[SALTYDAD]

Thank you for the awesome site. I just came into owning a forester in an emergency and i totaled my honda. I was intending to buy a 1st or 2nd gen beater for light off road and commute to work. But things happen, right?
I have a subaru dealer really close to home and they had a 14 XT PREMIUM 65k miles (OLD STOCK) and a 15 2.5i LIMITED 50k miles (JUST IN... not even a pic online) both under $16,500 min. (top of my budget)

I drove both and noticed the xt must had a rough outdoors life. Big dog claw marks on center arm rest, stained headliner, rips on the seats and thats just inside ....well you get the picture. I like the ride but was uneasy about underlying issues that it might have also. Considering the cost of ownership.

Then.... i saw on the salesman's computer they just got a 15 limited.... i told him pull that one up... he didn't even know they had it. It was mint like just of the show room. So i made the deal on that and drove home that day.

Now a month later i question if i made the right choice cause i want to go off road and dont know how good is the 2.5i in that matter.

Guys ... and girls did i made the right choice?

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

@SALTYDAD welcome to the forum from Oregon!

You can ask your technical questions here:

Subaru Forester Owners Forum

We’re the best Subaru Forester Owners Forum to talk about the best years of the Subaru Forester, modifications and reliability history of the Subaru Forester.

www.subaruforester.org

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['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]

 

[SALTYDAD]

Thanks.... i appreciate the help and support from the foz community.

 

[ForesterBill]

Now a month later i question if i made the right choice cause i want to go off road and dont know how good is the 2.5i in that matter.

Off road performance has a lot more to do with tires than turbo vs NA engine.

 

[SALTYDAD]

I get your point and very much agree with you.... but also understanding the limit of engine and drivetrain will ensure I drive home with the family vs calling an uber and a tow truck.

 

[Eddie_Catflap]

@SALTYDAD Hello and welcome.

Congrat's on your choice of ride - it sounds like you made the right choice between the 2 Fozzies based on what you wrote.

I hope you'll find the Fozzy a useful multipurpose vehicle.

Cheers

 

[Swamp ash]

I get your point and very much agree with you.... but also understanding the limit of engine and drivetrain will ensure I drive home with the family vs calling an uber and a tow truck.

Indeed. Sounds like you are better off without the turbo, then.

 

[SALTYDAD]

2015 forester, 6 speeds and a quart of oil

Thanks, being a marine mechanic technician I've learned that simple is better for reliability. (And boats are becoming very complicated) The point is going out and driving home safely.

.... and lol on the quarts of oil, ....but seriously is it that bad?

 

[FozzieBalou]

Now a month later i question if i made the right choice cause i want to go off road and dont know how good is the 2.5i in that matter.

Guys ... and girls did i made the right choice?

First off - congrats Saltydad and welcome to the land of Fozz...

Next - the only "real" difference between an XT and a 2.5i is the turbo motor and a beefier CVT (high-torque). The XT's extra torque CAN be of a benefit in off-road conditions, but the higher horsepower doesn't really matter as for most off-road situations you'll find yourself in, higher speed is less of a factor.

I have a 2014 Forester 2.5i Limited and have equipped "Subehru" for mild offroad adventures - some beefier AT tires (Continental TerrainContact) and a skid plate package (Primitive Racing Triple Armor). And I've taken many dirt road trails and wash trips (solo and in groups) and haven't had really any complaints.

There are some that will say you should have gotten the (insert Tim Taylor the Tool Man "More Power" grunt) XT... but as mentioned, there are more potential failure points on a XT - just by the addition of the turbo and associated plumbing - plus a loss of MPG (even if only minor).

The 2.5 motor is fine for off-roading. At least it has been for me and others on here with the SJ and SK Foresters...

My mods have been simple - new rims (Konig Inception), new tires (Continental TerrainContact AT), skid plates (Primitive Racing), a roof-top basket (Reese), some off-road lights (different vendors), a light bar (from Amazon), trailer hitch (Drawtite from etrailer), some Mishimoto engine bits, @Diode Dynamics bulbs, and then some various shiny bling bits from Amazon and Wish and Alibaba sites.

Oh and I replaced the headlight units when my original were too hazy to clean without some major work. Then I had those sealed/protected with a film from scratching and fading/hazing.

I'd suggest looking at tires - Yokohama and Continental were the only stock size AT tires, but now the Falken Wildpeak and Toyo Open Country (I think?) come in the stock size. Some of the tread patterns may be more aggressive than others - for better off-road and even snow capabilities - but can add more noise and decrease your MPGs.

You can upgrade the wheels to change your look, but the stock alloys are just fine.

Go with the skid plates. I've had mine protect the underside on some higher rated trails and rocks scraping and banging on the underside.

With 8.7" of ground clearance stock, you really don't need a lift kit for most off-roading unless you're planning on really going off-road and taking some more serious trails and non-roads. But you can also start thinking about heavier duty and more off-road aligned shocks/struts when you need to replace the stock units.

Auxiliary lighting is important for both off and on-road, depending on the situation.

 

[SALTYDAD]

FozzieBalou thanks for ththe insight.... and yes i factored the xt having more failure points over the N/A 2.5I as well as higher cost of ownership. PREMIUM gas vs REGULAR, load affecting mpg ratings and cvt reliability. Although i wish i had a manual mode better control off road.... after researching i found out the 14-15 XT have a high cvt failure rate due to missing an internal filter. Later added in 16.... while our tr580 are already second gen revised units should hold up better.
and it was really mint condition, i swear an old lady must of own it and garage kept thats how clean it was.... i only found 1 clear coat scratch and a very small bumper crease. ....THATS IT!

 

[Kean]

As mentioned, the 2.5 NA is more than adequate for off-road. I'll wager you'll find the weak point will be tires (as was pointed out) or perhaps even clearance depending on just how serious your "off-roading" is. .....but even then, with 8.7 inches of clearance, your new Forester still provides more than other vehicles in its class.

If you're ok with the powerplant in day to day driving, I doubt you will have nay regrets when it take it on trails, etc.

Hell, my all original '86 4Runner (which is right around the same curb weight as your 2015 Forester) with the 22RE motor only pumped out 105 HP and 136 ft/lb of torque brand new and that truck is plenty capable off-road.

 

[FozzieBalou]

The times, they are a-changin....

Remember when 105 HP and 136 lb/ft of torque were common and more than adequate for day to day driving and doing? When 176 HP from a turbo 4 was "hi-performance"...? Ah, mem'ries...

 

[Kean]

.....although I would admit it was even gutless back then for day to day in terms of acceleration. Definitely not fun on short on ramps. Lol.

I was still driving my '69 Charger back then, my brother had a Station ESI-R and most of my friends had muscle cars, etc. .....fun times.

 

[FozzieBalou]

I drove the Starion twin (the Chrysler Conquest) a few times when I was selling Chryslers in the mid 80s.... It was fun but tiny and cramped... I bought a non-turbo Laser (the last year) and had a blast with it - the "big" 2.5 4-banger with like 120-something HP... but it did well with that limited HP comparatively. I guess that's why I don't need the turbo XT (and I've had turbocharged beasts before)... I'm OK with knowing I have modest power ratings AND then knowing how to utilize those ratings...

 

[Kean]

....well, I still have my Challenger and since I'm always the driver when my wife and I go places together, the Forester is like my second car. Best of both worlds I guess. It's comfortable, carries stuff and has enough power to gets us to where we need to go which is fine. .....but there's a reason I kept my R/T.

 

[SALTYDAD]

To be honest the foz feels like it has more power than it really does. Coming from a 2006 honda accord coupe v6 with about 250 hp, owned it since 2009 and put over 180k miles on it until a minor fender bender totaled it..... i really dont miss much just the crazy acceleration and top end speed. But with the foz i just want to cruise, if need to pass its enough to handle itself. My main concern: is the tr580 better than the tr690 on the long run. But that is a question for the technical thread...

 

[SALTYDAD]

But anyways here is pic of my foz.... bone stock aside from the all around tints

 

[Swamp ash]

Thanks, being a marine mechanic technician I've learned that simple is better for reliability. (And boats are becoming very complicated) The point is going out and driving home safely.

.... and lol on the quarts of oil, ....but seriously is it that bad?

I use ~ quart/3000 miles but the Dealers said i didn't consume enough to qualify for the bottom-end rebuild. What ticks me off is with the first oil consumption test the dealer put in 6 quarts!

 

[SALTYDAD]

IMO.... 1 qt of oil per 3k miles is excessive.... but i heard that story about they calling it normal because they made the clearances looser to free up hp and better mpg.

But...Its really consuming it not leaking it? The internals and the cat must be nasty.

How many miles on it and what kind of driving?

 

[Ralph_Thornton]

My 2015 Forester Limited has 105,000 miles on it now. I've never had to add oil between oil changes every 6,000 miles. It's done a bunch of snow, dirt, gravel and rock road and trail driving. Been a workhorse and still going strong.