), power steering fluid leakage. And a few other things lah...haha...but nothing really frightening. The most expensive would be the self-levelling rear suspensions leaking oil, but if its 8 years old, just don't care about it and drive on.

 

One thing to note is that Subarus still use timing belts which have to be changed every 100k km. And knowing that the mileage or used cars here is never accurate, it might be safer to change the timing belt after you get it (around $850-900). After all, an average 8 year old car should be approaching 200k km. So you may want to add this to the cost of the car.

 

Gearbox and engine seemed quite strong - never heard of any complaints regarding these for the model you referred to. But since its a used car, it also greatly depends on how the previous owner took care of it. Best if you can bring it to a pro-Subaru workshop for check before committing (I heard that only pro Subaru workshops can do this properly).

 

 

Appreciate your info, thanks man!

 

[Fcw75]

Got z4 before I pass it on to my colleague for a combination of reasons (overseas posting, wife nagging about the low ride, etc).. Anyway, I will also suggest that you go for the turbo version if within your means.. Price gap is not that far apart..

 

 

Thanks again bro.

[Scandy]

I still find the cvt pairing a tad strange though I do agree that it's quieter.. I did some mild cornering (much to the uneasiness of my co-pilot SE)... After all, it's a still an SUV, so body roll is still evident.. The SE was tentative that I try the s# mode.. I am not about to test drive a forester in the granny mode, eh?? Anyway, I hardly floored test drives cos I do consider my passenger safety in mind.:) at least its direct injection turbo now (unlike before), so its more efficient and so the FC should be slightly better. Specs and

features are good.. Try it..

 

 

Hey thanks man.

 

Yeah, I want to try it and have even written to MI, but at $151k it seems way over-priced. I think there's some room for a price drop in the next few months, especially if they plug up the long/high loan loophole.

 

Another problem is that a week ago, wife suggested moving to a bigger place because she wants an extra bedroom as a walk-in wardrobe. Urgh!!! So I have to wait and see what I'm left with after moving. Or better yet, at least until this wish dies a natural death (sometimes she forgets after a while).

 

 

[Fuelsaver]

Hi,

 

I've heard two versions why they removed the air scoop - both of which seem logical.

 

One is to give better visibility to the driver (they put in a lot of thought on visibility, including bonnet angle and bonnet light reflection which may cause distraction, when designing this newest Forester). It was mentioned at time 3 mins 30 sec of this official Subaru Forester Development video:

 

The other reason I heard is that it reduces the Cd. Seems they had fuel efficiency in mind, I guess to keep up with the competition.

 

I haven't test-driven the new Forester yet. Is it true that the new Forester, even with CVT, is very quiet? And with its supposedly STi-influenced suspensions, does it roll much during cornering?

SE told me for better cooling efficiency compared to scoop.

[Cheepo]

Hi,

 

I've heard two versions why they removed the air scoop - both of which seem logical.

 

One is to give better visibility to the driver (they put in a lot of thought on visibility, including bonnet angle and bonnet light reflection which may cause distraction, when designing this newest Forester). It was mentioned at time 3 mins 30 sec of this official Subaru Forester Development video:

 

The other reason I heard is that it reduces the Cd. Seems they had fuel efficiency in mind, I guess to keep up with the competition.

 

I haven't test-driven the new Forester yet. Is it true that the new Forester, even with CVT, is very quiet? And with its supposedly STi-influenced suspensions, does it roll much during cornering?

 

Great video. I like the part where the visibility design took into consideration the height of a small children standing outside the SUV.

 

[Cheepo]

Great video. I like the part where the visibility design took into consideration the height of a small children standing outside the SUV.

 

I went to the showroom to have a look at it. I must say it looks neither here nor there. Nothing distinctive about it. The 2 previous versions of the Forester look better.

 

[Quantum]

Most Subarus of that time have some teething problems - nothing big, but they are almost definitely there.

 

For the Forester, you'll get wind noise from the frameless doors (coming from between the window and door frame), something which cannot be fixed within reasonable means and can be quite irritating - don't have to repair, just blast the stereo will do. Depending on your luck, other common minor problems for Foresters that age include rear bearings wearing out, ABS module breaking down (don't have to repair if you don't mind the dashboard ABS+handbrake lights), power steering fluid leakage. And a few other things lah...haha...but nothing really frightening. The most expensive would be the self-levelling rear suspensions leaking oil, but if its 8 years old, just don't care about it and drive on.

 

One thing to note is that Subarus still use timing belts which have to be changed every 100k km. And knowing that the mileage or used cars here is never accurate, it might be safer to change the timing belt after you get it (around $850-900). After all, an average 8 year old car should be approaching 200k km. So you may want to add this to the cost of the car.

 

Gearbox and engine seemed quite strong - never heard of any complaints regarding these for the model you referred to. But since its a used car, it also greatly depends on how the previous owner took care of it. Best if you can bring it to a pro-Subaru workshop for check before committing (I heard that only pro Subaru workshops can do this properly).

Are you sure new forester still use timing belts?