Approximately one year ago, I’d finally had enough of my 2016 Subaru Forester, which was purchased new and never lived up to my expectations for it. I wrote a post titled “I Regret Buying a New Subaru.” That turned out to be one of our most popular stories of 2024. Why? It turns out many other Subaru owners felt the same way.
The peculiar thing about this post was that, overall, the car wasn’t a heap. It had never left me stranded on the side of the road. It wasn’t a lemon. I just went through a series of minor annoyances that, when added up, left me feeling like I didn’t get the value I expected. If the car was any type of citrus it was maybe a pomelo, which isn’t a bad fruit unless what you thought you were getting was a clementine.
Given how much I complained about the Forester is it possible I’m just too picky? Perhaps my expectations, as a car reviewer, are just too high. Maybe I am, as some people complained, just a big whiny baby.
It’s been a little more than seven months since I replaced the Forester with a new 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid and, so far, I have not been disappointed. The original plan was to keep the Subaru until 2027, which means I’m now saddled with a car payment I hadn’t budgeted for and, yet, I think I made the correct call.
A (Brief) Reminder Of All My Subaru Forester Issues
Because my posts about the Subaru were some of the most popular items on the site last year, I’m going to assume most of you read about it so I’ll keep my rehash of this brief. Above is the first photo I ever took of the car, which was a 2016 Subaru Forester Premium with the Cold Weather Package and the base 2.5-liter flat-four.
Having driven a nicer press car version of this for a week I thought I had a good sense of what I was getting, which was a traditionally reliable Japanese economy car with a good AWD system. It would be safe enough for my family, which now included an infant, and whatever it lacked in style I knew would be compensated for with peace of mind.
That’s not what happened.
Quite quickly I realized that the droning continuously variable transmission (CVT) was worse than I remembered. CVT transmissions, in theory, offer better packaging, a lower cost, increased fuel economy, and increased reliability. Over time it became clear that cost aside, I was trading a nominal improvement in fuel economy for a driving experience I couldn’t stand.
Again, I’m a car journalist, I know all about CVTs, but this was the first time I’d had one for months and it seemed to get worse as the miles went on. It was so bad I asked a mechanic who works on Subarus at an independent dealer if I should be worried, and he explained that they’re all just like that.
The Forester was also not particularly economical. Over its lifespan, charitably, it averaged 24 MPG. I do a lot of city driving and this motor/transmission combination is ill-suited to being a school bus.
More importantly, the running costs were way too high for something I’d hoped would be more akin to the Honda Civic we’d previously had. Where to start? It munched tires, requiring a new pair roughly every 25,000 miles. I do live in an urban area with some potholes, but no other car I know of around here required the frequent alignments the Forester needed (I also drove my BMW on these roads for three years without issue).
The battery failed early, and when Subaru finally issued a recall for it (one of many recalls for the vehicle) they wouldn’t reimburse me for one that I bought myself. Headlight bulbs only lasted months before burning out, which is not normal for any car. Subarus love to snap wheel studs, as I discovered. Worst of all, I had to replace both lower control arms and rear wheel bearings within the first few years of ownership, which is thousands of dollars I didn’t plan on spending.
Overall, the Subaru was too much hassle and too much cost. It was good in the snow for the rare times I drove it in wintry conditions. The seats were comfortable. If I didn’t have to budget an extra $2k ever year for upkeep I’d have probably kept it. Honestly, the best thing I can say is that it held its value well, and, after paying $25k for it new, I got around $11k for it used.
How The New CR-V Hybrid Is Stacking Up
I was thinking of titling this post “It’s been six months and I still like my Honda CR-V Hybrid” but someone pointed out to me that no one seems as interested when I’m happy with a car. Unfortunately, from a website traffic perspective, I’ve been mostly impressed.
Right off the bat, the mileage of the CR-V Hybrid exceeded my expectations. Until it got cold, I was averaging about 39 mpg combined. That’s come down a lot since winter and, when we hit a year or 10,000 miles, I’ll update on the total. Right now I’m around 36 MPG combined, which is way better than the Subaru’s 24 MPG. I assume I’ll end up around the expected 37-38 MPG when it warms up outside.
It drives significantly better than my Subaru in most situations. The CR-V’s suspension is set up to be a little more forgiving of bumps, which is what I prefer, even if the steering is a little less direct than what I experienced on the Forester. With the EV motor doing most of the work around town, the Honda’s throttle response is much better. There’s basically no transmission, so any issues with the CVT are gone.
There have been two recalls for the Honda already, which isn’t ideal, but one was quickly and easily addressed by the dealer, who also changed the oil for free. One of the big perks of a new CR-V Hybrid was two years of paid routine maintenance. I don’t expect to have to pay for anything other than gasoline for two years.
There’s still a lot of time for things to go wrong, so don’t take any of this as definitive. I’ll check back in this summer for a full update on how everything has gone. As the honeymoon period wanes I continue to be impressed with the Honda and I’m beginning to suspect that my being a big whiny baby has little to do with my issues with the Forester.
I also drove a brand new Subaru last week without a CVT transmission and, surprise surprise, I liked it. More on that soon.
Top graphic images: Subaru, Matt Hardigee; inset, We’re The Millers/Warner Bros.
I think every writer has proven CVTs just don’t work. My neighbor had one go out 100 miles past warranty. No help from Mitsubishi and no one even the dealer who sold it was willing to fix or change the transmission. That just ain’t right.
This is starting to feel like the guy who keeps talking about his ex after breaking up with her.
JK, this ex don’t talk back so do your thing!
No shit…”drove lemon, replaced with almost 10 year old newer car that is nicer.” And???
You were right to ditch that bi… Hitch. My brother’s 2010 Outback has been a wheezy droning turd since day 1, always with shit breaking. Bought new, largely garage kept, and still the thing would drop plastic bits, or somewhere along the way (this started years ago so it’s not like I need to cut a 15 year old car some slack) it got a hole in the exhaust and sounds like large cat (the feline kind) in palliative care in an echoreflective arena.
The first time I rode in it my heart sank, cause I knew he was gonna whip that turd up and down the mountains for years to come and it wasn’t going to get any better with age.
It is funny the deep throated purr of a 907 Lotus motor is a joy to listen to for hundreds of miles, the whining of a Subaru CVT is annoying at a distance between stoplights.
I don’t know what it is but every time I read Subaru and Japanese car it doesn’t feel right. I always think at first a European/Swiss car. I know I am wrong but decades have past and I still get that initial twinge. It is like Subaru doesn’t fit that well built reliable reputation the other Japanese cars earned.
I could see that. It’s not every owner – how my brother ended up in an Outback, looking at it through a cultural lens, is a case fit for Unsolved Mysteries – but there’s definitely a cult of brand around it that, while maybe preliminarily functional (AWD! Roomy! No frills and less to go wrong!) is undeserved when you look at how they hold up in the real world.
We just got a new 2025 CR-V Hybrid, so I am keeping my eye out for any updates you may have with it. We replaced a 2007 CR-V, so this is quite a leap forward in tech, so we are learning and getting used to feeling pampered. I have a few nits to pick, but overall we’re enjoying it. It’s bright blue with black wheels (standard on the hybrids), and my wife keeps saying how pretty it is.
Matt, your tale of woe reminds me of the early 90s Accord I had (back in the awful automatic seatbelt days). It wasn’t a bad car, just annoying enough for me to buy a Camry V6 and never look back.
Funny I had a 89 Honda Civic DX back in the day and I still remember it fondly. It kept me safe after a flipping traffic accident that no Olympic gymnast would even attempt but it was a great car.
I know exactly what you’re saying. Have a low mileage 94 Accord non-VTEC auto from my Mom. It’s the most uninspiring car to drive and I’ve owned some pretty cheap junk. I’m guessing a 5 speed would make a huge difference. The way that engine drones with its late up shifts is the worst part. At least it has airbags tho and will probably spite me by lasting forever…
If you provide that update in terms of that @#$%^& Subaru for the gazillionth @#$%^& time, I will send you a strongly-worded email.
Personally I LOVE these updates on his Subaru and want MOAR!!!
He works with me. You think an email from you is going to scare him?
Come on you look like a cuddly spokes icon for a native American food company.
That’s fair.
OTOH I swore at him using punctuation. How scary do you think the email is likely to be?
I expect it would be taken almost as seriously as a similar missive from the UN.
The lizard overlords are scared of you. How in the galactic netherworld is Matt not cowering in insanity inducing fear?
He’s seen some things.
what a pithy comment
Underratedly juicy comment
I offloaded my ’12 Forester about five months ago and I don’t miss mine either. I was a little sad when I left it at the dealer because it really was a great car for my wife and I for a number of years, boring ass driving experience aside. The new car is way better though. I think I will miss it on my first dump and/or hardware store run of the spring. It’s nice not to care about what is happening to the interior of a car when you toss some old pallet boards in the back with nails poking out or if you need to haul a couple small trees home from the nursery with accompanying bags of dirt.
Once I put the seats down on my ’04 Forester and lined the back with a tarp up to the window tops. Then I shoveled a full load of bark mulch into it. No real harm done, but I think it was an indication of how much I’d come to love it. Now I drive a Mercedes GLX of almost the same size and proportions, and I’d never subject it to such abuse.
I got fooled by the Subaru cult too. Lucky it’s not my car but have to drive it sometimes. Everyone tells you they are such good cars and keep buying them. I had assumed some bad drivers had Subarus but I’m now convinced that bad Subarus have some people. You see them circling in parking lots trying to park or running into things. And after driving one around I understand. I’ve driven dump trucks with more drivability and visibility. It truly makes no sense how they can make such a little car drive worse then a literal dump truck. It’s like that class action about them loosing control and everyone points at the old ladies driving them they had to say they have airline pilots in on it too. They really do surge and if you don’t know to be on guard can see how you could run into something. I think it has to do with how they tune the engine and cvt from cold to NOT.
Honestly, of all the faults of Subaru, outward visibility is NOT one of them on a Forester.
They’ve got some of the largest greenhouses out there, with enviable sightlines.
I know that is said a lot. And it really looks like that. But they have weird sight lines. I really don’t understand it. It’s been explained to me in non technical terms as “puffary”. I think the older Foresters didn’t have a big of issue. But the current and previous generation do. The cross trek may suffer from this too. If I drive it for a bit I get used to it but I don’t like it and I don’t trust it.
It’s said because it’s true.
Seriously. I have plenty of complaints about a former ’07 Forester we used to own, but it was absolutely a greenhouse with amazing sight lines (no rising belt line) and the AWD was second to none.
Great hauler and a beast in the snow even on nearly bald tires.
Now if you want to talk about oil leaks, stupid frameless windows that deform, head gaskets, or the neverending O2 sensor mismatch CEL ….. that’s a whole other story.
I was looking at a new Impreza RS recently. There’s value in them but I struggle to justify spending 30k+ on a pretty basic economy car.
The car looks decent but I knew that every time I’d sit in those cloth seats and hear that CVT drone, I’d think to myself: $485 a month for THIS?!?
Note: according to Consumer Reports, Subies are now about $2k higher to own over the course of 10 years than the competition. Yes, even Nissan.
But does anyone own a Nissan for 10 years?
Depends on what the Parole Board decides? YMMV.
Yeah okay…
Look at the state of things. The average age of cars on the road, the rise of the 84 month loan, looming tariffs. An economy car shopper, unless leasing, is prepared to keep a car about a decade, regardless of brand.
In this segment, the Nissan is 2k cheaper to buy and 2k cheaper to own. 4k makes a difference for a lot of people.
I’m totally willing to admit my evidence is anecdotal, but despite the evidence that Nissans may be cheaper to own (I’m willing to entertain this), I simply don’t know a single person who has held onto their Nissan long term, at least not in the CVT era. The only people I know that currently drive Nissans, are leasing them.
Have you even driven a modern Nissan?
Yes, my in-laws Pathfinder (Rock Creek, lol).
I hate it. Though the green color is excellent, and I will contend that it’s pretty good looking for what it is.
The thing is, just because overall reliability on a car is above average, doesn’t mean an individual car may not be problematic. I don’t know about that specific model year of Forester, but overall they are very good quality cars. Lemons still happen.
A lot has changed in 8 years, and the CRV hybrid is a better car, IMO.
I enjoy reading about individual experiences with reliability. My favorite was the early 2000s E-class. Turned out to be a good car, as long as he poured money into it. That may be true of most cars. I feel the Mercedes experience is a good one, but you will pay for it.
My story? My old car is a 2013 PHEV. Gets flaky occasionally, but extremely low cost of ownership and above average reliability. But I know it could brick at any time, between the battery and the CVT trans. My new cars are 2019 and 2023 Acura. They have some personality, but are really delightful cars. And moderately low cost of ownership.
No PHEV has the kind of fragile belt-driven CVT that is familiar. Most have an e-CVT, which is a much simpler and more robust item. Unless it’s a 2013 Ford C-Max. If that’s the case, you have my sympathies. Sell it while values are high and replace it with a 2015 or newer, with a more reliable transmission.
lol – Thanks for your reply.
Yes, mine is a 2013 C-Max.
Most of them are- the car sold very well at introduction, but its reputation was spoiled by recalls, transmission failures, and a Consumer Reports blacklist. CR changed its mind, and still lists 2017-18 C-Max as best used car buys. We hade a 2014 that held up well, but the 2016+ models had many subtle improvements besides greater reliability.
We have had our 2016 Outback for nearly 9 years now… and it has been fine nothing wrong with it, seriously no issues until recently. The transmission (surprise) is starting to buck at low RPMs. It has 110,000km on it, so not really high mileage. It has all been hard city, stop start, road trip family car stuff. We have effectively upgraded it and relegated it to ‘second-car’ status when we traded in our Ford Kuga on a 2018 BMW X5. However, the poor old subie just feels worn out, tired and we aren’t really sure if we want to sink in the money required to fix the transmission issue, it kinda says we don’t love it, its time to move it on. But I don’t really want another car payment and we would just be replacing it like for like if we traded it plus cash… so I’m a bit stuck with what to do now. Our kids or older and can climb into the back on their own, so we can get a fun car – but what that would be, I don’t know.
Have you changed the CVT fluid at all?
Yes, didn’t fix it. Hoped it might. I’ll get it looked at by a transmission specialist next month, but Google says its either shot, or the fluid needs changing. The mechanic said that the fluid looked relatively new when he did it. So I’m thinking that its shot. The salient point though is that I just don’t care…
I expect you’ll be delighted with it for about eight years before it finally starts to show it’s age. That seems to be about the first life length for most Hondas before the multiple repair stage.
I’m trading in my mom’s Forester this week for a Corsair and am thrilled to excise that CVT and dead on center steering. I have really grown to dislike that car and I’m the one who talked her into it in the first place.
Honda Fit at 11 years old. Still nothing major but maintenance.
Salt free state? I’m biased by a lifetime of Chicago winters.
True dat…Florida, but within 2 miles of the Gulf of Mexico.
Yep, my biased bad.
They also utilize a timing belt instead of a chain. With a boxer engine that means timing 4 cams on a 4 cylinder (as opposed to 2 on an inline DOHC 4 cylinder). The spark plugs are also a pain compared to a normal I4. Basically outside of the drive belt/accessory pulleys everything is needlessly more difficult than if they used an I4- especially if it came with a timing chain.
Plugs on the 2010 Outback were INFINITELY easier than the plugs on my Fiesta ST. Ample room in the engine bay so getting plugs out of the boxer was easy peasy. Meanwhile the Fiesta required some sort of thin walled spark plug socket that doesn’t exist so multiple failed trips to parts stores and then hours of trying to grind tool steel were so much fun. Fucking miserable.
Tackling the timing belt on the Outback in the next few months so we shall see.
Not all Subarus are that easy. You need a specialty socket for the BRZ too.
A SOCKET?! OH THE HUMANITY.
Kind of like what I needed for my ’16 Mazda3 with a plain ol’ inline 4?
I believe they make a tool that you can rent to lock the cams in place. I would definitely do that so nothing slips.
The newer ones have a timing chain, my partners 2017 Forester has a chain, pretty sure Matt’s would have too. I think they changed around 2014.
That’s a relief. Doing a water pump on one must be a real pain in that ass then.
2016 Forester has a chain.
I have owned many disappointing vehicles, but since for decades I bought only worn out junkers, it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t until I started buying nicer vehicles that the weight of driving something I hate became unbearable. Now I am meticulous about what I buy, weighing all the options, driving everything, and making sure I know what I am getting myself into in advance. Except that I’m also a multi-time Jeep owner for decades, so I suppose little of what I said is credible as my current TJ is an endless pit of pain and suffering (but I still love it).
Man, that Forester really hurt you, didn’t it.
Dr.:Show us on the doll where the Subie hurt you.
Matt: Points to wallet.
End of the day life is too short to drive something you don’t like.
Twenty-five thousand miles would be about normal for me and that’s only because I do a lot of highway miles for work. I get a lot of lateral wear.
Funny you mention both broken wheel studs and lower control arm replacement…
I helped a buddy replace his control arms on this generation Forester AND broke his wheel studs while doing it! Fun surprise.
I tend to own cars for very short lengths of time. I have come to the belief that most general-purpose cars aren’t very good these days. We have two people in our household and space for three cars. We have gone through a number of different collections trying to strike a balance of practicality, specialty use, and fun, and it is always the general utility vehicle that stinks.
I gave up really caring about the flaws and simply filled that slot with a low mileage (certified if possible) used model and then traded it for whatever else filled that same role when the warranty runs out. I just budget a couple hundred a month so that I have the money to do the swap. It ends up being like a lease without the down payment. Toyota or Honda CUV lump of some sort typically wins out. Hybrid if the price premium isn’t too bad.
That has freed up the other two slots for cars I like but don’t need to do everything. Those have ranged from GTIs & Fiesta STs to an old Ford high-boy. Some I loose more than others but I never feel bad about them having their issues because I enjoy them for other reasons.
Dealing with droning transmissions, maintenance issues, and high operating costs in a car that is supposed to be practical is hard to swallow. After all, you only buy it because you don’t want to think about it.
You can always just buy a Vibe/Matrix and be done. Cheap, practical, bulletproof.
If you need AWD, they exist.
If you want a little something something, get the Yamaha variant with the stick and enjoy wringing it out.
Most Vibe/Matrix-s are old enough to drink legally, and finding any that aren’t very well-worn is almost impossible. Plus, they aren’t big enough to be the general-purpose family truckster for us. Two dogs and a handful of elderly folks we care for mean we need a bit more space.
We always have a 3-6-year-old model with a warranty that costs us around $250/month. Every 2-3 years I just go in and trade it in for the slightly newer equivalent and write a check for $6-8k.
The other two parking spots are used for something more specialized and/or fun. Right now that is a ’21 Tacoma and a ’19 Miata.
I guess it depends where you’re drinking. In the US, no they are not mostly old enough unless you’re talking about the first few years of the first-Gen only.
Vibes went until 2010 and Matrixes (Matrices?) went until 2013.
But yeah, if you only want larger cars and stuff that’s 2-3 years old max, they won’t be for you.
You said most general-purpose cars aren’t very good these days, so the obvious solution (to me) is to pick something that isn’t from these days. If you pick something reliable, even an older car can be quite easy to deal with.
Beyond the normal maintenance stuff (serp belt, brakes, tires, fluids, etc) I think I’ve done front struts (plus sway bars), a tensioner pulley, hatch struts, and maybe a door hinge and mine is an ’07.
It’s a cheap date, just don’t give it booze yet.
My parents had a first-generation Vibe and a second-generation Matrix, and they were both good cars. They ended up with the grandkids. The primary thing I am saying is that even if there are some decent older options still around, it isn’t a long-term solution. Those good cars will quickly become more and more rare. Most folks will need another option.
If you’re not in a rust-belt state, once you get one you’ll be in good shape though. It’s just a Corolla underneath and there’s tons of parts for them, assuming they don’t run forever on their own.
But yes, the “getting” is certainly dwindling.
Your 2016 Subaru experience sounds an awful lot like my late ’90s/early 00s VWs, which is not what you want from a car doing daily shlepping duty…doubly so with a baby. We switched over to Honda once kid #2 arrived and it’s still rocking hard after a decade.
But 25k miles from tires (with mostly city driving) isn’t really bad at all. I think I’ve had one pair of tires in my entire life go past 35k, and those were rock-hard “50k mile tires”. I learned my lesson and went right back to the stickier ones that might last 30k max.
Late ’90s and early ’00s VWs were at least appealing to auto enthusiast. Sure, not renowned for reliability, but their interiors had high quality materials (maybe not the longest lasting) and they were generally known to be fun to drive. I also think VW hasn’t been able to beat the styling of their “normal” models since that era; something about a Mk4 Golf/Jetta, a B5(.5) Passat, and things like the Phaeton and first gen Touareg just look fantastic.
These Subarus are far closer to boring appliances, but they aren’t reliable enough to get away with being a boring appliance.
Had a MKIV GTI 24v VR6/6 speed and agree with all of this. I love the sound of a VR6 driven in anger.
My old man still DDs a 2004 R32 to this day (bone stock). He’s been thinking about selling it for about 10 years, but can’t find anything else he likes as much…
Yep, there’s a reason I’m still limping along with an ’01 Passat GLX wagon (B5.5). It’s not fast or sporty with V6 and slushbox, but it’s still so much more engaging than a lot of cars. I’m embracing the beater status, and I’m just a couple years short of a Vintage tag 🙂
New tires and fluid just added (after sitting in the driveway for 5-7 years with almost zero usage). There are about 30 things wrong with it, but none that keep it from working mechanically!
I agree about the tires, don’t do anything crazy, used to when young, but not anymore, but 20,000 to 30,000 seems about what they all do.
I had a similar’ish experience with our 2017 Honda Pilot. It’s not a MY that comes up in lists of vehicles to avoid, but I expected better.
The entire AC system needed replacing at 3 years and 2 months. Honda ‘good willed’ the repair and we paid ~$300 of a $4,500 repair. Then at just over 40k miles BCM/keyless-entry module died. The part was $800 + $350 labor + $300 battery, but took 6 months to replace. The dealer provided a loaner since we’ve been their customer for almost 20 years. About 4K miles later a transmission pressure solenoid(s) broke and almost took the transmission with it. That was ~$400 (with hefty discount for being such a good, repeat customer). Lastly 2K later the ignition key sensor quit and was covered by warranty. Though the 6-speed AWD transmission never failed. It cooked the fluid to a rich brown color and burnt smell at 23K miles. Every 10K drain and fills kept the fluid in decent shape, but it was obviously running HOT.
Though some costs were covered by warranty, it was averaging about $1,000 per year on repairs that should not be needed for a vehicle of its age and mileage. If it were a BMW that I was in love with, I’d be fine with that cost, but for a Pilot, it didn’t sit well. I figured the transmission was destined to fail in the next few years and those units are freaking expensive.
So, no Hard Digree Burn on the Honda, yet? We can wait . . .
Great name for a band “The Hard Degree’s”!
I had a Mercedes plug-in hybrid for about 16 months – in that time it spent about 7 months in the dealership due to parts shortages from failed air suspension, hybrid battery, control modules, and interior pieces. It literally left me stranded one time by dropping onto its ass and I had to drive it home on the bump stops. It was the most heartbreaking car I ever owned because when it worked, I loved it, but it rewarded my love with punishment – and I still think about it less than you seem to about this Forester.
Look forward to your next update about how it was a shit car in another 12 months!
some folks pay for a drop like this but play your cards right and Mercedes will give it to you for free
My stepdad got a Mercedes a few years ago since he was retiring and always wanted a one. The ownership experience was much the same as yours with the constant and significant failures. After getting it back from the dealer due to a cylinder head replacement under warranty, the turbo blew up sending shrapnel through the engine. It got traded for an Accord hybrid in under 2 years.
My father in-law had an early 2000s E-series Mercedes. His retirement reward. He had many issues early on, but later it became more reliable and he drove it till around 170,000 miles. Mercedes had a preventative maintenance program that replaced many parts before they failed. He paid more than $1000 every 6 months on regular maintenance.
Later he got a Buick LaCrosse and was floored that the annual maintenance cost was less than 25% of the Mercedes.
He is a highly educated doctor, but how cars work are a mystery. If the dealer said he needed something fixed, he agreed to it. He was shocked that I was able to figure out why one of the Mercedes DRLs was not functioning and fix it for around $40 (genuine MB bulb). Mercedes was asking +$300 for a diagnosis of a burned out DRL bulb and replacement.
If it was a LaCrosse with the 3800 V6, that’s a reliable little sleeper.
It is. Love those 3800 V6 engines. Not the most powerful, but they are very good in most any respect.
Around 60K miles now with only regular maintenance. Might look into buying it off him since he doesn’t (shouldn’t) drive anymore. Will make a relatively safe car for my teenagers. Or I may keep it, but IDK. My problem with driving it is managing to stay awake.
Yeah, I looked at those for a bit. I love that engine, but even just a few years old, many of the LaCrosses had issues with radio and HVAC buttons wearing off and just other weird cost-cutting GM nonsense.
It’s a shame the rest of the car doesn’t match the quality of the engine. Probably not a bad no-frills commuter (or first car for the kids, like you said) though.
I appreciate you fully detailing all the problems you had with your Subaru on this site.
I knew Subaru wasn’t great in the reliability department, but I didn’t know they were as bad as you described.
I was looking at new Subarus back when the Impreza and the Crosstrek were available with manual transmissions, even if they brought the manuals back I certainly wouldn’t be looking at any new Subarus.
Don’t take one experience to be typical. Sure, auto writers experience a lot of cars, but they don’t experience long-term ownership of more cars than a typical person.
I currently have two Subarus (’18 Outback and ’19 Forester) and they’ve been no more or less reliable than anything else. The Outback has gone through two wheel bearings, an axle, a ball joint (soon to be second ball joint), the console screen is delaminating, and some other minor stuff over the ~115k on it. The Forester has been through a wheel bearing and a coolant control valve over the ~100k on it.
I don’t think that’s horrible for 6 and 7 year old cars, but it certainly isn’t anything to brag about. I’d wager it’s worse than direct competitors from Toyota, but probably about the same as you’d get out of Honda, Nissan, and the domestic competitors.
I don’t love my Subaru (the Outback is mine, the Forester is the wife’s); I’ll be replacing it with a non-Subaru. I’d likely also try to direct the wife away from another Subaru, but I wouldn’t be that upset if she decided to get another. Most of my complaints are about dumb design decisions. Like, how can the Outback’s trunk hatch open so poorly, that a 5’10” can still hit his head on it; the vehicle is tall enough that it should easily allow a 6’+ person to not hit their head. My VW stationwagon gave me inches of clearance! Or the dumb gas door likes to freeze shut all the time in winter, requiring numerous hits to break loose and walks back to the driver seat to pull the release lever. Or an infotainment system that’s been laggy since day one, and AA/CP has always been flaky on. Fuel economy has also been far lower than EPA ratings.
My wife has a ’14 Forester and only had a couple small problems. The first was a small transmission problem when it was still under warranty where she couldn’t shift from park and had to open a little cover and hit a switch to bypass something. Then she had to replace rear wheel bearings a couple years ago when the car was already ten years old. She still drives it daily and while it’s a little worse for wear, including being the victim of a couple parking lot scrapes, it’s fine and been basically bulletproof from a reliability stand point. I think she’s on her third set of tires with around 125,000 miles and those have at least another 20-30k in them before we need to think about replacing them. I will also say we have to top it off with oil occasionally but I’m not sure if that’s indicative of a problem, due to her delaying oil changes excessively, or just the nature of the light weight oil it uses (0w-20). We don’t have a giant oil patch in our driveway or garage so I’m not too concerned about it.
It’s been a very capable and reliable car and she is intent on keeping it for at least another few years.