The 2016 has the stepless CVT automatic vs the 2017 and later that has 6 gears programmed in addition to the stepless mode. I love the stepless CVT as that is how it was designed to operate. Old school automotive journalists bashed these so everyone added fixed gear ratios to feel like an old school automatic. I had a 2017 and regretted not getting a 16 for this reason. I suspect a 2018 will be close to the price of a used 2019. The current generation is better in every way.

 

eye actually prefer the stepping on my ‘16 XT (different transmission from non-turbo models). It will do stepless at times, which can be fine but gets annoying when you floor it and want to go. While the car is actually accelerating quicker by doing stepless acceleration, it doesn’t feel like you’re going as quickly as you are, if you know what I mean. When it accelerates using stepping (simulated gear changes), you get the sensation of acceleration when it changes “gears” which is even more sensational while using S# mode (only available on XT models for the 4th generation). It sometimes does stepped and other times stepless, depending on the situation and how far you have the go pedal down.

 

thank you — that’s good info. Whata better about the 2019? If you were comparing the 216 to the 2019? The 2019 is probably beyond my reach price wise. But helpful to think about.

 

Ride quality is the most obvious. The rear hatch is larger and the handling is better. Those are the most obvious things I notice every time I ride in a 2015-2018. My wifes 2015 and sister in laws 2016 have been flawless to be fair.

 

2017 was a refresh year with some styling and a few feature changes, but nothing major. 2019 was a ground-up redesign. The 2017 upgrades included more sound insulation (including the new auto-cracking windshield). Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are not available until 2019, which also introduced auto start/stop and standard Eyesight.

Read about the 2018 and earlier in detail at cars101.com.

IMO 2016 would be a good year to look for if you want to spend less and can find a pristine low-miles sample. I would look for one without the HK audio system, and then plan to replace the factory head unit with a modern one. (And the speakers with ones that don’t sound like poop.)

 

2018 was probably the best overall year of the 4th generation in terms of quality control and reliability. The 2014-15 models had some of the lingering CVT and oil consumption issues carried over from the previous generation Forester.

During the 2016-17 period, Subaru went through some serious quality lapses at their Japanese plants. They admitted to having unqualified inspectors signing off on cars on the final assembly line. This along with Nissan admitting they did the same thing was a bit of a scandal in Japan. FHI/Subaru's CEO ended up having to take the dreaded "bow of shame" in front of the Japanese media and was replaced not long after.

For the record, my 2017 has had no major issues. Just had its 60K service done and running great. Even has its original windshield!

 

2019 is the first year for he Global Platform It's big improvement

 

The only common problem with the 2017 Foz is the air conditioning condenser, which is now subject to a recall and replacement. We have a 2017 and it has been fine aside from the A/C condenser and one broken windshield (but I had a couple windshields broken in my 2009 Foz also).

One thing I would suggest is trying to get a car that is under 3 years and under 36000 miles, and extend the warranty for a while. Some 2018 Foresters and most 2019's will be at this age. You will be paying more for the car and the warranty, but will not risk the exposure of big repair costs.

 

As mentioned previously, another advantage to the current gen is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on all trim levels. Having an Ascent loaner for the past week only reinforced that one thing I don't like about my '17. We couldn't justify spending the considerable premium our four local Subie dealers were all charging for a 2019 over a 2017-18 of comparable trim level and mileage.

 

I bought a used 17 (SJ) with higher miles last year, wife bought a new 21 (SK). I drive both regularly and love them both. Only one minor issue with my 17 so far (key release issue - found an easy work around on this forum). Overall very happy with both the 17 and the 21. Did purchase a Subaru-branded extended powertrain warranty (24k, 2 years) from the dealership out of concern for the CVT (I was totally new to CVT, really like it now given the MPG). The new 21 model has a lifetime drivetrain warranty from our local dealership.

 

I've a 2017. Bought it new. No complaints. As mentioned 2016-2018 were the last before the global platform shift. Personally I was after the XT model so I'm glad I got in when I did. A lot of folks don't care for the head unit and lack of Carplay/A-Auto ... I've been briefly tempted to swap it out for a newer one after driving my wife's newer Impreza, but honestly I just don't care enough. My smart phone plugged in on a mount is nearly as good in most ways and in some ways preferable. Certainly not worth the added cost to me.

 

I’ve never driven an ‘18 (but have driven at least one ‘17) but the ‘16 XT I have is definitely not noisy other than maybe the engine at times. I had a ‘13 Lexus ES 350 before this, and it doesn’t seem much noisier than that car was, to give you an idea. I also didn’t notice much of a difference noise wise between the ‘17 Limited I test drove and the ‘16 XT Touring I ended up getting. I too was worried about this after reading about the ‘17 getting thicker glass.

 

I thought I’d have a problem not having apple CarPlay in my ‘16, but I actually use the navigation system in the car (it’s an XT touring - you can get navigation as an option with the Limited too, don’t think you can on premium trim though). While it is true that the navigation is far from perfect, if you use some common sense, it’s USUALLY not a problem and I haven’t been led off a boat ramp (yet). I do sometimes wish I could use the maps on my phone, but usually can just verify addresses on my phone then type it into the navigation if it doesn’t have the place stored in there. I use SiriusXM most of the time, so not worried about running media through my phone, though I believe you can still do that to an extent.