Hi Scuba
Could you describe the 2019 Subaru Forester Sport limits as you see them? I'm considering that same car as a possible replacement for my GMC out here in the Northeast and would like to know where it hits the wall.
Thanks
Yeah for sure!
I first purchased it in Ohio and it did us very well for those three years. Snow it kicked butt in, rain... no problems, dry... no brainer, dirt and gravel didn't even notice. Maintenance was very easy and intuitive to do yourself and simple to troubleshoot if anything did go wrong. In my total 4 years of ownership and 67,000 miles we never had a hiccup. Biggest maintenance item I did was spark plugs and full fluid flush (excluding the cvt) even did the pcv just as preventative maintenance. Parts are easily accessible through the dealership and they normally do not price gouge and can give you a DIY discount if you ask nicely.
Upgrades/aftermarket options we did to our Forester were:
- K&N filter: just wanted this for ease of maintenance and cleaning instead of having to buy a new one from the dealership.
- Crawford performance ditch light bracket and wiring harness
- GG Lighting Sidewinder pods
- RallyArmor Mudflaps to protect the paint
- Falken Wildpeak AT Trail (designed specifically for crossovers and do not weigh like full sized AT truck tires)
- Rallitek overload springs (Not a lift) to help keep the car from sagging after loading camping gear, yeti, RTT, and dog/passengers
- Roofnest Sparrow XL RTT
We tried to do upgrades as needed. Biggest upgrade that really made the car perform to our liking was the overload springs and the Falken tires. When we did a two week road trip from Ohio to the mighty five in Utah and back to Ohio we noticed people always flashing their lights at us thinking we had our brights on. Well we were sagging in the rear badly. After the spring upgrade the vehicle sat much more flat and didn't get flashed as much for thinking we had the brights on.
Where it shined...
It is light enough that it floats on sand. So when we went to Moab we could get back to a lot of sandy camp spots with plenty of momentum. Between the x-mode, decent driving skill and picking the right line it was a very capable vehicle. Ground clearance was good enough for most of the forest service roads out here in Colorado too. The AWD did really good in snow, small sections of slabby rock, and light mud. Lastly you get decent gas mileage while doing it! (end of a trip we would read out on the monitor around 21-22 mpg)
Where we hit the wall...
Tire size was an issue for most of the trails out here. Pot holes would be larger than the tire so trail speed was super slow. Washboard roads you could never get the right speed to float over the washboard, you just kept falling into the bottom and not hit peak to peak. Also articulation was not really there, very stiff chassis which is great for on road handling and off road so you do not twist up and break the car. But the suspension would not allow for much articulation. Any type of cross articulation ruts and you would get stuck. Any steep climb over a quick crest and you do not hit it straight on then you teetertotter until x-mode kicks in. In order for x-mode to kick in you have to stay on the throttle pretty good and consistently allowing wheel spin. Then the computer figures out how lock the spinning wheels to get you forward. But then the CVT may cut out due to the fact it requires too much torque. So you have to reset your line and try again with more momentum. This is where I was like okay it's time for something bigger and different. I don't mind using momentum at all since it is necessary most of the time. But when you have to carry a considerable speed over obstacles that is when you forget about line and technique and could cause severe damage both physically to the body and mechanically. It was annoying too because you would rut out the trail and cause trail damage which isn't fair for the next person.
Interior storage was good but we would have liked a little more space for long distance comfort. Plus being in Colorado now, people want to come and visit. So hauling them, our original camping gear setup and now theirs we ran out of space quickly. The extra space in the 4Runner was much appreciated.
All the angles (approach, breakover and departure) where half way decent (in the crossover class they were exemplary) and I never scraped, but I also knew my limits and did not push it. I have mechanical sympathy and never wanted to put he vehicle in its maximum limits as this will lower reliability and longevity of our vehicle.
So that is my two cents on the Forester. Great vehicle, perfect for service roads and long road trips! Safety features galore and has just the right amount of aftermarket support to get you a little further than stock. I hope this all helps and if you want any more details on anything specific please let me know!
