2001 Subaru Forester Reviews

Reviews

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Japanese Build quality? Subaru has their own take...

Engine needed to have head gasket rebuild (under warranty, by the previous owner - we are the second, and friends with the PO), as many (most?) of these did. Sounds like an angry Sewing Machine when running...which makes it hard to tell if it's really got something wrong, or if it's just a bit of the ubiquitous Subaru Valve Knock which their engineers and Service staff are so quick to dismiss as being, "harmless". I'm not totally sure about that, having previously owned a '93 GL-10 Turbo wagon which had a timing belt blow, taking the whole engine with it (at ~96k miles - OUCH).


From 0-60 this car (2.5l H-Boxer engine) isn't very exciting, but it does handle quite well (its underbody apparently derived from the Rally series WRX race-tuned suspension/drivetrain), I feel like our crappy tires are somewhat limiting its performance. Turning radius is decent (though we've never driven another car that turned so tightly as our old '87 Toyota Van - which we finally sold for $400 once we reached 295,000 miles on the clock), steering feels pretty responsive, precise. It looks boxy and clunky (its looks are the least appealing aspect of the car, to me), and at 6'1", I have to push the seat back all the way when I'm driving (it started out as my wife's car, but with my Maxima's steering and engine having problems right now, it's our main vehicle, and I drive it most of the time), I definitely feel cramped driving the car, as will many/most people over 5'10", but the steering and handling are a pleasure, the AWD works well (we live in Colorado, we've had plenty of opportunities to test its on-ice and in-snow driving characteristics), and the engine - though flashing a "Check Engine" warning on and off (which, we're told, is the hyper-fidgety knock sensor - or maybe the O2 sensor, neither of which I feel like tearing down the engine to change during the now-frigid winter), seems to run well, and is actually pretty responsive once we get the car above 15-20 MPH, I don't have too much trouble passing when I mash the gas pedal down, though it's not quite as zippy or exciting as the (04) Maxima in this regards. However, I would actually rate the suspension and handling on the Forester as better than than of the FWD Maxima, regardless of its supposed "Sport Sedan" intent.

There are a lot of thoughtful design elements, like the rubber floor mats which absorb liquid spills and melted snow like champs with their rugged build and relatively deep gutters. Same for the rubber insert in the trunk area, which protects the carpet from wear and stains (and animal hair, if you're transporting canines, etc.). It is a bit of a PITA to get to the tire changing tools and the tire itself with this mat in place (which, in our case, usually has gear on top of it, making tire access a bit dodgy with my troubled spine - I have to hold everything up with my head while I undo the tools, tire, etc., and that REALLY hurts my lower back), but we like the retractable shade/cover (wish every station wagon had one of these), and the rubber mat allows us to port less-than-pristine cargo with little worry about ruining the carpet.

I like the car...I just wish the engine didn't sound like it was about to explode when we're driving it, compared to other cars I've driven, I'm just never sure if there's something I should be concerned about because of the lack of a more-quiet sound baseline for the engine when it's running. Passenger space is a bit less than in my '92 Cherokee Laredo, but this car is much better on gas, and has been generally more reliable, too (excepting the Head Gasket problems, which they did issue a Factory Recall for, fixing at Subaru's own expense).