I bought my third Subaru Forester a few weeks ago. It is the 2024 Forester, Premium package in the Autumn Green metallic color. This review helped me understand more of the vehicle’s controls than the quick overview I received at the dealership when I purchased it. I decided to get the 2024 instead of waiting for the 2025 for 2 reasons. One, they changed the outer shape of the vehicle, and it looks boxy to me. Second, the lack of physical controls and the much larger computer display would be too distracting for me while driving. My previous Forester was a 2016, and it had no issues over the 8 years I drove it, so I didn’t trade it in. My daughter has it now! My first Forester was 2002, and had well over 200,000 miles on it. I am a huge fan of the Forester, and can’t see myself owning any other vehicle😊
Bought a forester touring yesterday, was torn between this and a Sportage SX-Prestige for a bit. Trying to keep this vehicle for well over a decade, so the reliability of Subaru won me over
I was back and forth on a Toyota Rav4, outback and Forester and as of today decided on the Subaru Forester Touring Edition. Very encouraging to hear about the driving experience. I went with the Pearl white and Saddle Brown interior. If you consider the saddle brown interior, do yourself a favor and see it in person. Much nicer than the photos sometimes depict. What sold me on the vehicle besides safety features is the right blend screen technology and good old fashioned controls for heat and radio. I really appreciated the ease of access and exit for the vehicle as well as the visuals. Very wide open with a feel of spaciousness throughout. The drive is very good and breaking very firm. Overall, hoping to have a great ownership experience. I purchased about a year sooner than expected, but the deciding factor for me was having this generation model with the 8" display.
Oh, my gosh! We have the exact same new Forester! Brought mine home yesterday. It's my first ever brand new vehicle. The number of manuals that were included was overwhelming, but I was going to look through all of them because I've never had a fancy car and wanted to know how everything worked. This video was incredibly helpful and I will have to watch it again and go through the interior buttons and controls a second time.
Congratulations on your new Forester Touring. Very nice car. So glad I opted for the 2024 Touring. A real practical car and pleasure to drive everyday. Enjoy your new Forester and many years of a great driving experience.
So sad to pass on my Audi to my daughter but this vehicle seems so perfect for me. I will miss the Audi power and highway ease of driving. The higher clearance is awesome. I am tall so this is😅 wonderful. Phenomenal visibility. Love the Touring trim...I will watch this over and over to learn about all of my options. I hope I love this car as much as I loved my Audi...❤ Great video!!
Excellent video packed with great insights and a thorough overview. Worth spending 40 minutes watching. I just purchased 2024 Touring trim and could not be happier. It's a peppy ride and luxurious for the price. We were so pleased with our 2020 Outback that I didn't bother test driving or even looking at the Forester's competition. I've been a Consumer Reports subscriber for years, and they have high praise for the Forester, which was an additional plus for me. This video was very detailed and gave me some additional tips on taking full advantage of all the bells & whistles. The only thing I might have shown or mentioned is the turning radius. If you test drive one, bring a dime with you. Find an empty parking lot, put the dime and the pavement and drive in a circle around it. You will be amazed. Thanks for this video.
A couple other features on the Touring. The Eyesight thing also has a "hand gesture" feature that allows you to adjust the HVAC temperature. An open hand does one thing (can't remember which - up vs down) and a fist does opposite. Also in this model, you get not only rear cross traffic warning, but also auto braking. You can get the HK stereo as part of an option package in the Limited trim level (one below the Touring).
We purchased a new 2024 Subaru Forester Touring a few weeks ago and have been very happy with it. This video is a keeper for new owners as it a great "refresher" on the features as there is so much to remember from the dealers explanation. The dealer was great and suggested we can come back anytime if we need help figuring something out. We were comparing the Nissan Rogue, Kia Sportage, Honda HR-V & Toyota RAV4 before our purchase.
You aren't kidding about putting a lot of time into your videos. I'm only 10 minutes in, and you've hit a lot of points that others miss, including knowing the exact mpg drops for the Wilderness. I'll also add that (with the caveat of driving them about 10 days apart) that the Wilderness (with different suspension tuning vs other Forester trim levels) felt a little mushier on the road. I was primarily worried about how much extra road noise might come from those more aggressive "mudder" tires, but that wasn't bad. I'll have to drive the Touring or a Limited again, but it felt like the turn in and suspension was more crisp (also on 18" vs 17", perhaps with different sidewall height.) The Wilderness felt a bit truck like, but I have to say, I had just spent a lot of time driving the CX-5, and CX-5 turbo. Those drive really nicely. I'm looking to replace my '14 Forester XT, so I'm disappointed that the Forester only comes with one drivetrain choice. My interest in the Wilderness was hoping that the shorter rear end would provide a noticeable boost in acceleration, but IMOM any gain was more than offset by the worse handling. Throw in the 5 mpg drop on highway mileage, and the Wilderness was off my list. So, I cast kind of a wide net, in my desperate search to try to replicate some of my XT vibe. So, we drove a standard Outback, an XT Outback, the previously mentioned CX-5's, and plan to look at a RAV-4 Hybrid. If I was going CRV, I'd go hybrid (not just the mpg, but the extra oomph), but when you get the hybrid, they ate the spare tire space with the hybrid system components, so, no spare, and towing capacity drops to a class trailing 1,000 lbs. So that was off the list. The base engine Outback is the same as the Forester, yet is hauling 350-450 lbs more, and you feel it on onramps. The Outback has already incorporated the new UI for HVAC and infotainment, so instead of the old knobs, you get stupid little buttons. ( I suspect the '25 Forester will go to that frustrating system too.) Even for fan motor speed. The Forester felt "adequate" but eventually felt strained a bit on an onramp. The Outback felt like it was really not adequate (unless you were coming from a VW Microbus). So, I hopped into an XT Outback. Unlike my Forester XT, there are no easy to access controls to select drive mode. In the second layer of screens on the infotainment, there is apparently something that you can do for more of a "sport" response. I either failed in my attempt to activate it, or it didn't do much. Not impressed that it isn't just a couple buttons on the steering wheel like my Forester. (I have "Sport", "sport sharp", intelligent, and can also go manual/paddle shift). The XT acceleration was stronger, but if felt like I had to bury my foot for a bit, then it would downshift and start to build speed. You can paddle shift, but I had to drop at least two "gears" to get into the power band. Also unlike my Forester XT, they did nothing on the Outback XT to improve the suspension, brakes, or wheel/tire combo. I didn't think it was worth the extra cost, drop in mpg, or having to drink Premium. Felt like the Outbacks were a bit softer sprung and not as happy slicing and dicing in traffic vs the Forester. (Longer wheelbase and more mass). And for "SUV" vehicles, I find it ridiculous that CRV and CX-5 don't offer fog lights. Not even as dealer installed accessories. Kudos for Subaru putting the adaptive headlights AND fog lights on almost everything. (The CX-5 has adaptive headlights too.) My primary interest in the RAV-4 hybrid is that the acceleration should be in the low 7's for 0-60, about 2 seconds faster than this Forester. And, oh, the back seat room on the CX-5 was horrible, and the front seats felt like the bottom cushions were a little short or lacking. I'm 5-11+, and to sit behind my self in the CX-5 resulted in squeezing into an awkward shape door opening, and my knee hitting the back of the front seat. Once seated, I could splay my legs and fit, but 3 adults who are average size or larger are not going to be happy in that back seat. The Forester felt like a limo after that as far as rear seat leg room and front seats were nicer too. I saw one review that said CX-5 and CX-50 had similar rear leg room, then today found one that said the CX-50 was similar to the Forester. I chose to test the CX-5 because it is a little taller and easier to get into, and has an independent rear suspension vs the torsion beam in the CX-50. I'm not going to do a lot of off-roading. Just want the all-weather capability, and if I can have more car-like handling, that is a plus. Keep up the great reviews!
Very good video. I’ve just bought the MY24 Australian Subaru Forester 2.5i S variant. The equivalent Australian version of the car featured in this video. This video helped me choose my new car. A good practical experience not comparing to older models or other brands is refreshing. I get delivery next weekend. I went with the Metallic Magnatite Grey. 😊 Incidentally I’m upgrading from the 86/BRZ platform. My grandkids are getting big and don’t fit in the backseat anymore!
We are about to receive our Ice Silver Metalic Forester Touring this week and this video is a great user´s guide for us. I appreciate your work on this video.
Love my Forester Touring and thanks for reminding me of all of the features. I have the horizon blue with saddle brown leather and it's very sharp. My first Subaru and I'm really happy with it. Thanks for such a great tutorial and refresher of all the great features.
Great review Kenny! There is a lot of space inside for sure. I wish they would make that eyes ahead feature mandatory on all cars. I have to lol at Subaru for not making the LED lighting standard instead of charging 78 bucks! You are staying true to your word and really are cranking out the videos this week!
I am considering buying a Forester sport; as a sports car gives me the agility I need to feel confident as a driver; however, the touring is appealing due to leather seats, making it easy to keep clean. Great video! You have a label for every part and I love hearing you talk about this vehicle.
We have a 2010 Forester and just bought a 2024 Forester Touring. This video really clarified some things that we haven't had time to figure out. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the features but I'm sure we'll figure out what we use and what we wish we hadn't had to pay for. One thing that I needed more info on was the difference between sport and intelligent modes. I did google that and all the videos were from dealerships that wanted to sell me the car (LOL) but I finally found one that explained it, sort of. Maybe you could do a driving demo to show the differences between the two. But otherwise, great info. Thank you.
I owned a 2019 Outback. My iPhone Bluetooth paired with the media center. I bought a 2024 Forester Touring. I’m happy with it except no coin tray in the console and have to plug in my iPhone to use CarPlay or buy a CarPlay dongle accessory. I found an aftermarket coin tray on Amazon that fits perfect. Haven’t decided what I will do to synchronize the iPhone with the media center to avoid plugging in a cord every time I get in the car.
We test drove Mazda CX 50 Honda CRV and a Subaru Forester touring and we bought the Subaru far better than the other two.. It was more comfortable and rode better with a little bit more power with the 2.5
I purchased a new 2024 Cascade Green/ Saddle Brown Forester Touring last week. After test driving a '24 Honda Crv Touring Hybrid and a '24 Mazda CX5. I didn't care for the location of the Navigation screen on the Honda, nor not being able to have a trailer Hitch. The Mazda had a beautiful interior though the Navigation screen seemed to block my vision.I haven't taken delivery due to having some accessories added. I😊 appreciate this video explaining the many controls and locations.
The CRV Hybrid Touring had 204hp versus Foresters 182 hp. What was most noticeable was the quietness of the CRV Hybrid. You could hardly tell it was running. Our 2024 Forester Touring is sufficient for my wife's needs as she uses it as a commuter car to work. She seems to be content as the Forester horsepower is enough for highway driving.
We have a 2019 Horizon Blue Touring just like this one and picking up a 2024 that's identical this evening. The 5th Gen has been our favorite one's yet 😊
I’m was considering a RAV4 but I’ve decided on the Forrester Touring. I like that there are passenger seat power adjustments on this trim. Great video! Learned a lot.
I've owned the Touring Edition for 6 months now. Love the car so far. Excellent ride and comfort. Pearl white and saddle brown leather interior. Memory seats and the power passengers seat as well as heated rear seats a plus. My first car with heated seats and steering wheel. Can't see not having those features going forward. Enjoy your new car!
We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee that has been great for us, 2017 with 180K miles on it. That one is going to our kid and we are considering this Forester Touring (or) another Grand Cherokee. They actually compare much closer than I thought they would and pricing difference is a huge bonus on this Forester. Plus way more color options and interior Saddle Brown options on the Forester!
Yes....Mine turns a lot of eccessive RPS, It seems, I suppose due to a very low torque Engine....At least compared to My last Mazda which usually turned MUCH slower, But producing more power..............I'm on My 3RD Subie and have noticed They have LITTLE torque down between 1000 and 2000 RPM.......................Paul
We're shopping now. We've looked at the Rav 4 and some others. I bought a new Forester in 2015 and it has right at 200K on it now. I don't see any reason not to go with another Forester.
Great SUV and overall drive. My mother has a limited I think, and it is amazing and not super slow. It gathers speed quickly in the lower gears. The R & D and development of these cars, these engines and the AWD is ridiculous after all these years. Visibility is tops of all vehicles and handling is great also...they sort of float along! Yes, I do wish for a turbo or more power, which would probably be simple for Subaru to achieve. I almost got the last XT and sometimes wish I did still. It's prob the only thing making me hold off getting one again, though I still may haha!
I’m deciding between a Forester and a Volvo XC40. Watched both of your reviews and I’m definitely leaning a bit more towards the Volvo. I guess it all comes down to a test drive lol 😮💨😏
Are Subaru's no longer going to be all wheel drive? The reason why newer Subaru's still have CD players become most people take Subaru's to the mountains where mobile data and radio stations are not very good.
Yes the driver focus/mitigation can be disabled on the Subaru Forester touring. Push button on the left side of lower dash panel. You rarely have the driver focus go off unless you look aside for more than a few seconds. If you are at an intersection for a turn with directional on driver focus will not engage as you look to either side before entering intersection. I have used the driver mitigation system to program to my seating and mirror position. I really like the feature and leave engaged. I also set up with key fob so that my seat pulls back as I enter vehicle and once inside the driver focus recognizes me and automatically adjusts my seat and mirror positions.. Overall many features on this car and you have options which features to enable /disable.
Personally cross-shopping this with the Outback, and the upcoming Toyota Crown Signia. Maybe the Lexus UX, but I don't like its cargo room before folding the seats down. Subaru really vibes with me, but living in Colorado I want to appear more like a free-thinker in the Subaru-riddled landscape haha. The Crown Signia has everything on my list but I'm afraid I might be punching above my weight with that one, even before the MSRP is released.
I just bought a 2024 Forester limited yesterday. I was debating between a lot of models at first. Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage or a Mazda CX-30 or 50. I was replacing my 2020 KIA Sorento (which I really liked) that got totaled by a big buck whitetail. Narrowed it down to the Forester premium and the RAV4 LE or XLE. Drove the KIA and the Forester. Both drove nice but the Forester was a good notch more solid and quiet. Being leery of CVT's because I never had one before. I stepped away from the Honda. Which had CVT and turbo that I didn't want. Eliminated KIA because I wanted just FWD and they didn't have one. Limited colors and I would essentially have to buy one before delivery. Red flag, I'm leaving. Subaru had a fresh delivery of Foresters at my local dealership. But only one premium. We started talking about possible deals. Although I was still going to drive a RAV4 40 miles away. He said they had a limited that just came in on dealer trade. Offered it for a little less tha the premium's price. This was about $3500 under the limited sticker. Tested just like the premium I drove 10 days earlier. Only 456 miles on it. Sold. Spent some of that savings on extended warranty. My daughter has a 2019 Outback. Her husband's aunt has a Crosstrek. They both love theirs. Lots of tech. But maybe I'll like that anyway. And I don't plan to beat this thing offroad much or tow anything. I'm just going to make the CVT gets proper fluid changes and maintenance Thanks for the very helpful video. Perfect instruction for new owner/operators. TTFN
I hope Subaru has fixed the woeful bluetooth system on the Forester where your apple watch bluetooth interferes and needs to be disabled before you can play music from your iphone. This is a long standing problem.
Guys... I need your urgent help. I went to Go Langley Subaru in BC Canada and fell in love with a Subaru Forester Sport. Promised them I shall go back today and book it; and if possible take delivery. I came home and searched for a video to share with my dad back home. I chanced upon the 2025 variant that's just around the corner...as per Subaru, launching in Spring 2024. Now I am totally lost. Should I buy the 2024 or but the 2025? I don't mind the 1000 dollar increase, but the touch screen looks nice and overall the 2025 feels more premium from the videos. What should I do? Thanks in advance. By the way no dealer seems to know when the 25 model shall actually be available for purchase in BC, Canada. Or are they holding back info to sell the 24 ones in stock?
I currently drive a 2023 Forester Limited and love it. The 2025 will be a great vehicle, but the 2024 is also a great vehicle. My only hesitation with the 2025 is the less simple controls. Moving to a larger touchscreen eliminates those wonderfully simple-to-operate buttons, switches, and knobs. The auto stop/start override also moves to the big screen, I have a simple bypass switch that easily connects with the current physical button to the left of the steering column, but I doubt you will be able to do that in the new setup. I do not like auto stop/start and would find it annoying to have to override it every time I start the vehicle.
I’m sure the 2025 will be great, but do you really want to control most things throughout the screen? That’s what’s nice about the 24’ - the physical controls
Cross shopping with Toyota Corolla cross hybrid xse / Subaru crosstreck sport and the Toyota rav 4 hybrid xse / Subaru forester sport. I’m not sure on vehicle size bc I’m coming from a small compact sedan. I’m looking for safety and reliability more than anything else. The x mode has my attention…
we purchased the 2024 Forester and this car gets no where near the advertised 26/33 MPG, If there is a class action litigation over this car, we wish to join. Please let us know.
I have a 2023 Forester Limited and routinely get 29 mpg overall and up to 35 mpg on the highway with cruise set at 70 mph. Driving habits and speed impact MPGs significantly, particularly with the CVT. My mother has the same vehicle and gets considerably worse gas mileage, but when I drive her Forester the MPG is on par with my Forester...of course she was not happy when I mentioned her driving habits might be the culprit.
we will never see the freeway with this car, the best we got was 20.3 driving around the city running errands locally in the Detroit area. @@DennisDelorso
👍🏻👍🏻 extra, extra read all about it. kBB snubbed Subaru in KBB's best picks for 2024. KBB's reputation and stock prices plummet. In backlash. *Half is true. The other half should be.
It's really preference New VS something pre-owned. The 2022 had a refresh and still included the CD player in its infotainment system but phased out in 2024. I purchased the 2024 Touring addition about 2 months ago and enjoy it more and more. A very comfortable drive and as I had stated in my initial comment the blend of the 8" screen (Touring Edition) and traditional controls for this generation is an added plus. I'm not a fan of the larger screen that will replace it in 2025. If it's in your budget, my preference is new with warranties.
Weather Floor Mats are not Great Quality. I upgraded my 2024 Forester Touring in Cascade Green , Brown/Black Leather interior with Front/Rear Weather Tech liners. My 2024 Touring came faily loaded. Also added Body side molding, Subaru Mud Flaps, Subaru 2" Trailer Hitch, Dash Mat, Colgan Car Bra and a 3/16" Aluminum Front Skid Plate from "Primitive Racing ". I considered a Mazda CX30 and a Honda CRV Hybrid Touring. Mazda had a beautiful leather interior. Didn't like the position of the Navigation screen, No Driving Lights, No heated Steering Wheel. For Honda CRV Hybrid, had to spend $5k more than Forester Touring to get a heated Steering wheel. not recommended toTow with the CRV Hybrid. No Driving Lights.
@@703Speed those are the two that I was torn between, and I’m an idiot with money anyway so price wasn’t driving me lol. I gotta say though I am digging these StarTex seats!! The Touring leather is something that looked awesome, along with a couple other luxuries, but you unfortunately couldn’t combine the Wilderness off road advantages with the Touring luxuries…forced to choose what you want more. If only people starving in Africa could hear about my tough dilemmas 😂
I have one of these.......In fact the first one to come to Iowa..........Bought it for It's comfort level...High ride, ETC...........But for Me It's WAY overburdened with much, tooo much electronic doodads.........Live in a small Town....never leave Town...........No lane lines.....and Auto pilot useless.........Also, this is a Two thousand Dollar windshield which breaks going thru every Day potholes and is necessary for a Useless Autopiloit to work.........Car also has MANY features which make it EXTREMELY annoying just to get in and out of My Garage...........IE....Emergency braking.......Camera which goes dim while backing into a dark Alley and MANY useless audio/visual warnings..................Paul
Things haven't changed much other than the annoying eye monitoring system, three pockets in the back seats and an increase of price of about 10 K . We have a 2013 Subaru, great car even with 140 K miles on it, paid $30 K for it. Is Subaru's research and development sleeping, the auto world is passing them by. For $40 K where is the digital dash. Also to let you know, I believe there is a law coming into play that does not allow touch screen in place of manual buttons
I bought my third Subaru Forester a few weeks ago. It is the 2024 Forester, Premium package in the Autumn Green metallic color. This review helped me understand more of the vehicle’s controls than the quick overview I received at the dealership when I purchased it. I decided to get the 2024 instead of waiting for the 2025 for 2 reasons. One, they changed the outer shape of the vehicle, and it looks boxy to me. Second, the lack of physical controls and the much larger computer display would be too distracting for me while driving.
My previous Forester was a 2016, and it had no issues over the 8 years I drove it, so I didn’t trade it in. My daughter has it now! My first Forester was 2002, and had well over 200,000 miles on it. I am a huge fan of the Forester, and can’t see myself owning any other vehicle😊
Nice! Im glad the video could help!
Bought a forester touring yesterday, was torn between this and a Sportage SX-Prestige for a bit. Trying to keep this vehicle for well over a decade, so the reliability of Subaru won me over
I was back and forth on a Toyota Rav4, outback and Forester and as of today decided on the Subaru Forester Touring Edition. Very encouraging to hear about the driving experience. I went with the Pearl white and Saddle Brown interior. If you consider the saddle brown interior, do yourself a favor and see it in person. Much nicer than the photos sometimes depict. What sold me on the vehicle besides safety features is the right blend screen technology and good old fashioned controls for heat and radio. I really appreciated the ease of access and exit for the vehicle as well as the visuals. Very wide open with a feel of spaciousness throughout. The drive is very good and breaking very firm. Overall, hoping to have a great ownership experience. I purchased about a year sooner than expected, but the deciding factor for me was having this generation model with the 8" display.
Oh, my gosh! We have the exact same new Forester! Brought mine home yesterday. It's my first ever brand new vehicle. The number of manuals that were included was overwhelming, but I was going to look through all of them because I've never had a fancy car and wanted to know how everything worked. This video was incredibly helpful and I will have to watch it again and go through the interior buttons and controls a second time.
Congratulations on your new Forester Touring. Very nice car. So glad I opted for the 2024 Touring. A real practical car and pleasure to drive everyday. Enjoy your new Forester and many years of a great driving experience.
So sad to pass on my Audi to my daughter but this vehicle seems so perfect for me. I will miss the Audi power and highway ease of driving. The higher clearance is awesome. I am tall so this is😅 wonderful. Phenomenal visibility. Love the Touring trim...I will watch this over and over to learn about all of my options. I hope I love this car as much as I loved my Audi...❤
Great video!!
Me too 😅 Rav4 or Forester. Both had complains of cabin noise. Do you like your Subaru ? Is the engine power a problem?
I bought the pearl white with sable brown interior too. I love the car. I have it three weeks now.
Your reviews are some of the most informative and comprehensive on YT. Keep up the good work!
You missed the rear vision camera (see window sticker)
Excellent video packed with great insights and a thorough overview. Worth spending 40 minutes watching. I just purchased 2024 Touring trim and could not be happier. It's a peppy ride and luxurious for the price. We were so pleased with our 2020 Outback that I didn't bother test driving or even looking at the Forester's competition. I've been a Consumer Reports subscriber for years, and they have high praise for the Forester, which was an additional plus for me. This video was very detailed and gave me some additional tips on taking full advantage of all the bells & whistles. The only thing I might have shown or mentioned is the turning radius. If you test drive one, bring a dime with you. Find an empty parking lot, put the dime and the pavement and drive in a circle around it. You will be amazed. Thanks for this video.
Thank you! I guess you would say it turns on a dime!
Yes, that's what I mean. It turns on a dime. I guess I am dating myself using that phrase. Once again, love your energy. Great job!
A couple other features on the Touring. The Eyesight thing also has a "hand gesture" feature that allows you to adjust the HVAC temperature. An open hand does one thing (can't remember which - up vs down) and a fist does opposite. Also in this model, you get not only rear cross traffic warning, but also auto braking. You can get the HK stereo as part of an option package in the Limited trim level (one below the Touring).
We purchased a new 2024 Subaru Forester Touring a few weeks ago and have been very happy with it. This video is a keeper for new owners as it a great "refresher" on the features as there is so much to remember from the dealers explanation. The dealer was great and suggested we can come back anytime if we need help figuring something out. We were comparing the Nissan Rogue, Kia Sportage, Honda HR-V & Toyota RAV4 before our purchase.
You aren't kidding about putting a lot of time into your videos. I'm only 10 minutes in, and you've hit a lot of points that others miss, including knowing the exact mpg drops for the Wilderness. I'll also add that (with the caveat of driving them about 10 days apart) that the Wilderness (with different suspension tuning vs other Forester trim levels) felt a little mushier on the road. I was primarily worried about how much extra road noise might come from those more aggressive "mudder" tires, but that wasn't bad. I'll have to drive the Touring or a Limited again, but it felt like the turn in and suspension was more crisp (also on 18" vs 17", perhaps with different sidewall height.) The Wilderness felt a bit truck like, but I have to say, I had just spent a lot of time driving the CX-5, and CX-5 turbo. Those drive really nicely. I'm looking to replace my '14 Forester XT, so I'm disappointed that the Forester only comes with one drivetrain choice. My interest in the Wilderness was hoping that the shorter rear end would provide a noticeable boost in acceleration, but IMOM any gain was more than offset by the worse handling. Throw in the 5 mpg drop on highway mileage, and the Wilderness was off my list. So, I cast kind of a wide net, in my desperate search to try to replicate some of my XT vibe. So, we drove a standard Outback, an XT Outback, the previously mentioned CX-5's, and plan to look at a RAV-4 Hybrid. If I was going CRV, I'd go hybrid (not just the mpg, but the extra oomph), but when you get the hybrid, they ate the spare tire space with the hybrid system components, so, no spare, and towing capacity drops to a class trailing 1,000 lbs. So that was off the list. The base engine Outback is the same as the Forester, yet is hauling 350-450 lbs more, and you feel it on onramps. The Outback has already incorporated the new UI for HVAC and infotainment, so instead of the old knobs, you get stupid little buttons. ( I suspect the '25 Forester will go to that frustrating system too.) Even for fan motor speed. The Forester felt "adequate" but eventually felt strained a bit on an onramp. The Outback felt like it was really not adequate (unless you were coming from a VW Microbus). So, I hopped into an XT Outback. Unlike my Forester XT, there are no easy to access controls to select drive mode. In the second layer of screens on the infotainment, there is apparently something that you can do for more of a "sport" response. I either failed in my attempt to activate it, or it didn't do much. Not impressed that it isn't just a couple buttons on the steering wheel like my Forester. (I have "Sport", "sport sharp", intelligent, and can also go manual/paddle shift). The XT acceleration was stronger, but if felt like I had to bury my foot for a bit, then it would downshift and start to build speed. You can paddle shift, but I had to drop at least two "gears" to get into the power band. Also unlike my Forester XT, they did nothing on the Outback XT to improve the suspension, brakes, or wheel/tire combo. I didn't think it was worth the extra cost, drop in mpg, or having to drink Premium. Felt like the Outbacks were a bit softer sprung and not as happy slicing and dicing in traffic vs the Forester. (Longer wheelbase and more mass). And for "SUV" vehicles, I find it ridiculous that CRV and CX-5 don't offer fog lights. Not even as dealer installed accessories. Kudos for Subaru putting the adaptive headlights AND fog lights on almost everything. (The CX-5 has adaptive headlights too.) My primary interest in the RAV-4 hybrid is that the acceleration should be in the low 7's for 0-60, about 2 seconds faster than this Forester. And, oh, the back seat room on the CX-5 was horrible, and the front seats felt like the bottom cushions were a little short or lacking. I'm 5-11+, and to sit behind my self in the CX-5 resulted in squeezing into an awkward shape door opening, and my knee hitting the back of the front seat. Once seated, I could splay my legs and fit, but 3 adults who are average size or larger are not going to be happy in that back seat. The Forester felt like a limo after that as far as rear seat leg room and front seats were nicer too. I saw one review that said CX-5 and CX-50 had similar rear leg room, then today found one that said the CX-50 was similar to the Forester. I chose to test the CX-5 because it is a little taller and easier to get into, and has an independent rear suspension vs the torsion beam in the CX-50. I'm not going to do a lot of off-roading. Just want the all-weather capability, and if I can have more car-like handling, that is a plus. Keep up the great reviews!
Very good video. I’ve just bought the MY24 Australian Subaru Forester 2.5i S variant. The equivalent Australian version of the car featured in this video.
This video helped me choose my new car. A good practical experience not comparing to older models or other brands is refreshing. I get delivery next weekend. I went with the Metallic Magnatite Grey. 😊
Incidentally I’m upgrading from the 86/BRZ platform. My grandkids are getting big and don’t fit in the backseat anymore!
We are about to receive our Ice Silver Metalic Forester Touring this week and this video is a great user´s guide for us. I appreciate your work on this video.
Just leased a 2024 forester touring and thought this tutorial was great! thanks
Great review....looking to get a 2024 Forester. Would love to wait for the bigger touch screen, but can't wait until 2025.
Love my Forester Touring and thanks for reminding me of all of the features. I have the horizon blue with saddle brown leather and it's very sharp. My first Subaru and I'm really happy with it. Thanks for such a great tutorial and refresher of all the great features.
Great review Kenny! There is a lot of space inside for sure. I wish they would make that eyes ahead feature mandatory on all cars. I have to lol at Subaru for not making the LED lighting standard instead of charging 78 bucks! You are staying true to your word and really are cranking out the videos this week!
I think the Led upgrade especially on the top trim is kind of odd lol
I just bought a Forester 2024 in premium, thank you so much for your very detailed review and information 😊
I am considering buying a Forester sport; as a sports car gives me the agility I need to feel confident as a driver; however, the touring is appealing due to leather seats, making it easy to keep clean. Great video! You have a label for every part and I love hearing you talk about this vehicle.
Excellent video. Own a 2024 and this is a must watch video to explain the features.
Thank you!
Thank you so much! This video was amazing and gave me so much more information! I just put a deposit down on the 2024 forester touring today!
Loved the video, I felt it was precise and to the point . Got to admit I didn’t read the manual on my Forester/Touring and really enjoyed this video!
This helped me tremendously ! Thank you for going over all of the car. Loved it!😊
Great, thorough review. Much appreciated. Thinking of purchasing this model, Touring, in '24.
Thank you! This was a big help in deciding on my purchase. Very thorough job!
We have a 2010 Forester and just bought a 2024 Forester Touring. This video really clarified some things that we haven't had time to figure out. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the features but I'm sure we'll figure out what we use and what we wish we hadn't had to pay for. One thing that I needed more info on was the difference between sport and intelligent modes. I did google that and all the videos were from dealerships that wanted to sell me the car (LOL) but I finally found one that explained it, sort of. Maybe you could do a driving demo to show the differences between the two. But otherwise, great info. Thank you.
I owned a 2019 Outback. My iPhone Bluetooth paired with the media center. I bought a 2024 Forester Touring. I’m happy with it except no coin tray in the console and have to plug in my iPhone to use CarPlay or buy a CarPlay dongle accessory. I found an aftermarket coin tray on Amazon that fits perfect. Haven’t decided what I will do to synchronize the iPhone with the media center to avoid plugging in a cord every time I get in the car.
You could mention that a storage space is provided for the rear cargo cover .
Cars I test drove before deciding on a 2024 Forester: Honda Pilot, Passport & CRV. Toyota 4Runner & Highlander.
We test drove Mazda CX 50 Honda CRV and a Subaru Forester touring and we bought the Subaru far better than the other two..
It was more comfortable and rode better with a little bit more power with the 2.5
I purchased a new 2024 Cascade Green/ Saddle Brown Forester Touring last week. After test driving a '24 Honda Crv Touring Hybrid and a '24 Mazda CX5. I didn't care for the location of the Navigation screen on the Honda, nor not being able to have a trailer Hitch. The Mazda had a beautiful interior though the Navigation screen seemed to block my vision.I haven't taken delivery due to having some accessories added. I😊 appreciate this video explaining the many controls and locations.
Thanks for all information. How was the engine power comparing to the crv?
The CRV Hybrid Touring had 204hp versus Foresters 182 hp. What was most noticeable was the quietness of the CRV Hybrid. You could hardly tell it was running. Our 2024 Forester Touring is sufficient for my wife's needs as she uses it as a commuter car to work. She seems to be content as the Forester horsepower is enough for highway driving.
Excellent presentation. I have decided to buy a Subaru Forester Touring vs Toyota RAV 4. Video sealed the deal!
We have a 2019 Horizon Blue Touring just like this one and picking up a 2024 that's identical this evening. The 5th Gen has been our favorite one's yet 😊
I’m was considering a RAV4 but I’ve decided on the Forrester Touring. I like that there are passenger seat power adjustments on this trim. Great video! Learned a lot.
I bought the Forester Touring three weeks ago and I really love the car.
I've owned the Touring Edition for 6 months now. Love the car so far. Excellent ride and comfort. Pearl white and saddle brown leather interior. Memory seats and the power passengers seat as well as heated rear seats a plus. My first car with heated seats and steering wheel. Can't see not having those features going forward. Enjoy your new car!
Great job and very informational. From you I found out that Subaru eliminated the CD player. That's a darn shame.
Thank you!🙏🏼
All except for the highest trim level. I think it's called the Touring X. I looked it up
Yes, and the CD player is one of the reasons I wanted it......ZERO warning to Me that I would not be getting the CD player.................Paul
Thx!!! I will hopefully be buying one tomorrow!!!😊😊 awesome video!!!
We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee that has been great for us, 2017 with 180K miles on it. That one is going to our kid and we are considering this Forester Touring (or) another Grand Cherokee. They actually compare much closer than I thought they would and pricing difference is a huge bonus on this Forester. Plus way more color options and interior Saddle Brown options on the Forester!
Thankssss i already bought sk2024 after saw your review.....coolssss
The Subaru Forester needs more power. Great video.
Yes....Mine turns a lot of eccessive RPS, It seems, I suppose due to a very low torque Engine....At least compared to My last Mazda which usually turned MUCH slower, But producing more power..............I'm on My 3RD Subie and have noticed They have LITTLE torque down between 1000 and 2000 RPM.......................Paul
Best review on this. Thanks 🎉
Excellent video, love the Forester!
Someday, I buy a new 2024 Subaru Forester.
Like the way you do your reviews. You got a new subscriber here
Really nice suv. Subaru rocks!❤
I’m not shopping, but usually people cross shop it for the Outback, CRV , RAV 4 or Tuscan.
I have 2023 forester/touring and I love it
Thank you for the information it helped me alot
We're shopping now. We've looked at the Rav 4 and some others. I bought a new Forester in 2015 and it has right at 200K on it now. I don't see any reason not to go with another Forester.
I Would choose Wilderness trim. This looks like mall cruiser. Great review as always. Greetings
Haha
Great SUV and overall drive. My mother has a limited I think, and it is amazing and not super slow. It gathers speed quickly in the lower gears. The R & D and development of these cars, these engines and the AWD is ridiculous after all these years. Visibility is tops of all vehicles and handling is great also...they sort of float along! Yes, I do wish for a turbo or more power, which would probably be simple for Subaru to achieve. I almost got the last XT and sometimes wish I did still. It's prob the only thing making me hold off getting one again, though I still may haha!
Amazing review bro.
Comparing 2024 Subaru Forester vs 2025 Subaru Forester & 2024 KIA Sportage Hybrid SX Prestiege
Great review!
i wish this had the wireless charging or the option
I’m deciding between a Forester and a Volvo XC40. Watched both of your reviews and I’m definitely leaning a bit more towards the Volvo. I guess it all comes down to a test drive lol 😮💨😏
Yes it does!
Good review, very thorough. Thank you
What about remote start?
Are Subaru's no longer going to be all wheel drive? The reason why newer Subaru's still have CD players become most people take Subaru's to the mountains where mobile data and radio stations are not very good.
Great job , well done.
CD player is included.😊
Seems a great machine
What about the 2.4 turbo engine. Is it available in the Forester Touring?
Could the noise level between the wilderness and touring be the tires?
Can you turn off that driver attention monitor? My wife hates that kind of stuff and I can see that being a dealbreaker for her.
Yes the driver focus/mitigation can be disabled on the Subaru Forester touring. Push button on the left side of lower dash panel. You rarely have the driver focus go off unless you look aside for more than a few seconds. If you are at an intersection for a turn with directional on driver focus will not engage as you look to either side before entering intersection. I have used the driver mitigation system to program to my seating and mirror position. I really like the feature and leave engaged. I also set up with key fob so that my seat pulls back as I enter vehicle and once inside the driver focus recognizes me and automatically adjusts my seat and mirror positions.. Overall many features on this car and you have options which features to enable /disable.
Personally cross-shopping this with the Outback, and the upcoming Toyota Crown Signia. Maybe the Lexus UX, but I don't like its cargo room before folding the seats down. Subaru really vibes with me, but living in Colorado I want to appear more like a free-thinker in the Subaru-riddled landscape haha. The Crown Signia has everything on my list but I'm afraid I might be punching above my weight with that one, even before the MSRP is released.
Awesome Video!
Great video! Thankyou.
I just bought a 2024 Forester limited yesterday. I was debating between a lot of models at first. Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage or a Mazda CX-30 or 50.
I was replacing my 2020 KIA Sorento (which I really liked) that got totaled by a big buck whitetail.
Narrowed it down to the Forester premium and the RAV4 LE or XLE.
Drove the KIA and the Forester. Both drove nice but the Forester was a good notch more solid and quiet. Being leery of CVT's because I never had one before. I stepped away from the Honda. Which had CVT and turbo that I didn't want. Eliminated KIA because I wanted just FWD and they didn't have one. Limited colors and I would essentially have to buy one before delivery. Red flag, I'm leaving.
Subaru had a fresh delivery of Foresters at my local dealership. But only one premium.
We started talking about possible deals. Although I was still going to drive a RAV4 40 miles away.
He said they had a limited that just came in on dealer trade. Offered it for a little less tha the premium's price. This was about $3500 under the limited sticker. Tested just like the premium I drove 10 days earlier. Only 456 miles on it. Sold. Spent some of that savings on extended warranty.
My daughter has a 2019 Outback. Her husband's aunt has a Crosstrek. They both love theirs.
Lots of tech. But maybe I'll like that anyway. And I don't plan to beat this thing offroad much or tow anything. I'm just going to make the CVT gets proper fluid changes and maintenance
Thanks for the very helpful video. Perfect instruction for new owner/operators. TTFN
Proper maintenance is key!
@@703Speed having the dealer email and schedule service. Already have the first oil change scheduled.
Very good, explain able video!…Thank You!!
Comparing with Nissan xtrail '24 and rav 4 2024
I hope Subaru has fixed the woeful bluetooth system on the Forester where your apple watch bluetooth interferes and needs to be disabled before you can play music from your iphone. This is a long standing problem.
Guys... I need your urgent help. I went to Go Langley Subaru in BC Canada and fell in love with a Subaru Forester Sport. Promised them I shall go back today and book it; and if possible take delivery. I came home and searched for a video to share with my dad back home. I chanced upon the 2025 variant that's just around the corner...as per Subaru, launching in Spring 2024. Now I am totally lost. Should I buy the 2024 or but the 2025? I don't mind the 1000 dollar increase, but the touch screen looks nice and overall the 2025 feels more premium from the videos. What should I do? Thanks in advance. By the way no dealer seems to know when the 25 model shall actually be available for purchase in BC, Canada. Or are they holding back info to sell the 24 ones in stock?
I currently drive a 2023 Forester Limited and love it. The 2025 will be a great vehicle, but the 2024 is also a great vehicle. My only hesitation with the 2025 is the less simple controls. Moving to a larger touchscreen eliminates those wonderfully simple-to-operate buttons, switches, and knobs. The auto stop/start override also moves to the big screen, I have a simple bypass switch that easily connects with the current physical button to the left of the steering column, but I doubt you will be able to do that in the new setup. I do not like auto stop/start and would find it annoying to have to override it every time I start the vehicle.
Thank you very much for your response.@@DennisDelorso
I’m sure the 2025 will be great, but do you really want to control most things throughout the screen? That’s what’s nice about the 24’ - the physical controls
@@703Speed thank you
Family member just traded a ‘22 Jaguar I Pace on one of these. No more full electric
Cross shopping with Toyota Corolla cross hybrid xse / Subaru crosstreck sport and the Toyota rav 4 hybrid xse / Subaru forester sport. I’m not sure on vehicle size bc I’m coming from a small compact sedan. I’m looking for safety and reliability more than anything else. The x mode has my attention…
I'm stuck between buying a 2024 Forester Touring or the 2024 Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid Touring
CRV Hybrid does not have a spare tire
I am thinking buying this SUV
anyone can open the gas door?.... there's no pull button?....
If the Forester is locked, then the gas door is locked.
we purchased the 2024 Forester and this car gets no where near the advertised 26/33 MPG, If there is a class action litigation over this car, we wish to join. Please let us know.
I have a 2023 Forester Limited and routinely get 29 mpg overall and up to 35 mpg on the highway with cruise set at 70 mph. Driving habits and speed impact MPGs significantly, particularly with the CVT. My mother has the same vehicle and gets considerably worse gas mileage, but when I drive her Forester the MPG is on par with my Forester...of course she was not happy when I mentioned her driving habits might be the culprit.
we will never see the freeway with this car, the best we got was 20.3 driving around the city running errands locally in the Detroit area. @@DennisDelorso
👍🏻👍🏻 extra, extra read all about it.
kBB snubbed Subaru in KBB's best picks for 2024.
KBB's reputation and stock prices plummet. In backlash.
*Half is true. The other half should be.
Haha
Needs a turbo, as the 2015 had. 9.2 0-60 is too slow.
2022 or 2024 ?????
It's really preference New VS something pre-owned. The 2022 had a refresh and still included the CD player in its infotainment system but phased out in 2024. I purchased the 2024 Touring addition about 2 months ago and enjoy it more and more. A very comfortable drive and as I had stated in my initial comment the blend of the 8" screen (Touring Edition) and traditional controls for this generation is an added plus. I'm not a fan of the larger screen that will replace it in 2025. If it's in your budget, my preference is new with warranties.
Nice car, but too many buttons.. how to keep your eyes on the road…
Weather Floor Mats are not Great Quality. I upgraded my 2024 Forester Touring in Cascade Green , Brown/Black Leather interior with Front/Rear Weather Tech liners. My 2024 Touring came faily loaded. Also added Body side molding, Subaru Mud Flaps, Subaru 2" Trailer Hitch, Dash Mat, Colgan Car Bra and a 3/16" Aluminum Front Skid Plate from "Primitive Racing ".
I considered a Mazda CX30 and a Honda CRV Hybrid Touring. Mazda had a beautiful leather interior. Didn't like the position of the Navigation screen, No Driving Lights, No heated Steering Wheel. For Honda CRV Hybrid, had to spend $5k more than Forester Touring to get a heated Steering wheel. not recommended toTow with the CRV Hybrid. No Driving Lights.
Different strokes for different folks but I consider the Wilderness to be the top of the line Forester.
Subaru considers the Touring their top model
@@703Speed those are the two that I was torn between, and I’m an idiot with money anyway so price wasn’t driving me lol. I gotta say though I am digging these StarTex seats!! The Touring leather is something that looked awesome, along with a couple other luxuries, but you unfortunately couldn’t combine the Wilderness off road advantages with the Touring luxuries…forced to choose what you want more. If only people starving in Africa could hear about my tough dilemmas 😂
Wired play? Bruh is subaru living in the past
I have one of these.......In fact the first one to come to Iowa..........Bought it for It's comfort level...High ride, ETC...........But for Me It's WAY overburdened with much, tooo much electronic doodads.........Live in a small Town....never leave Town...........No lane lines.....and Auto pilot useless.........Also, this is a Two thousand Dollar windshield which breaks going thru every Day potholes and is necessary for a Useless Autopiloit to work.........Car also has MANY features which make it EXTREMELY annoying just to get in and out of My Garage...........IE....Emergency braking.......Camera which goes dim while backing into a dark Alley and MANY useless audio/visual warnings..................Paul
You certainly.....have a very......annoying and strange......way of typing.....
Only Subie worth buying is WRX with a 6 speed tranny, No CVT.......
Subie CVT is one of the best......
Seriously the CVT is sluggish......
0-60 in over 9 seconds... I'll pass. Should have a turbo option.
Needs a turbo option
Things haven't changed much other than the annoying eye monitoring system, three pockets in the back seats and an increase of price of about 10 K . We have a 2013 Subaru, great car even with 140 K miles on it, paid $30 K for it. Is Subaru's research and development sleeping, the auto world is passing them by. For $40 K where is the digital dash. Also to let you know, I believe there is a law coming into play that does not allow touch screen in place of manual buttons
Went in last week for service on our 23 Crosstrek left in a 24 Forester Sport
What made you make the switch?
Way more room in the forester. End of the year they made us a deal we couldn’t turn down is what it really boiled down to lol.