Subaru Forester (2013 - 2019) 2.0D XC 5d Owner Review

In 1 year of ownership. Bought at 47,000 miles, driven a total of 5,000 miles. Our 2016 Subaru Forester boxer diesel was bought to replace a 182,000-mile Fiat. We had high hopes from the Subaru Forester boxer diesel due to its (marketing) reputation as a dependable, rugged vehicle. However the reality is a vehicle less reliable, and more problematic, than a 16-year-old van. The Subaru Forester’s sump corroded completely through at just over 4 years old and less than 50,000 miles, resulting in an engine oil leak. We had anticipated this would be covered by Subaru’s 5-year warranty (it’s a £400-500 repair), but Subaru refused on the grounds that they are unaware of any previous faults with the part. Subaru UK also claimed the rust was uniform in nature so did not indicate a manufacturing defect. The case is currently with The Motor Ombudsman. Heavy, penetrative corrosion on a vehicle just over 4 years old is not acceptable. Even more unacceptable is the refusal of Subaru UK to honour a warranty claim on the faulty part. Rust to this extent (to fail at 4 years suggests rust formation from new) can only occur on a non-consumable part if protective paint is not adequately, or incorrectly, applied at the factory. The “Starlink” infotainment system is not fit for purpose – the touch screen spends 90% of its time completely frozen and unresponsive. The entertainment unit can (sometimes) be controlled through the steering wheel controls. When it is working, it can randomly start bleeping away, constantly (several times per second), whirling through radio stations or turning itself to a random screen, tuning to a different audio source, or changing the station. At best it’s utterly frustrating, at worst potentially dangerous due to the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature. Physical buttons, including steering wheel controls, sometimes work, sometimes not – but always randomly. Subaru has been beset by problems with the Starlink system (Google it) – which has led to a successful class action lawsuit from frustrated owners in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, UK Subaru owners can’t benefit from this. Despite being a long-standing issue, it doesn’t affect all Subaru’s, and isn’t mentioned in the UK to any great extent due to lack of Subaru volumes on the road…. but we’ve definitely landed with one of the lemons. The firm with the import contract for Subaru in the UK (and also responsible for marketing and Subaru warranty administration) is a company called International Motors Group, who trade as Subaru UK. Because the majority of Subaru parts come from Japan via Subaru UK, it makes Subaru parts extremely expensive (around x2) compared with comparable brands with access to non-original-manufacturer spares. The rear coil spring snapped. We’ve never experienced this on any other vehicle. Considering the Subaru’s pretensions as a rugged, go anywhere 4x4, the shearing of a spring at 50,000 miles from standard pot-holed UK road use is not confidence inspiring. Further exploration suggested a recall had occurred in other markets due to a “design glitch” in the rear suspension springs causing them to corrode and break. Some markets have also replaced the springs as a courtesy exercise (but not an official recall). Either way, it’s a known fault. We contacted Subaru UK who were unaware of any coil spring issues. The indicators have developed an intermittent issue – it’s like a bulb has failed (it hasn’t), so there is some kind of electrical connection issue between indicator stalk and the tail light. It might be a cheap fix, but it’s an annoying intermittent problem, and again doesn’t inspire confidence in Subaru’s electrical setup. The high cost of Subaru parts, in combination with the complexities of the boxer engine and 4WD system, make Subaru’s very expensive to maintain. This would be fine if they met the marketing hype of utter reliability, and rarely went wrong (or as Subaru UK currently like to claim… “virtually indestructible”). Real-life experience in just one year suggests otherwise. Here are some good things: Subaru saved us in the snow. On a long journey home to north west Scotland, we encountered heavy snow on a mountain pass. The gritter was stuck. Other cars were stuck. Our Subaru made mincemeat of the two-foot deep, unploughed snow for 20 miles. The road was like an un-pisted ski slope after all-night snow, but it posed absolutely no problem even with worn summer tyres. It was a magical Subaru moment and saved us from a night in the car. The 4x4 system is undoubtedly very capable. Our dog loves it. He has a really large boot to settle down in (dog guard and divider in place) It’s quiet (when warm), relatively refined (if you can overlook the notchy gearbox), comfortable, spacious, and generally easy to get along with. The interior seems robust, visibility is excellent. Cruise control, heated seats, electrically adjustable driver’s seat are all great. The big sunroof is also a boon (although it’s somehow picked up a crack at one corner). MPG is good for such a large 4WD car. Insurance seems cheap. It’s a car we really want to like. There is something inherently endearing about the niche Subaru. But we can’t trust it. We really want to like the car, but can’t help feeling that modern Subaru’s just aren’t built to last. The vehicles seem well-built and engineered, but our experience of warranty issues, electrical gremlins, part failures and expensive repair costs means that we wouldn’t consider buying another Subaru. Having experienced so many issues in such a short time (we also needed to fit a new clutch and a new battery but these aren’t vehicle faults) means that every time we get in the Subaru, we’re half anticipating the next problem to manifest. Because the cars sell in such small number in the UK, any problems which would otherwise be flagged up in large numbers (like in the Subaru USA market) – are just not occurring enough to attract attention, or give Subaru UK any reason to solve problems. Trading on the reliability marketing card isn’t something Subaru can continue to rely on, especially when not borne out by real world ownership. If our experience is anything to go by this will likely involve several annoying problems, expensive repairs, warranty claims that are too easily dismissed by Subaru UK, and a high stress-to-pleasure owners’ ratio. Trouble free motoring it most certainly is not. Car Dealer magazine has given Subaru a 50/50 chance of survival in the UK – which could of course lead to parts issues down the line. If you’re thinking of buying a Subaru Forester, or any other Subaru, you’ll need to have a very compelling reason or justification for doing so – especially now that there economical diesel models have been axed. Note: we should point out that the independently owned Subaru franchises are considered excellent, and this has also been our experience. The importer however (Subaru UK) falls very short of expectations with a major part of its remit – warranty claims.