2019 Subaru Forester: FULL REVIEW + DRIVE | Functional and Family Friendly!
![2019 Subaru Forester: FULL REVIEW + DRIVE | Functional and Family Friendly! 2019 Subaru Forester: FULL REVIEW + DRIVE | Functional and Family Friendly!](/pic/2019_subaru_forester_full_review_drive_functional_and_family_friendly_/SWdJU0tSS2huLTg_.jpeg)
What's. Going on YouTube. Subaru. Has been making crossovers. Long before, they were the in thing and it, has built a very loyal following of people, now. Fast forward to 2019. And we're standing here with the fifth generation, which, has all the modern upgrades, that people demand, but, without reinventing the wheel. Of. Course we do want to specially thank our friends, at Quantrell, Subaru for providing us with this fully loaded forest or touring and if. You're in the market for any new Subaru, be sure to stop by their dealership or visit, them via their website which we provided a link to in the video description. So. With that said let's go ahead and see if this new forester, has further expanded, its appeal. So. Getting started with the exterior. It is a clear evolution, from the outgoing model, the. Grille for instance is almost exactly the same shape but, the chrome and the inside texture, are slightly, different, the. More substantial. Difference is in the lower grille where, all the black has been expanded. Upwards, to make it look more rugged than before. Now. This year also sees the introduction, of a new sport trim which, changes several things from the other trims, like the blacked out grille and orange, accents, all around the vehicle. Turning. To the headlights, they also look practically, identical to, the last gen except. That these LEDs, are now standard, on all models instead, of just being on the Touring and. Finally. On the bottom you'll find fog, lights on the top three trims as well, as an excellent 8.7. Inches of ground clearance, on all the trims. Going. Around to the rest of the vehicle again most of the changes are very conservative, but, you will probably notice the biggest styling update which are the new tail lights they've. Got an interesting boomerang, design to them now and some, of the lights within the housing, are LED. Dropping. Down this bumper area is fully black on most models however. The sport would have an orange accent, and this Touring gets the silver surrounds. So. Overall Subaru, didn't mess with success much, when it comes to the exterior, styling, but. The changes they did make were for the better now. As. Far as the wheels are concerned they have changed, thoroughly, from the outgoing model. Every. Trim gets their own design, so. On the top three trims you have 18 inch alloys in three, different styles then. Dropping down to the premium, gets you 17, inch alloys and the, base model of 17, inches Pheo wheels. Heading. On up to the mirrors you'll find body colouring and heating on all but the base model, and auto, dimming is available, via popular, package, three, additionally. The limited, in up includes standard, blind spot detection with. Rear cross-traffic alert. And. On. The topic of safety, the foresters excellent, eyesight safety. Package has gotten even better for 2019, since, it's now standard, across the board that. Means. Even the base model, will have pre-collision, braking lane-keeping, assist and, adaptive. Cruise control. Additionally. High-beam, assist is included, on the sport and up and this, touring also comes with rear automatic, braking. Those. Taken, together with its top safety pick+, rating, makes the Forester certainly one of the safest options, in the class. Finally. All but the base model will come with roof rails and every. Forester has a 16 point six gallon fuel tank. That's. Good for 481. Miles of range on regular, unleaded fuel. But, anyways that's it for all the exterior, changes so, now let's go ahead and get inside and see the all-new cabin. So. On the Forester, you do have Subaru smart entry system, on, the Sport, trim and, up or, it is optional on the premium, trip you. Can also remote start via the starlet. And then of course to get inside all you do is grab the handle because there is a sensor behind it. All righty so checking out the cabin, of the all, new, Subaru, Forester, as you, can see it shares a lot of the same styling, characteristics. As many of the other Subaru. Models, now. There's going to be quite a few different ways you can equip this interior so. On your base through, your sport trim the seats are going to be cloth and then, on the limited, and touring you're gonna get real leather, and.
Then As far as your color options, there's a lot of different ones so, your Basin premium you're gonna have black or gray cloth only, the. Sport though is gonna go with a grey cloth with, special, orange accents. Going. Out to a lot of Tikas you black or gray leather and then, on the Touring like this one you've got the option of black like we have or an exclusive, brown color. That's. Hurting over here is good torch, it, is very nicely appointed, as, you can see you've got a leather material, that goes all the way down through here with a nice stitching detail through it and then it additionally goes all the way up to the very top for, you to rest your elbow on. Would. You also have kind of a faux. Carbon, fiber trim right through here. Now. Your front two windows are one touch automatic and. You will find two person memory seating on the touring, trim only. Coming. Down to the seats you will find these 10-way, power adjusting. Seats on all but the base trim with manual seats and. Then. Like I was saying we do have the real leather feels. Very nice and it does have a really attractive, stitching. And perforation. Design. So, like I said the actual styling, of the cabin, is pretty much in line with all the other Subaru models and the. Materials, are also in line with those models as well. So. Across the upper - we do have a soft touch plastic, with a nice stitching detail through it and then. Here on the Touring at least we've got this textured. Leather as well, as the extra leather Rhett patch right here. Additionally. We do have some more leather trim that comes all the way down through here for your knee to rest against and everything in here fits together really, really well and really solidly. On. A, sport and up just, press the button to start. When, you do you will see this 8 inch display fire up on most, of the models however, on your basic trims you do have a 6 inch display instead. Now. Checking out your gauges here they do have the typical, Subaru design so, you've got analog gauges and then a 4.2. Inch multifunction, display in the middle. This. Does contain some basic, information, however. You'll find that most of the information is actually located over, here at this six point three inch, display, that. Comes on the sport, and up. For. This you'll just use the info button on the steering wheel and you can cycle through different things like your safety system some off-road modes just, tons, of different things even the weather.
And, You'll also notice another. Little thing here that black, sensor, across the top now that is on the touring only, and that's, the new driver focus, system so basically that's actually monitoring. Your face so. If you look, away from the road or get distracted for, more than three seconds, it, the system will remind you to pay attention and, if you become unresponsive it, can actually stop the car completely. Now. Moving back to the steering wheel itself of course you do have electric power assisted steering and, you will nicely find, a leather-wrapped wheel on all but the very base model. You. Have your standard fare buttons up here for. Your phone audio and voice commands, then over here you got your buttons for your adaptive cruise control as wise, your drive modes. Here. On the terrain from the steering wheel is also heated. And. The wheel itself will always be manual, tilt and telescoping. Now. One of the Foresters signature, characteristics. Has always been having, more interior, space than you'd expect from the outside, and that, does carry over for the 2009. Team on you so. Turning over here to your console. Open. It up and. You do have a little removable piece right here but. Then underneath the edge you can see it is very deep, and you do have a felt lining down at the bottom as well initially. There is a 12-volt, outlet inside. Been. Affirm that you've got a little shelf here which would be good for setting your phone to, cupholders and then, another giant bin up here in the front which. Does contain another, 12-volt, outlet two charging USB ports as well as an aux jack it's. Overall as you can see there is a lot of storage. Now, Subaru was able to do that without going, to an electronic, shifter that some of the rivals have gone to except. For this it's very simple you just pull back for Drive of course and then you can't bump over here to the left of shift manually, through. These seven simulated, gears right. Here or, via. These paddle, shifters. When. You go into reverse you'll. Find a standard, backup camera, across all models. There. Is no 360-degree, option but as you can see this is a very clear, system. You do have the active trajectory, as well and then. At least here on the upper trims the, mirror actually tilts down to show, you the parking, lines better. And. Then back behind the shifter you do have an electronic, parking brake as well, as a brake, hold feature. Over. Here next to it you will notice this knob labeled. X mode this. Of course is, a. System, at liking all other Subarus, it basically just optimizes. The, powertrain, throttle, response all-wheel, drive system all, types of different things just for whatever circumstance, you may find yourself in mud dirt or, just a normal mode. And. Then over here we do have the two-stage, heated seats that comes on the sport, and up, however, there is no ventilation option. On any trim. Now moving on up the next stop here is the climate control now. For, this all new forester you go to a automatic. Climate control setup, no matter what trim however. It is single zone on the lower trims and dual, zone on the limited and touring so. As you can see on this one you, can just adjust both sides independently. And, when you make those adjustments it, will show up up here on this secondary, display.
But. I do like how simple it is because everything is located nice, and easily right there. And. Now that brings us up here to the audio, system, now. The forester just comes with three different setups, you've got four six or nine speakers, so. The base model is four speakers the, most of the tones come with the six speaker system, however, on this touring, only, we, have the standard, nine speaker, five hundred seventy-six watt Harman, Kardon audio system, so, let's go ahead and take a sample of that. I. Have. To say sound quality of this system is excellent. But. Anyways that now brings us up here to the Subaru Starling system so let's go ahead and take a quick look, so. Like I said here on the limited trim you do have an 8 inch display, and then, you've also got some physical controls, underneath, to help you control it, so. You press the home button to take you to this page which is filled with all of your applications. Going. To, your apps this is where you'll find a lot of different things but. Most importantly, you'll find Android, auto and apple carplay. Now. These do come on both the 8 inch display and the six and a half inch displays, on the lower two trims, the. More or less covers all the highlights of the Subaru StarLink system, but. Of course we do have a detailed, in-depth, tutorial, available for those of you who want to find out more a link. To that video is provided in, the description. Moving. On up you will find an frameless, auto dimming mirror with homelink universal, remotes built in and this is actually an option across, all of the trims. However. One, really impressive, thing that is standard, on almost all of the trims is. This panoramic, moonroof. This. Is like I said standard on all the food base model, as you can see it is, giant and almost, the entire thing opens up so I'm really impressed by this feature to be included, on almost, every, model even the basic, affordable. Models. And, overall I'm really impressed by the Foresters, cabin, as a whole, Subaru. Continues. To mail all. The important, aspects, bergen omics, and functionality. And now, it's even taken a big step up in luxury as well. Now, I'll go ahead and hand it off to Mason, who will finish up the rest of the cabin. Coming. Around to the rear seat of the 2019, forester you're gonna find a really large amount of space for its class you'll. Find thirty-nine point four inches of rear legroom and thirty, nine point six inches of rear headroom which, does actually make it larger than the Subaru Outback as well, as most of the competitors. Now. Turning over here to the door trim on the touring model it is finished, super nicely so, you do have a leather wrap armrest, with, stitching, details going through the bottom and even. Here on the top portion it is leather wrapped and you have more stitching going through here as well, as some side waist entry, now. Did it additionally, your window is power here in the back and you do have door storage down in the bottom. Now, the seat itself can also recline, on this model and it does have the same perforation, as the front seat with some more stitching. Now. Here in the center the Forester is really well equipped so, all but the very base model will come standard with these rear vents and you, will also find plenty of features so on the Sport trim and higher you will have these two charging, USB ports, and on, the Touring trim you will also find two stage heated rear seats. Subaru. Does also give you an armrest it does fold down and it, even has same black piano trim around. Top. You have a dome light as, well as a really nice headliner, and an.
Assister I, do. Also want to point out that the panoramic, moonroof really does help air out the cabin back here it makes you feel like you have a lot more Headroom than you actually do. And. As far as rear space is concerned like I said this is bigger than most of the rivals and even the outback so, behind drew seating position, I probably have six, to eight inches of rear legroom and, my feet can easily, sign up onto the seat. So. Overall I'm extremely, impressed by the all-new foresters, receipt it, really checks all the boxes office, in terms of features and it does have plenty of space in addition to them. Now, the Foresters, receipts do also folk 6040 split so, I have to do is locate this little tab and pull up. Now, coming around to the tailgate of the Forester, it is power on the sport rims and up and you can't option it onto the premium so, just push this button under the lid and it will open right up. And once, inside the trunk of the forest you're gonna find a really large amount of space once, again so, you'll find 35, cubic feet behind the second row seats and that expands to 76, cubic feet with them folded now. Like I said that is larger than most of the rivals so this is a really big offering for the class now. Subaru does also finish it really nicely back here so you have a cargo cover and in. Addition, to that you, also have some hooks here on the side to hang stuff as well, as a 12-volt power outlet. Now. You will also notice that on the Touring model you do have these rear buttons and these, electronically. Fold the rear seat and like, I said this is exclusive, to the Touring trip. Now. Under the floor you do also have some more storage just. Locate this little strap. And under, the floor you have plenty more storage. Now. Coming over here to the passenger see is that same lovely design and, it is also 8 way power adjusting. Here on the Tori. Now. In front of the passenger we do have a nice stitching detail going through here and, you do also have a little leather rare area here and. Down below that you have a glove box that is decently sized it. Does not felt lying though. Up. Top you do have a Sun Visor does have a mirror. And light and it. Can also detach, and it, has an extension here at the end. Well. Guys that sums up all the rear areas of the all-new Forester so now let's go ahead and take it out on the road and see how the powertrain performs. All, righty so let's go ahead and talk about the powertrain, and fuel economy. Now. Interestingly. The, only Forester, actually, simplified, the powertrain, line up from the outgoing model so you no longer have the turbo engine or the X lead the XT trim level anymore. All. The models now are equipped with the 2.5, liter boxer, four-cylinder. That. Makes a hundred and eighty-two horsepower, and a hundred and seventy-six pound-feet of torque which is of 12 horsepower over. The last generation. All. Models are also equipped, with the Lineartronic. CVT which. Has seven simulated, gear changes, and, of. Course that is also paired with the standard, xtronic. All-wheel-drive system. All. That together makes for very impressive, fuel economy so, you're looking at 26 City 33. Highway, 29, combined, which. Is one of your most efficient, products in the class but it's definitely your most efficient, all-wheel drive model, since of course like I said all models do comes standard with all-wheel-drive. But. Anyways now let's go ahead and take it for a quick test drive. Now, one of the things that's interesting about this Forester, this, is actually the first Subaru, with an auto start/stop, system. So. Of. Course there's that's, been out for a while but this is the first Subaru. To have it so let's see if it's a they've taken that extra time to really smooth it out oh. Yeah. That's very good. So. First taking off in. 2019. Forster. Power. Feels pretty good right off the line. This. Is instead. Of like a really small. Turbocharged. Engine of course this is a decently. Sized naturally, aspirated four-cylinder, and that. Does you, know it feels a more. Responsive, than a lot of those really small turbos though shouldn't suffer from lag. I want, to commend Subaru. For their steering, going around that corner there. They've. Done an excellent job it definitely has, more feel than the average thing in the class. It's. Also more progressive. So. You don't have so, much numbness, and stuff like you find and some of the. Competitors. They don't even feel like they're connected you know. And. That beeping there was your lane departure warning also, another helpful system, when. You cross the double yellow of course I. Don't. Know if you can see on camera but the this, road is pretty dilapidated. And. Very. Impressive ride quality, though there's.
Really No harsh intrusions, or anything it's very isolated. Yeah. It's very quiet inside, this cabin. Like. You said this is a very, very very rough road lots. Of road noise and a normal vehicle and, the. Subaru does take it very very well it almost feels like a luxury car at most yeah it's very, well dampened, definitely. Your focus here is gonna be on luxury, smoothness, and comfort in this car. I think. The engine feels plenty powerful enough. And. This. Does have a CVT of course. But. It you. Don't feel any type of CVT, lag they've done a good job of tuning that out. Yeah. I mean none no, car in this class is really going to feel that powerful, maybe the. Cx-5. Turbo, is pro it's definitely the most powerful one in the class but. This. Is right in line with all the competitors and, like, drew said the CVT is not. Bad at all so I think that most people in this class they're not really all that concerned about the driving dynamics and, wanted to be comfortable I really, don't think the average consumer. Is really going to notice the difference here. Now, we should have seven. Simulated, gear changes, I think, that occurs in your sport mode so. Go ahead and activate the. Sharp. Driving. Is super. It likes to call it I will. See if we get the simulation. Going here. Definitely. In this mode your throttle is going to be a lot touch here, and. That does remind me of something I do want to mention and that it is how much better the throttle response is compared to the outgoing generation, because one of the things I noticed and the old model, was how. Sensitive, the throttle was all the time is very hard to modulate, a smooth, takeoff, from a stop and they've definitely, fixed, that if. You want the feeling that's closer to the outgoing model then you can go into the sport mode it's definitely a little bit of touch here. And also, writing along here it is worth noting, that the, Forester, has absolutely. Excellent, visibility, that's. One of the first things that we noticed in this car when we got in it, honestly. Like it feels like you're sitting wasted. Described as a greenhouse because there is so much glass around you you. Can really see absolutely, everything I mean even these quarter panels here I mean if there's glass everywhere so, you can see absolutely. Everywhere at this car and. That's a really nice feature to have yes it is amazing. In. Comparison, you know now everything, has to be more more stylish, and more horse Whoopie. It's. Refreshing that Subaru they, put economics. First in this car. Now, I imagine most of you can't be doing that but. The. Subarus include a manual mode and paddle shifters for good measure so if, that's, your jam then go. Ahead and do it. Overall. I like the package, that Subaru has created, here. Like, I said this is, kind. Of like the king of practicality, in a sense it's very spacious very, family-friendly. Very, ergonomically. Friendly. But. At the same time they also didn't make the driving experience like. A penalty box or anything it's a very pleasant very. Comfortable. To. Cruise around in, and. Also very fuel-efficient, as we already mentioned to. Be most efficient, all-wheel drive crossover. In the class. So. As. A fan as a family vehicle which is what this is intended to be a Subaru. Is really nailed it. So. As far as the pricing, is concerned for the Forester, you are going to find it right in line with most of the rivals if a little bit cheaper than some of the newer offerings, like the rav4 and stuff like that now. You will find the, starting price for the 2.5, I base, model, at twenty four thousand two hundred ninety five dollars which, is about two, thousand dollars more than last year so that's worth noting, now. If you want to move up the trims to the premium that's gonna run you twenty six thousand, six hundred and ninety five dollars the. Sports gonna run you twenty eight thousand, seven hundred ninety five the. Limited, is thirty thousand, seven hundred ninety five and finally. You have this model which is the fully loaded touring, and that, comes in at thirty four thousand, two hundred ninety five dollars, and.
As All of you know that, you. Have of course standard all-wheel drive which pretty, much all the rivals make you pay extra for yes, now as far as this particular forester, is equipped there aren't really any option. Packages or anything to add to the touring but we do have the popular, package, which, throws then a few commonly, wanted, accessories, like the auto, dimming mirror with homelink garage door openers, and. LED upgraded, lighting and stuff like that and that is nine hundred and forty seven dollars, we. Also have crossbars. On the roof and that's two hundred one dollars as well. As a rear seatback protector, for ninety-three, dollars and, then. When you add in the destination, charge of nine hundred and seventy five dollars, this, particular, model has equipped as thirty six thousand, five hundred and eleven and. That, does come in quite a bit cheaper than some of the newer rivals, which like, the rav4 you can really top forty thousand in, that. Model so this is. A little bit cheaper than some of those models. So. If that's what you're looking for the Forester, might be a good option for you. Well. Guys we've enjoyed watching this in depth of review of the 2019. Subaru, Forester, touring please. Hit those like and subscribe buttons if you haven't already and we'll, catch you next time. For more of the latest automotive delicacies.
2019-03-17 00:15
That's very nice of you to say! Thanks! We are 22 and 18 but people very often think we are twins
My dad could’ve used that attention system yesterday so he would not have crashed
Why do they have so few subs? They should have at least 200k because they are the best non bias reviews.
Excellent review I like very much the Forester it is a shame that there is no more a turbo engine for the first time nice weather thank God looking good Drew
Hey CC, nice video. Subarus are good looking vehicles. But I was wondering if you guys are willing to look at any Jaguar vehicles, if there are any dealers in Kentucky?
+Car Confections If you two will be able to pull that off I've got a good first recommendation. The Jaguar F Pace crossover. A friend of mine just picked up a 2019 and it's beautiful. What will really catch your eye is the siding on the bottom of the entrance that lights up. Our fellow subscribers will be looking forward to it!
We don't have one in our city but in the summer we're going to try to partner with one about an hour and a half away
Good looking Forester. Plenty of space, good gas mileage, all wheel drive, good visibility. Looks like a good choice! Thanks for the video guys.
Do 2019 Toyota highlander vs Subaru foster
Subaru's look is bland and just a *safe* choice. I like the vehicle; just sayin.
luxury comfort and smoothness. really? is it that good? that are two of my concerns: the road noise, and the smoothness of the ride. wind, tires, outside noise and jostling over every little imperfection are not what i am looking for.
The ride is definitely tuned to be soft and comfortable. As far as the noise level, it's what is consider to be average for the class
cvt is an unfortunate..i wish forester has 6 speed auto
Nice review car confection
The lower front grill chrome pieces are so ugly! Sport version has the best looking trims.
Great review, you guys are more thorough than the IRS - tax season!! Cheers!
Oh please don't mention the IRS this time of the year lol
Compare it to RAV4 Limited, CRV Touring, CX5 Turbo Signature, Rogue SL, Sportage SX, Escape Titanium, and Cherokee Limited.
And Equinox Premier and Terrain Denali
Will you do a review on the Infiniti QX30 Essential? They just announced that this is the final model year.
Sorry but it's not likely since the previous reviews we made got so few views ☹️
Thanks guys.. Great review. Keep them coming.
Can you do the 2019 Hyundai Tucson Ultimate
Hopefully we will be able to find one soon!
New sub!
Heh I like how you called me oof
Welcome, Oof!
Great video! I’d buy the limited for 32k and save
Such an amazing 5th gen Forester! Great review + drive guys!
Yeah 2019 Ice Silver Metallic Subaru Foerster Touring 2.5L 4-cylinder ULTIMATE Compact 26-33 182 Hp 176 Torque Screen Cup holders cargo cover Awd $36,511!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome video!
Do a Side By side Comparison With This Subaru Foerster Vs 2019 Toyota Rav4!!!!!!!!!!!
That's one that we are probably going to do!
Do a Full Review of the new Hyundai Tucson And 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO Please!!!!!!!!!!
I love the 2019 Subaru Forrester, it’s very nice, I had a lot of Safety Features!!! I like it!
Great video!! The Forester doesn’t look as good as the Toyota RAV4!!! I rather choose the RAV4 for reliability!!!
+hobofactory The issue of long term durability is objective. The iseecars.com website conducted a study and found that the Rav4 is 4th on the list of original owners keeping their cars for 15 plus years and Subaru is 13th on the list. So long term they are on the road longer, but in terms of complaints and issues, The Rav4 has 2,196 while the Forester has 581.
Silent Refusal Subaru CVT’s don’t have the best reputation for long term durability. Maybe they’re better now, but that would be my concern. Also heard mixed things about whether the head gasket issue has been resolved with the 2.5L engine or not.
What's wrong with Forester's reliability?
It's 1:40 a.m here in India, excited for this review :)
Nice! Do you have a lot of the same cars in India as we do in the U.S?
I buy my gilrfriend a 2017 Subaru forester xt
Hi!! Great vid. Yay first comment!!
+Car Confections you 2 have 4 years gap? Really?
Most Subaru vehicles when you unlock and lock the vehicle it almost sounds like a Toyota/Lexus beeping sound.
of course.
Really well done. Some reviewers spend too much time talking with the camera on them and not transitioning the camera enough on the vehicle. This was very informative and really showed the vehicle in detail. Keep em coming.
Thank you, Daniel!
Nice video. I have the 2019 Forester limited and I love it. Out of the 13 cars I've owned throughout my life, including Honda, Mazda, VW, Nissan etc, I can honestly say this is the absolute best.
Do toyota rav4 vs Subaru foster
Yeah that's one we might do soon!
To my eyes, this vehicle has the best put together interior in its segment, especially that front part.
Pop the hood. ??
I have 4 real recommendations for 2019 Forester owners: 1. Use injector cleaner fluid every few months. The Direct Injection engines leave carbon deposits, which destroy your engine. 2. Disable the Auto Start/Stop system every time you drive. It will save your engine long-term. Car engines are not doing well with constant restarts. 3. Take it easy. Just because this car has ground clearance and a strong”ish” AWD system, doesn’t mean it’s a tank. CVTs overheat and wear out. The engine is weak. There is no underside cladding fir most systems. This is a family compact CUV, not a Defender. 4. Finally, the OEM tires often suck. Research them and if needed, replace them immediately.
Thanks, Andrew!
Car Confections did you find it noisier than the outback?
+hobofactory correct. that's exactly what I'm getting at. It's all objective.
David Vega interesting stuff; I do have a few thoughts on that, though. I was referring specifically to reliability of the CVT and the head gasket issue with the 2.5L engine. These are known to be a problem and are very expensive to fix (both tend to be in the thousands of dollars). Whereas a total list of all complaints and issues might include something like a $15 hatch strut going bad. Secondly, if we’re talking about data going back as long as 15 years, then really we could be comparing 2004 RAV4’s to 2004 Foresters, both are very different animals from 2019’s. If I were choosing between 04’s (and a few years beyond that) I’d actually choose the Subaru (they weren’t doing the CVT in Foresters yet), as long as the head gasket job was already done. Thirdly, isn’t the number of complaints dependent also on the number of cars sold? I’m too lazy to look up sales figures since 2004, but for the last few years the RAV4 has definitely outsold the Forester. More cars sold, means more opportunities for complaints, no?
Na shes hapy
Then she leave you.
RAV4 O FORESTER???
Howdy, great review as always! Sorry, I’m late, I didn’t see the notification for some reason.
Great video. Congrats!!!
Great vid definitely prefer this to Nissan Rogue or Ford. Can you please do one for the Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade
Already reviewed the Telluride and we are waiting for the Palisade to be released!
Yep and Subaru uses the same switchgear as my 2010 Camry
Forester Sport vs Rav4 Adventure!
No subie for sale
Toyota owns 17% of Subaru and are the largest stakeholder.
I have 4 real recommendations for 2019 Forester owners: 1. Use injector cleaner fluid every few months. The Direct Injection engines leave carbon deposits, which destroy your engine. 2. Disable the Auto Start/Stop system every time you drive. It will save your engine long-term. Car engines are not doing well with constant restarts. 3. Take it easy. Just because this car has ground clearance and a strong”ish” AWD system, doesn’t mean it’s a tank. CVTs overheat and wear out. The engine is weak. There is no underside cladding for most systems. This is a family compact CUV, not a Defender. 4. Finally, the OEM tires often suck. Research them and if needed, replace them immediately.
For Subaru, sound insulation varies significantly between the trims. The Touring is quiet, except for the engine noise, while Sport and below suffer from poorer insulation and get more wind noise from the mirrors and road noise. The Forester always sounds louder than the Outback due to design. Glass doesn’t insulate well and the Forester is all glass. That’s just a trade-off for the visibility. Tires are up to you. The stock tires are terrible anyway.
TheFireHellcat1 a 6-speed would drop their MPGs too much. Maybe an 8-speed?
+George L because I'm a subie fan boy and don't want to see a better awd system out perform my preference. Scared.
I’d prefer you guys review the trims that most people will order: Premium on the Forester and XLE AWD on the Rav4. Most other reviewers simply review the top trims, but those are rarely purchased and the lower trims tend to feel/look/sound very different.
David Vega you misunderstand basic statistics. Just because more original owners keep the car longer doesn’t mean the car is more reliable. It could be because the car has a poorer resale value or because people think it has something unique. Most Subaru owners think that Subaru’s AWD system is so much better than everyone else’s that if they’d just drive some other car once, they’d die. They’re silly and bought into marketing. Subaru CVT, head gasket, and infotainment issues are well documented. Subaru was sued over the CVTs and settled it. Plus, this new generation of the 2.5 added Direct Injection and Auto Start/Stop that have been plaguing every other manufacturer. Now maybe, by some miracle, Subarus will be great, but I highly doubt that everyone else gets it wrong, but Subaru got it right. Meanwhile, Toyota stuck with the Aisin 8-speed and a dual injection system and both are proven gems. No auto start/stop and more horsepower.
Wish they didn’t do those old school switches for the front heated seats. We have them on our old Outback. They are in the way of arms and hands and got pressed a lot unintentionally and they remain on until you realize and switch it off. They need to move them to center dash somewhere around the HVAC controls.
I'll take all of them on the planet
Forester will be e-boxer only 2020 according to my local dealer.
Gasoline by itself has enough detergent to do the job. The problem is getting it to the valve. With regular port injection the fuel, air, and crankcase fumes flow through the intake manifold and past the intake valve into cylinder. The backside of valve is thus kept clean. With direct injection the fuel is added at the last split second directly to the cylinder. No fuel ever goes through the intake valve opening, the valve is already closed. As a result over time carbon deposits can build up. The valve may not seat properly and the carbon can insulate the valve causing it to run hotter. Valves are cooled by proper seating, seats cooled by water jackets around cylinders. Auto manufactures started using direct injection to gain mpg not to make engines last longer. The same goes for cvt transmissions, more mpg and cheaper to make. The 6-speed auto is proven the cvt is not, maybe some day. For me no cvt, no turbo, no direct injection. I want my suv to last 250k, not to just past warranty.
+A S liquid fuel injector cleaners are added to the fuel and add detergents to the gasoline for just that effect.
Fuel injector cleaner will not prevent carbon deposits. The back of the valves can only be kept clean by detergent gasoline passing through intake manifold that is why Toyota uses dual injection.
If you like the forester than lease it or trade it before 100k. The cvt trans will not last 200k like a regular 6-speed auto and you'll be stuck with huge bill when warranty expires. There is a reason why the rav4, cx-5, and tucson do not use cvt trans. The long term reliability of cvt trans has not been proven yet. Anyone who has a cvt with high miles most likely drove it for highway use. Most of the wear and friction heat occurs during acceleration. If you change cvt fluid every 30k miles and baby it yu might get lucky. The direct injection engine is another issue. Direct injection engines get carbon build up on intake valves which will affect engine performance and life. Only Ford and Toyota use dual injection which prevents build-up. Honda crv uses not only cvt but turbo direct injection which is causing fuel dilution in the oil..Good luck Honda on crv reliability!! Just do your homework before you buy if you want your suv to last a long long time.
Want one
Since 1995 the EPA mandates that all gasoline sold in the U.S. has a minimum amount of detergent. Top tier gas has more than is required which is good but port injection engines will always have cleaner intake valves than direct injection with the exception of dual direct injection which should also have clean intake valves.
Thank you for a great review. I just bought a Sport 2019. However, i couldn't locate the memory seat settings. Will you help me ? Thanks a bunch.
Thanks for watching! The Sport trim doesn't have memory seats (they only come on the Touring)
A S First off, some gasolines do and some do not. Do not make false generalizations. Many cars’ DI engines have had fouled injectors due to build-up. Ford’s EcoBoosts are a good example.
Would not buy a Toyauto.
I am also planning to buy one. But scared due to the cvt transmission issue and the carbon deposits in direct injectors. Howz your opinion about its performance and handling till now?
+abin26 love it more every day. it rides very smoothly, a bit of wind noise. Love it!
So, the moonroof does actually open up further, that was only the first stop; A second press of the button would have slid it all the way back. I was between this and the Rav4 Hybrid. I didn't even get to test the hybrid because it wasn't out yet, and didn't test the Rav4. I did get the chance to drive the new Rav about a week after getting my Forester Sport and it was definitely the right call. Smoother, quieter, and definitely more refined; I also found the Rav uncomfortable (in XLE trim) in that it had manual seat adjustments, a lack of headroom (and I'm not a tall person), and a more claustrophobic cabin. My main remaining gripes are that I can't vent the large moonroof and the spoiler will retain soap/water FOREVER after a wash, always leading to runs on the rear window. I figured out how to get single MPH cruise increments after a month.
Very well done review. You guys have convinced me...I definitely want to consider the Forester now. I hate the look of those taillights, but it’s a really minor quibble.
Glad you found it helpful!
I have a sport. I definitely prefer the interior on the sport model.
Exterior so much plastics
You cant see the taillights from the drivers seat.
@Car Confections you 2 have 4 years gap? Really?
@abin26 love it more every day. it rides very smoothly, a bit of wind noise. Love it!
@A S liquid fuel injector cleaners are added to the fuel and add detergents to the gasoline for just that effect.
@Car Confections If you two will be able to pull that off I've got a good first recommendation. The Jaguar F Pace crossover. A friend of mine just picked up a 2019 and it's beautiful. What will really catch your eye is the siding on the bottom of the entrance that lights up. Our fellow subscribers will be looking forward to it!
@George L because I'm a subie fan boy and don't want to see a better awd system out perform my preference. Scared.
@hobofactory correct. that's exactly what I'm getting at. It's all objective.
@hobofactory The issue of long term durability is objective. The iseecars.com website conducted a study and found that the Rav4 is 4th on the list of original owners keeping their cars for 15 plus years and Subaru is 13th on the list. So long term they are on the road longer, but in terms of complaints and issues, The Rav4 has 2,196 while the Forester has 581.
obviously George L knows nothing. Injector cleaner for carbon deposits hahahaha yeah listen to this idiot.
Purchased a 2019 Forester premium 15 package for 30k tax,doc, etc out the door In New Jersey Old Bridge
The parking Nazis in my city would have given the guys at 24:16 and 24:41 a "wrong side to curb" ticket lol
*Sutt Yooooot! That’s “Cool” In This. Bangkok Johnnie CarSanook Media Thailand* https://youtu.be/vQZNOvIEN78
Great review!
Thanks!
Agree With George L, why all the top trim level reviews by everyone. That said ,very well done review on the Forester.
We have a touring model and despise it. Keep in mind we are a Subaru family, been driving them for decades. This 2019 Touring model is an anxiety generating vehicle we hate driving or being in, at all. Literally, the best experience we have is when it's just sitting in the driveway. The facial recognition is an absolute nightmare that does NOT work about 75% of the time in our experience. The bane of its existence is sunlight. If there is sunlight coming through the windshield it turns itself off. Even when it is "on" it doesn't work properly, and god forbid you have sunglasses on or the alerts just won't stop... The "assist" software seems to have been designed around a crack head driving instructor. We live in a tight urban area and this thing is a rolling ALARM system from the time we get in to it until the time we get out of it. Literally, the vehicle "alarms" between 7 and 15 times per trip anywhere we go and regardless of who is driving. Please keep in mind, we are SAFE drivers nobody has any speeding tickets or wrecks. We know how to drive. The rear sensors are a complete disaster. Backing out of angled, steeper, driveways frequently triggers the rear sensors to SMASH on its brakes because I guess it think its running in to a wall or something. Most of the time when I egress from even a slightly elevated driveway I have angle out at a sharp angle to prevent the RAB system from giving everybody in the vehicle a heart attack. Why? well because the emergency braking system sounds like the front gun of an A-10 Warthog (The Air Force's tank buster). Yes I mean that literally. Also; we have a sprig of lemon grass that sometimes grows across the driveway threshold and this thing thinks its the neighbors 9 year old lying in the driveway, again ALARMS AND BELLS ALL OVER. Honestly, how can someone even remotely consider driving the piece of crap "off road" at all! The Auto Stop/Start feature is a modern design tragedy as well. Basically, you NEVER know when this thing is going to shut itself off or on or whatever. You really just have to step on the gas and pray that it does what you want. The rear gate also enjoys giving us attitude whenever it wants. Sometimes, and for no good reason the rear hatch just won't open. Instead it will beep at you twice, and ignore your commands. Which is great when you are in the grocery store parking lot with kids and handful of groceries. The only way to fix it, is to take it back to the dealership where they have to climb through the car and manually release the hatch, THEN power the entire car down by disconnecting the battery, and then it will work. Hate to keep you all day, but I am on a mission to get the word out about how this car REALLY behaves in real life, not on open empty roads. This car has software demons that Subaru must address sooner than later. At this point, we intend to move to a different car company for the first time in our lives by the end of the year if Subaru cannot come up with a more amicable driving experience. If you are planning on purchasing this vehicle we recommend keeping it overnight and really testing it out for yourself. Had we done that we most likely would have stayed in our 2015 Forester, which we loved... We just had no inclination that Subaru had gone this over the top with all these so called safety features. We think the car is actually dangerous and do NOT recommend it to anyone.
Hello guys, would give advice between Nissan rogue 2019 or Subaru Forester 2019. Which one is better for the next 10 years? Thanks
Since the Forester was just redesigned last year, it comes with more modern features than the Rogue which has been out for about 7 years.
Led lights should be standard on every vehicle
Hi guys! Great video review of 2019 Forester. My question... is the boxer engine noisy? How does it compare from a noise standpoint with other SUV's in its class? Do you hear engine noise while driving? Is the engine noise heard in the cabin anymore distracting than other SUV's? Thank you for taking the time to answer. Again... great job on the video!
Thank you! I truly appreciate your response. Continued success to you!
Thanks! As far as noise, I'd say that Subaru Boxer engines are louder than most competitors at startup BUT they are average if not quieter than rivals when driving. Overall, the Forester is pretty refined in sound insolation
A K I don’t doubt any of your experiences but it seems like at least delving into the settings would give you some relief. Doesn’t it have a hard off button for Driver Recognition as well as the Auto Stop/Start button right next to it? Also, some of the beep warnings may be lead car acquisition/lead car moving among other settings which could be turned off. It seems unlikely though that most of us would often trigger the lane departure/lane active assist beeping/system unless actually drifting frequently to the very edge of lanes- probably not a system that I would ever have on except on a limited access highway. As far as reversing and auto rear braking the manual explains pretty clearly its limitations and conditions where it may be triggered because of slopes or misreading elements, another system to turn off or ignore at the specific instance where you know it is compromised or might be. I have heard of others (on the internet, not actual owners I’ve spoken with) complaining of the power rear hatch issues and some head unit issues. I hope your dealer helps you resolve your legitimate complaints and concerns.
Just a question, what's the fuel capacity on the Forester, I did't see it in your excellent review, Thanks.
16.6-gallons. Thanks!
@hobofactory The gasket issue is a thing of the past, last time they had that problem was 6 or more years ago. I should know.
This in depth review of the 2019 Subaru Forester Touring was everything and