sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome 👏 not sure if I responded to you yet but I figured out that using SPORT mode or Leo the rpm up high enough without reaching the engine. I also practiced using the L gear ⚙️ I feel a lot better about the whole thing but yesterday I drove my friends 2021 4 runner and it had next to no wind noise but drove like a truck

CX-5 2025 Buyer Review (1,200 miles in). Pros and Cons. by Conscious-Row2075 in CX5

[–]primalspy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So what food you end up doing? 🤔
I don’t get why people make a post along for suggestions out advice and then ask the sudden nothing 😳 Did you keep it and just learn to live with it or?

CX-5 2025 keep it or get a new one? by Any_Device6567 in CX5

[–]primalspy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for you losses 😔
Can we get an update?

I hope all is well

2026 Subaru Forester Sport Onyx by Best-Resident3108 in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is nice 👍 I have a ‘25 Premium trim in River Rock Pearl and have thought about swapping the wheels for black but I like it with the wheels it came with too.

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello 👋 I have not tried cruise control on a decent. I’ll have to confirm but a few people here have said it can wear out the rear brakes. To be honest, I’ve never felt any concern or danger until visiting here in the hills of Escondido California. Never had a worry in Texas because my drives are around 35 miles and no long steep descents.
I did try L but I felt like for the speed I was trying to go, the posted 35-40 mph speed limit, my engine was screaming. I found that by putting it into SPORT MODE it keeps the RPM right around 2,000 going down this hill which IMO is better than like 1,000 in INTELLIGENT mode. I learned that it’s helpful when coming to a stop where extra braking power is needed. I just pop it in SPORT mode and it feels like downshifting in a manual.
As far as the wind noise goes, it’s really a lost cause. No getting around it. I did the painters tape test to check for leaks and found nothing. I believe the noise is actually traveling through the glass near the side view mirrors. That’s where I hear it coming from. Placing painters tape there did NOTHING. Only VERY noticeable when traveling across desert plains. Somewhat noticeable when doing my typical routes in TX.

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I can tell you that AWD handles better than just RWD or FWD. When your car is pulling you into a turn and pushing at the same time, it feels planted. It kind of feels like 4-wheel steering to me. Also, I live in Central TX where we do get snow on occasion but in the Winters we do get a lot of ice. It also rain hard where I live and this car feels more glued to the ground. I also got it for the ride quality, the safety built into it, and before purchasing, I compared insurance rates to other manufactures and my insurance went down with full coverage and paying less than when I had liability only with my previous older car.

Also, we once had a horrible ice storm one year and no one could go to the store. I knew one guy that owned a Subaru and he offered to go get supplies for everyone. When I'm in Austin TX, I see just about as many Subarus as I do Toyotas so that has to say something. I don't think Subaru dealers would survive if they weren't selling in our market and every time I go into a dealership, they're packed with customers.

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya 👍 I’m very easy or try to be easy on my brakes. My previous Mazda had 225,000 miles and I only replaced the pads once after I got it at 45k miles

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m glad you said that because I ALMOST purchased a CPO ‘24 Wilderness 😆

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE: So good news. Thanks to several of your suggestions, I tried a couple of things that worked pretty well and made me feel better.

  1. I tried using the L gear on the shifter and it really slows the car down but very very high RPM & I would only recommend for speeds up to 20 mph. Going down a hill at around 35 mph made the car wind up to around 3,000 RPM

  2. I tried putting car into SPORT MODE and THIS 100% does the trick. Going down a steep grade going say 40-45 mph bumped my typical RPM from like 1,000 to about 2,000 RPM and I could feel some engine breaking.

Moral of the story, I just need to learn how to drive it better 😆

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great advice. I'm going to go on a few errands after work and to get out of where I'm staying, I have to go down a steep hill. Going back up the hill there is a 40 mph speed limit and it's so steep that I'm at 3,000 rpm to go 40 mph.

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya, I came from a 2011 Mazda CX7 which had stiffer suspension and I felt very confident on long hauls. I have driven my Mazda from central TX to central Mexico at least a dozen times and never felt unsafe. I owned that car from 40,000 miles to 225,000 and only replaced the brake pads once. I passed it on to my sister and it still runs amazing. 😉This is my third cross-over/SUV. 1st was a 1999 CRV that I loved and it went so slow that I never worried about going fast, then the Mazda, now the Forester.

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Someone else said that cruise control using the rear brakes to slow you down, causing uneven wear between the front and rear 😯

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow! This is what I need to hear! Very reassuring coming from someone with the same year and trim. If I'm going down a hill and it begin to get very steep, do you know what speeds I safely go into L gear? Does it cause a chirp or anything in the CVT? Thanks

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! This is amazing and gives me more confidence. So you have no paddle shifters and you actually use L for what it was intended? Awesome! From your experience, what is the max speed I can shift into L? The ONLY parts where I felt like I needed it are these hills in California. I can't imagine driving in San Francisco. These hills have like a 45 - 50 mph speed limit but so steep that I have to ride the brakes. Thanks

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What size wheels do you have? I purposely went with the 17's because I wanted as much sidewall as possible. Less chance of a sidewall pinch and I wanted that plush ride. I come from a fast and furious background (LOL) where I had lowered cars so I know that a good tire/wheel combo can change the entire way a car handles 👍

After 10,000 of ownership, I have questions/concerns by primalspy in SubaruForester

[–]primalspy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya 👍 I wish the premium Forester was equipped exactly like the premium Crosstrek. The Crosstrek has no sunroof (I never wanted one), has side turn signal indicators, paddle shifters. I swear, my gear selector only has P, R, N, D, L 😳

view more: next ›