[csczu]

Hello. I still haven't purchased a Forester but am 90% sure it's the car for me.
While there are aspects of the CRV I like very much, the absolute biggest criteria for me is visibility/headroom. I get claustrophobic and need for a vehicle to feel open and airy. Because of this I am drawn towards more boxy designs (I currently drive an '05 Element and prior to that drove a '95 Pathfinder.) I also like that cars with high headroom often feel much cooler in the summer.
The second thing that is important to me that I'm loving about the Forester is having a spacious cargo area that is flat when the seats are down. I do a lot of antiquing/thrifting and often carry small furniture pieces in my car. I love the storage in the cargo bay too.
I also dig the ground clearance, the practicality of the design and the oil filter topside.
The majority of my driving is in town and I'm a moderate driver so I don't need a turbo. But we live close to Asheville NC and the Blue Ridge Mountains so a car that's good for weekend getaways in the mountains is great. So you see, the Forester definitely feels like the right fit.

The only thing I dislike in the design is the location of the xmode button. I prefer controls to be tucked away and have more storage area in the console (and I just know my dog is going to jump on the button. Haha)
The only other concern is my spouse's worry about a CVT. We've never had one, so I'm going to read about them here and also about warranties so we can see if there is perhaps an extended powertrain warranty that might make us feel more comfortable with the investment.
Thanks in advance for all the friendly advice!

 

[ForesterBill]

Hello. The only other concern is my spouse's worry about a CVT. We've never had one, so I'm going to read about them here and also about warranties so we can see if there is perhaps an extended powertrain warranty that might make us feel more comfortable with the investment.

Subaru just extended the warranty on the 2018 Forester CVT to 10 years/ 100,000 miles, so if you have CVT concerns you may want to grab a 2018 while they are still available.

 

[csczu]

After thinking about it for nearly two years, I finally did it. Got a 2020 Premium with popular package 1 and all weather mats. I've had so much fun driving her so far.

 

[FozzieBalou]

Congrats and welcome to Fozlandia...!

I'd like to suggest - for the fur-baby's safety - that you be sure to have him (her?) in a harness and buckled to a seat when traveling? This will mitigate any issue with the tiny feet hitting any buttons...

My 2 smaller dogs (Oliver and Oreo) love going for car-rides and love their booster seat...

The pink leashes hook in to the seat belt latch and are always locked in place (I don't have a lot of rear seat riders that do not have four furry feet)... Oliver will sometimes give up the booster to Oreo and curl up on the other side of the rear bench, but not often.

I'm keeping my 2014 Foz Limited for a long time (I hope) and when I drove a 2020 Foz Sport as a service loaner, I was not happy with the center console design... and I love where my X-Mode buttons are - up in front of the gear shift at the base of the center stack. And the cupholder section is low enough (compared the the seat cushions) that my jumbo Big Gulp insulated mug nestles in the space where as on the newer models, the console seems almost flush with the seat cushions and no place to keep my mug...

 

[Kean]

Congrats.

My wife really wanted one in Jasmine like yours but we couldn't find it when it came time to buy. She got the Horizon Blue Pearl instead but I have to say, although it was the second favorite color they offered, it's really growing on her. ....glad I recommended it.

 

[csczu]

Thanks so much! I agree, they'll be much safer. I've ordered two booster seats that they can be harnessed into. I also got a waterproof seat cover and covers for the back seat doors so they don't scratch those up. My Boston Terrier loves to stand on the doors.
You've hit the nail on the head. My least favorite part of the car is the location of the x-mode. I really wish those console buttons had been located elsewhere and more room given to the cup holders and storage. The cup holders are pretty tight against the armrest. But overall I'm loving the car.

 

[FozzieBalou]

I was just the opposite of @Kean - the Jasmine Green was choice #2 and the Marine Blue Pearl (not available after 2014 models) was 1st. They couldn't keep that Marine Blue on the lot in my area. Then Subie changed in 2015 to "slate blue" or something like that... it was a more silver/gray undertone instead of the teal on the marine blue.

Oddly, I noticed on the SJ generation Foresters, the Jasmine Green had different "shades" across the years - like the basic formulation changed. I noticed some have a sort of bronze or amber undertone and others did not - they just looked flatter and didn't seem as shiny or pearl like some of the earlier ones...

 

[csczu]

Congrats.

My wife really wanted one in Jasmine like yours but we couldn't find it when it came time to buy. She got the Horizon Blue Pearl instead but I have to say, although it was the second favorite color they offered, it's really growing on her. ....glad I recommended it.

View attachment 537821

Thanks! That's a beauty. Blue would've been my second pick.

 

[FozzieBalou]

Thanks so much! I agree, they'll be much safer. I've ordered two booster seats that they can be harnessed into. I also got a waterproof seat cover and covers for the back seat doors so they don't scratch those up. My Boston Terrier loves to stand on the doors.

I got my booster seat at Petsmart (or was it Petco?) on clearance after Christmas 2018... It replaced one a neighbor had given me when her pup passed. But it's a soft squishy foam thing and it wasn't as big in the doggy pocket. This one is hard plastic with the sherpa lining and pillow... and it's big enough that both could fit (if they wanted to share).

When I take out my mom and her dogs, the four of them are odd. But her peke will almost always end up on the floor, right behind the seat, where the HVAC vent for the back seat is on the older SJ models. Her shihtzu sprawls across the blanket and Oliver and Oreo perch on the booster. OR sometimes Oreo stands on the armrest.. if it's down.

 

[FozzieBalou]

PS - now you've got to update your profile to remove the 05 Honda Element and add your 2020 Forester!

 

[Kean]

I was just the opposite of @Kean - the Jasmine Green was choice #2 and the Marine Blue Pearl (not available after 2014 models) was 1st. They couldn't keep that Marine Blue on the lot in my area. Then Subie changed in 2015 to "slate blue" or something like that... it was a more silver/gray undertone instead of the teal on the marine blue.

Oddly, I noticed on the SJ generation Foresters, the Jasmine Green had different "shades" across the years - like the basic formulation changed. I noticed some have a sort of bronze or amber undertone and others did not - they just looked flatter and didn't seem as shiny or pearl like some of the earlier ones...

I have to admit that my color choice was based mostly on another motive. .....I'm the only one who washes and maintains our vehicles. Her '08 was Turquoise Green Metallic (gold) for a reason. .....it hides dirt and fine scratches.

The Jasmine and the Blue were the closest I could get to colors that would do the same that she liked. My own cars are usually black but then again, I'm the only one who touches them so it's easier for me to keep them relatively scratch free, clean, etc.