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Boone's 2014 Forester XT Touring

490K views 447 replies 151 participants last post by  Tony Bergs 
#1 ·
Traded my 2012 WRX hatch in for this and am really happy with my decision. It has definitely gone above and beyond my expectations as far as looks in person, performance (both on and off pavement), the cvt transmission, and overall refinement. It's capabilities in the off pavement rough stuff and or snow have allowed me to get to some really amazing landscapes and primitive campsites, in comfort with relative ease and peace of mind. Really has been the perfect vehicle for my outdoor adventure based lifestyle and hasn't let me down yet. Check out the rest of the thread to see how my ride has progressed with more pics of it in action and the places it's taken us. Here is an updated mod list, some of my favorite shots and a video edit of it in our elements:

Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10 tires 235/65 R17
Drag DR-31 black Wheels 17" x 8" +35 offset
Subtle Solutions 1.375" Spacer Lift
Primitive Racing 32mm rear subframe spacer alignment kit
Primitive Racing Aluminum front Skid plate with oil access cutout
Fumoto Oil drain plug 108-N
SSD Front bumper Light Bar
28" Generic Cree LED bar IP68 waterproof rating
Diode Dynamics full interior LED upgrades
Diode Dynamics Cargo area flexible LED strip
Rage Powersport Stingray Low profile roof cargo basket (On for daily driving)
Thule Force Cargo Bin (Size Large, On sometimes for trips when more space needed)
Yakima Spare Tire roof rack mount (Deleted) Now Spare is stowed in modified/raised rear cargo area
Nameless Performance Axle back Exhaust
Subaru OEM Rain guards
Subaru OEM rear seat guard
Subaru OEM mud flaps

DSC00110 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

DSC07701 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

1502832_10200230527124769_1158713413_o by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

DSC07750 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

IMG_7375 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

IMG_0765 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

IMG_0082 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr


IMG_3805 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

IMG_6401 by Dustin Boone, on Flickr

 
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#4 ·
Thanks! They're Enkei M52's 18" x 8" +45 offset with the stock tires. They weigh around 22.3 lbs. Wanted to get the Enkei PF01's that are like 17.6 lbs. each, but couldn't swing the price increase.

I am not a fan of the new rims, myself. I think the stock ones looked a lot better, but to each their own :) I like the XT in white, I just wish the front end was the same as the N/A's.
Yeah I hear you. I actually really like the stock wheels too. As a machinist I can definitely appreciate the more complex machined design and the two tone color on them is pretty cool. I'm actually going to use them for my winter tires.

I really like the XT front end over the N/A's myself though. I think it just adds a much more aggressive and sporty look to the car that isn't too over the top and still fits in with the overall design and the rest of the body lines.
 
#8 ·
Looks very! nice, wheels too.

For my eyes, the car looks more 'rounded' than in many of the other photos I have seen on the web. I wonder if its something to do with the colour white? I guess its just an optical illusion (or my eyes).

Interesting about the wheels. I seem to remember that the stock wheels size is 18x7 with +48 offset. Do I correctly understand then that because 18x8 is wider the offset has to be less to draw the wheel back towards the car so that the outside of the tyre doesn't rub against the wheel arch?
 
#9 ·
Nice pick I test drove the 2014 xt touring and it really is a nice car and the interior is much nicer. I have to ask what is the screen inside that shows the suspension and wheels? I think the car has really nice handling and actually handles better then any other forester in stock trim imo and also has nice bottom end torque. The only thing I don't like is the cvt as a matter of fact if it came in a manual or a 5eat I would pick one up tomorrow.
 
#19 ·
Yeah the stock tire's look kind of funny on there being so narrow, but I can't afford to get new tires right now so I guess I'll just have to wear the stockers out.

I got the exact same color XT w Eyesight and I got it from Napa too. If yours is without the Eyesight then you're the reason I had to go for the eyesight :).

I got mine from Erika at invoice. Is that what they gave you as well or better?

They say they're not able to order the side moldings and wheel arch moldings yet so am still waiting for them :(
Haha yeah I got the one without eyesight actually, sorry! You actually got a better deal than me though. I was impatient so ended up paying a few hundred over invoice.

I'm interested to see what the wheel arch moldings look like when they do get them. Might have to get some. I was trying to get the side window deflector things, but the dealer said they couldn't get those yet either.
 
#18 ·
I got the exact same color XT w Eyesight and I got it from Napa too. If yours is without the Eyesight then you're the reason I had to go for the eyesight :).

I got mine from Erika at invoice. Is that what they gave you as well or better?

They say they're not able to order the side moldings and wheel arch moldings yet so am still waiting for them :(
 
#20 · (Edited)
Here's some photos I took of the new ride on it's first camping/offroad trip. Actually took it through some pretty deep stream crossings, some snow, and steep muddy rutted hills and it did amazing (didn't get any pics of the sketchy stuff sorry).

Really impressed with it and the X-mode function though. Also I was surprised how nice the suspension felt offroad, since it feels pretty stiff and sporty on road compared to most SUV'ish vehicles I've driven. I did have some bigger snow tires on it, which I'm sure helped a bit. The thicker softer tread definitely made for a really smooth ride on the rough roads. Much better than I was expecting coming from a WRX.



























 
#24 ·
Haha thanks! That's why I got it.

Nice pics! Foz looks awesome!

Did you paint the stockers? If so they look so much better!
Thanks! Yeah I painted them with black plastidip and I thought looked pretty good before I got them dirty. I didn't do the best of paint jobs on them though. Came out too textured and matte like, which made them hard to clean, and there were a couple of the harder to get spots where I sprayed too light and the paint was starting to peal, so I ended up just taking all of it off. Will probably try and do it again now that I've learned from a couple mistakes I made. Here'a a pic:



I love the car, but there's only one thing on yours that makes me envious. Actually this on any base model makes me envious. Because my car has the Eyesight cameras, I don't get the Sunglasses holder thingie. I really wanted that thing. Its neat! :)
Haha yeah the sun glass holder does come in handy. It was funny though the other day I thought I had this annoying rattle that was driving me crazy, but turns out it was just my shades in the holder! lol
 
#25 ·
Picked up a Rola Vortex cargo basket, which I think adds a good look and is a nice functional piece for outdoor activities. The quality of the one I got isn't the best (didn't go together perfect and has some sloppy welds and powder coat imperfections), but for $140 shipped you can't really complain.

Also Plasti dipped the front grill pieces to mimic the overly expensive oem sport grill. Painted the inner wing in black and the outer piece with grey metallic. I think it came out pretty good. Actually painted the chrome on the foglights too, but made a little mistake and wasn't sure if I liked it anyway, so I peeled it off.

Here's a couple quick photos I took of the new mods:






 
#26 ·
nice nice nice, we have the exact same idea about the car except plasti dip the stock rims. I also like to use them in winter (we got lots snow here) and next summer I will buy new rims due to budget.

Can you share how you plasti dip the roof racks? Did you remove them completely from car? If so, is it complicated to remove them? Thanks a lot! I can't wait to get my car this Friday :D
 
#32 ·
I was leaning toward a Premium DGM XT, but your car looks so nice that I think I'm changing my mind to white now.. lol
I wonder what sort of performance mods are gonna be avialable in the future to squeeze some more power out of the XTs.. Very nice job on painting the stock wheels as well. Thanks for sharing the pics, car looks awesome!
 
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