Owner Review: Peace of mind with AWD and well-equipped - My 2016 Subaru Forester 2.0i-P

** This article is published on WapCar Community, represent the opinion of users. Click the link below to enter the community for car enthusiasts in Malaysia
https://www.wapcar.my/forum

Basic information

2016 Subaru Forester 2.0i-P

Reason why I bought this car

It was used as a family car. We needed something newer and bigger as our previous family car was about 10 years old and it was just a sedan.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM 180k
• Models that I have considered include: Kia Sorento, Toyota Fortuner, Hyundai Santa Fe

The reason why I choose this car

It was very well equipped compared to its competitors with a very attractive introductory price of around 150K, with free 3 years/60K km service. We also wanted to try out this brand because we have owned many brands including the models we considered, but never a Subaru before. It probably seems like a weird choice considering that the models we considered are 7 seaters.

User experience

• I have already done 2,000 km
• My average fuel consumption is 10 L/100km

The actual mileage is 112,000 KM. The car was handed down to me as my first car in 2020, at that time it had already travelled around 110,000KM. I myself clocked around 2,000km since, and so far I've enjoyed driving it very much. For city driving, it moves relatively well for a 2.0 litre engine in a C-segment SUV, but there are some instances where it felt somewhat underpowered, e.g when going uphill. The CVT is responsive but the “rubberband effect” is ever so present and is very prominent. With the radio off you can hear the whine and it is not pleasing.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Pick-up is quite decent for 2.0l engine
• Fuel consumption is acceptable considering it has AWD, around 11l/100km in city, 7l/100km on highway
• Stock sound system is great
• Adaptive LED headlights that move with steering input
• AWD provides good handling & peace of mind in rainy conditions
• Very pliant and comfortably tuned suspension 
• Lots of room for rear passengers
• Visibility is excellent, windows are huge
• Engine is very very quiet, even from the outside
• Driver's memory seat, rare feature for this segment 
• PIN code access which allows me to lock/unlock the car without the key. very useful when I just want to grab something from the car.

Cons

• After 5 years of owning 110k KM, front bushings needed to be replaced which were very expensive. (could be considered as wear and tear but is rather unusual, first time encountering such expensive fix)
• Sound system is good but headunit is the worst I've seen. Very laggy, terrible interface and difficult to pair a device.  
• Aircon is too weak to cool the large cabin, and always has to blast on high fan speed (which is annoying because it's very noisy), sometimes at night as well. Apparently it's a common issue among Subarus to have weak aircon.
• Boot is very small, the smallest in the segment, due to full size tyre & raised boot floor

• Sound insulation is very poor, wind noise is already discernible at just 80 km/h 
• Driving position is not optimal & uncomfortable on long drives. The steering wheel cannot be adjusted telescopically, which means I have to adjust my seat quite forward to reach the steering for a good driving position.
• Auto wipers are too sensitive, the wipers will turn on even when there are just a few drops of water on the windscreen. I mostly turn them on/off manually. 
• CVT whine is loud

Ratings

Total Score: 4
Performance: 3
Quality & Features: 3
Space: 4
Ride Comfort: 5
Fuel Economy: 4
Price & Cost: 4

Summary

It is not a perfect car, but it is certainly a great car for my first car. Some of its shortcomings that I pointed out are not major and can be easily overlooked. Thankfully, there have been no major reliability issues so far apart from the front bushings, which I suppose could be considered as part of wear & tear. It is definitely one of the less-common C-segment SUVs, which is unfortunate as its specs were very comprehensive at its time of launch and was well enough to compete with the likes of the CR-V, CX-5, X-Trail etc.

Some interesting events

Nothing particularly interesting, but me and my family have been on so many road trips with this car. Genting, Penang, Melaka, Ipoh etc. So there are a lot of great memories with this car.

📢📢Announcement:

After reading a countless number of Owner Review stories, are you interested in sharing your own story also? WapCar sincerely invites YOU to share the genuine feelings of your car!

You may receive special souvenirs from WapCar! Sign up now to know more! WapCar staff will contact you shortly after you sign up.