- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
177kW, 350Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 8.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2013)
2016 Subaru Forester 2.0xt Premium Review
I bought my Forester XT Premium in March and love it.
- Power, Comfort, Ride, Quiet, Safety
- Lack of lumber support adjustment
It has Travelled 5000km now and is averaging 9.2lt per 100km (note it only runs on 98). The turbo engine makes really good power and you rarely have to do more than breathe on the accelerator to keep up with traffic. I find the CVT in the Subies really good and a superior experience to the traditional stepped autos. I do a reasonable amount of travel on the two way stretches of highway, and when you’re out on the wrong side of the road overtaking it makes short work of it and blasts by. I did test drive the diesel and it was okay but what I read and heard about DPF on diesel vehicles turned me off. I also drove some NA Foresters between Wagga and Bathurst and found the power really lacking in the hills.
The ride is really good and absorbs bumps no problem and doesn’t get bounced offline by mid corner bumps. In fact the car sits up really well for something that is tall and doesn’t wallow all over the place. The brakes are okay and do the job, but I’d like a little more braking power as sometimes you really have to apply more oomph than expected.
I used to have a 2012 Liberty and jumping out of that and into this I found the seat squab a bit flat and not as comfy however after a 4 hour trip I find I’m not as fatigued when I step out of the car upon arrival. There is no lumber support adjustment option which I’d expect in a Premium version. Vision is great in the Forester and the 7” touchscreen a nice feature. I have had trouble though getting Pandora to work via Bluetooth. Works fine via USB but I’d expect it to work via Bluetooth as well. The sound quality is fine and the controls easy to use. I do note that there is a solid 1 second delay when switching between sources via the steering wheel controls and this was never an issue with the Liberty.
The Forster is really quiet at highway speeds and you can talk in normal voices. I find the A/C not as effective as my previous cars but put this down to it having to heat or cool a much bigger cabin space than a sedan. The heated fully electric seats though are awesome, don’t think I’ll ever buy a car without them again.
The Eyesight technology io overall very good but annoying at times. I’ve had instances where at a busy intersection I’ve timed my run and in getting the car moving as the last car passes across the front the Eyesight applies the brakes which causes me to curse it. The adaptive cruise is handy and I like how you can adjust the gap. Great for when you are stuck behind those buffoons who are unable to maintain a steady speed.
At this stage I’d definitely buy another one when the warranty runs out. Nice to drive, plenty of load space, really comfy and plenty of get up and go when you need it.