[XEman]

I have had my 2.0 XE Lineatronic since April 2014. It has now done 23000 miles and overall I am really pleased with it. The CVT and quiet engine make for a relaxed drive, and whilst a bit more BHP would be nice I haven't felt at anytime that the car's relatively low power is a hindrance. I sold a three year old XC70 D5 AWD which was powerful but kept the dealer in business for warranty work. The Subaru was bought as a petrol NA engine to get away from turbos, DPFs etc. And thus far its been totally problem free. It is a car that I actually enjoy driving as it can be relaxed or press on depending on what I want to do. Although in UK press-on doesn't get you very far, given our crowded roads. When I bought it I hadn't planned to tow a caravan any longer, but recently I have bought a caravan and it is not particularly heavy at 1300kg max weight the Subaru towed it fine on both M ways and rural roads, but the little FB20 was revving higher than normal particularly on hills. So I will have to see how we get on when towing on longer journeys. On thing that did concern me was the issue of oil consumption and the US Class Action, but over 23000 miles the car has used no oil between its annual service visits. This current year I have done 10000 miles and the oil level is still near to the top mark. I suspect that when towing the oil usage may increase, so I will keep an eye on it. Lastly my dealer, possibly one of the original Subaru UK franchises, sticks with using 0-20 oil and tells me that they have not had a SJ FB 20 report excess oil consumption. However, when I holiday in Millau (France) I may fill with 5-30 as there are some long grinding hills on the autoroute, albeit with slow vehicle lanes!!

Overall very happy with the Forester but do wish the dashboard didn't rattle so much!!

 

[SueBaru]

At first I was a bit disappointed with the 2011 Forester FB20 I got after I sold my trusty 2003 SG 2.0X. The older one felt snappier. So I did some research and ended up changing the oil back from 5W30 highly recommended by the dealer, tot 0W20. And I put in a new air filter. This changed everything. Whereas the engine was designed to put more focus on fuel saving, the car now runs perfectly with nothing left desired. Luckily no oil consumption for me and no leak.

 

[XEman]

Unfortunately I sold my 2014 2.0XE as it just could not tie a 1300 kg caravan without revving it’s socks off. I see in a recent Towcar of the Year tests both the 2.0 petrol Foresterband XV were criticised for the lack of torque and need for lots of revs.
If I go back to solo motoring the Forester will be high up on my list of choices.

 

[SueBaru]

I'm towing an 1100kg aerodynamic caravan. This goes with ease. At first I thought I'd need to drive in lo gear all the way. But then I changed the oil and the air filter and reviewed the gears in the MT SJ Forester. They are about similar to lo gear 1 for 1st gear and up they go about the same. So I tried hi gear from 2 on and this works well too.