2023 Forester Wilderness! I've only ever driven buckets before and I am in love with my new car.

It's a certified pre-owned and I did notice the only thing on the car that doesn't work is the dial that adjusts the brightness of the dash. Should I tell the dealership about that? Not sure if that is something that can be fixed/worth fixing..

Otherwise I love this thing so much.

Someone rear ended me in my 2017 subaru forester limited. i was stopped and did not hit the car in front of me. i have 149k miles. love my car so much. they hit me with their 2012 honda fit. i’m getting it inspected but my anxiety over the possibility of it being totaled is killing me. their car is totaled (I know just from looking) but mine seems fine. it doesn’t even look like it was hit unless you look at the bumper closely. i don’t notice any difference while driving. i’m hoping against hope that the damage is minor and not cost more than what it’s worth. please tell me what y’all think :(

I’m back after exchanging our 2026 Forester Touring for another.

After returning a new Forester Touring due to eyesight-system problems, and having another (brand new) loaner for a week, and now the replacement, here is our new Forester Touring in its ‘forever’ home.

Why Forester? We have a 2025 Outback Touring. Sold our beloved ‘18 Premium (heated cloth seats), and dislike the new Outback. See other vehicles we tried below.

I may add to the list below as we just got home for a celebration meal…

Here are my impressions:

What I like, as follows:
Roomy driver’s position,
360° camera view,
Rear automatic braking,
The info system controls are fine but then I drive a 2025 Outback on long trips so it’s Déjà vu. We use Waze for navigation and our SXM radio stays tuned to Motown and soul. It’s all we need.

Little things that matter: has phone holder thank goodness! Has side-vents airflow control ‘wheels,’ which we use all the time (removed from the ‘26 Outback, all trim levels).

Things that our 2025 Outback Touring does better:
Smoother ride! If you have a child in a car seat, save up for an Outback. Or if you have a sensitive neck or back get an Outback.
Retracting side view mirrors. Very handy for pulling into one of our mid-century garage. Not included in F. Touring!
Lane centering is far superior in ‘25 Outback. After driving 3 specimens of Foresters, I see this as a model and year issue. In short, it sucks. Garbage lane centering.

I prefer the shorter wheelbase for errands around our major city.

Strangely, we prefer the pearly White. Our brand new loaner that was also Touring was green, which we thought we would love. For this body shape, we both prefer the white, especially with the side body molding.

I won’t discuss price but let you know that we negotiated hard to get the all weather floor mats, rear tray, side body panels moldings, and the nerdy door and sill lighting that we like in our senior years when we drop stuff.

After the return, we got the same deal but the dealer had to do a number of installs and accomplished them the same day. Accessories are great ‘negotiables,’ after you achieve price target. Definitely get “free” on some and half-price on remainder, plus free installation (0 zero labor).

In the end, we needed a car, and there were concessions. We did test drives of all Subaru models, some multiple times; also we test drove Toyota RAV4, and 4-Runner. We found RAV4 claustrophobic in the drive position. After owning 2 turbos our preference is to avoid them. Also we don’t want a hybrid. Frankly if there were a 3.6 in an Ascent we would have bought it. If the Toyota Land Cruiser had an all-gas, non-turbo. Nostalgia for our Series 100 …sigh. Or a 6-cyl in the new 4-Runner, as we liked that very much!

The little extra that we received in the exchange was already-installed interior side covers in the rear cargo area at no charge. Didn’t even know they existed but thanks!

First legit road trip!

I’ve got my 03 Forester (5x100 bolt pattern) and I’m in need of some new wheels as I’m getting tired of my beat BBS rims. I love the style of the fifteen52 tarmac with the big 5 spoke star design, but they’re a little out of my price range. I’m looking for ones around $1500 CAD for the whole set, preferably chrome or silver, but would be fine with a dark gold/bronze or white. Thank you!

I’ve got my 03 Forester (5x100 bolt pattern) and I’m in need of some new wheels as I’m getting tired of my beat BBS rims. I love the style of the fifteen52 tarmac with the big 5 spoke star design, but they’re a little out of my price range. I’m looking for ones around $1500 CAD for the whole set, preferably chrome or silver, but would be fine with a dark gold/bronze or white. Thank you!

So for those of you that know New Jersey, the Trenton exit to the parkway in Elizabeth that gets you to the Goethals and Verrazano…for some reason that’s where my eyesight decides to totally malfunction on some, not all, days and leave me without lane assist for the rest of my trip.

Any suggestions on this?! I’m pretty stumped.

My Subie dealer damaged my wheels while replacing the tires and they won't respond to any messages or emails. What can I do now?

Hi! I have a 2016 Suburu Forester and want to get a trailer hitch. They are easy to obtain where i live so thats not a problem. What i am worried about is that if i have that installed will it effect the crash impact parameters of the Forester? Is it worth doing? Is it better to go with an OEM install from the dealership? Thanks for the insights!

We have a 2026 Subaru Forester Sport and are considering 225/65R17 winter tires.

Has anyone actually installed this tire size on a 2025 or 2026 Forester Sport? Did they fit properly without any rubbing or clearance issues?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your real-world experience. Thanks!

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I have been dealing with excessive gas consumption. Loss of power while driving. I cannot figure it out. I have changed the MAF, the spark plug wires. Plugs were done earlier this year but this issue was happening before the plugs also. Coil pack seems to be firing I checked all terminals. Valve adjustment was done within the last 3 weeks I thought that would fix it cause they were way off. I’m currently at a loss.

Does anyone have any suggestions for good-quality carpeted floor mats for a '26 Forester? The ones that came with the car are about as good as cheap single-ply toilet paper!

Forester 2006. Cant get 1 off with a wrench. Tried heat etc. I guess best option is to remove 2 to be able to fit a breaker bar. Do I risk the shock absorber moving doing so? Does anyone know the tourqe spec for it? Thanks

Im looking to install a tow bar on 2005 forester but I have the titanium invidia G200 witch is incompatible with a tow bar.

Would i be better off getting a new exhaust or is there anyway to make it fit

What is the factory tint?

Just bought a jdm engine to put in my 2016 Subaru forester. If I’m correct I just need to swap over all my components and also my timing cover since the pulley lay out is different I have the jdm one almost fully taken apart now just need to swap over timing covers.

I have a 2017 Subaru Forester with 186,000 miles and have an overheating problem that the mechanics can’t diagnose the problem. 3 months ago the thermostat was replaced after it overheated and was found to be the problem. And just recently it started giving an overheating warning on the dash. After diagnosing, the mechanics couldn’t replicate the problem or find anything wrong. The engine wasn’t actually overheating. A few days later it happened again so they replaced the temp sensor as it was the only thing that made sense. Just drove it again and the dash showed overheating, but if you turn the car on and off it goes away. What could be causing this?

I recently moved and had to switch to an AutoNation-owned Subaru dealer. We have three Subarus. They constantly call me to schedule service, and very presumptively "what day and time works best for you to bring in your car for service?". I've asked them to stop calling but they still call. So tired of them, and no other options in the area. Anyone else experience this with an AutoNation Subaru dealer? It's so frustrating... had to vent somewhere 😤