2014 Subaru Forester

[Egan101]

With regards to sunroof, as long as the seals are not compromised or the glass broken, they hold up pretty well. Just check the various Nissan cars with sunroofs (Cefiro A32, Cefiro A33, B14 Exalta, N16 Exalta), only a few of them got their sunroofs broken. My previous N16 Exalta held up pretty well even parked under the sun. The sunroof seals gets the same amount of sun radiation punishment as door window seals. Maybe an errant stone at high speeds or a falling hard debris or falling branch will scare the hell out of you. Heck, the sunroof was even more reliable compared to the N16's suspension. Hahahahaha

[Engine_no.9]

I guess the rubber gasket will deteriorate esp. if you park under the sun all the time.

I have never traveled during the day with the shade open, let alone with it slide open. It is really hot (even with tinting) to use during the day. Use it on overcast, raining or at night.

IMO, Sunroof is really novelty item that has very little use or practicality in our tropical weather. But its nice to have it though just for the heck of having it.

This totally makes sense. At least hindi na ko ganun ka eager to have the sunroof :P

Yun na lang other features of the XT variant na wala sa 2.0i-L:

1. Turbo Engine -- don't really need it
2. Rims -- subjective (but i like it)
3. Front Bumper -- again, subjective, but i like it as well
4. Powerlift gate -- what's not to like with this one? Madali ba masisira to?
5. Display/Monitor on dashboard -- can this be custom-installed for the 2.0i-L?
6. Paddle-shifter -- not really essential for me on a CUV, but a nice to have
7. Harman Kardon stereo -- could be very nice
8. Push start button -- nice to have as well
9. 8-way power adjustable driver seat

Anything else I'm missing? Is this automatic headlamp and rain-sensing wiper common for both the NA and XT variant?

[8BRZWRX]

i think it'll take us 3to4 months for the plate to come out. im at 1,800kms, tapos na breakin period ko :D but havent brought it to subaru yet for change oil, baka next week pa

Just hope LTO becomes efficient in the future. Ideally vehicle plates should be issued upon pickup of the vehicle. If they need to charge more so be it. The conduction sticker makes little sense other than to add process.

[NeilJohn]

I think the general rule of thumb is that the more electronics a car has, the more expensive it is to maintain once it gets older. Mechanical parts are generally more durable and to some extent more reliable in the longer term.

I guess in your case its really between what you need and what's nice to have.

[8BRZWRX]

As each new model comes out more and more electronics will be added to it. Per manufacturer's market research it appears that this is a selling point for consumers. Same reason why consumers prefer automatic over manual transmission vehicles even if repair is much more expensive.

[rickmor]

Can you use the shell v power nitro plus (95octane) on the turbo model?

[cfule]

my only gripe with my 2013 (2014) Forester XT is the fuel consumption of 5.5 to 6km/L lifetime average fuel consumption, now on my 1900kms. other than that, those features you mentioned are all pretty sweet. yeah the sunroof is pretty much useless but is a plus "wow" factor, the only time you can use it is when the sun is about to set and at night. and for you to enjoy the sunroof, you have to clean it when you plan to use it, its not nice to see bird droppings and what not imprinted on the outside glass, heck i even apply "rain away" water repellant just to ease off the cleaning. i dont want to open it for long since outside air goes in, fumes, bugs, flies, leaves will be sucked in. and you dont want to open the glass when you are going faster than 80kph.

for those who also have the XT, the harman kardon head unit plays sound much better through USB than AUX. i have more bass when playing music thru USB.
Regarding the engine and CVT, me binabagayan na tao, kasi you wont feel the "oomph" every gear change. babagay to sa mga taong palaging me sakay na pasahero, you can go fast without them noticing since there is less"oomph" feeling, masarap tulog nila hehe. but heck its fast once na nakabwelo na and SI mode. chances are, you're the fastest on the road 99% of the time, no fortuner, montero, everest, ranger, santa fe, explorer that you cannot overtake (do it responsibly of course). im from the province so madalas ako sa hiway. my only problem now is since this car is really fast, i get dings on my bumper gawa ng small stones na tumatalsik from other cars. im thinking if bringing it to "foil-a-car" and apply some transparent paint protection on the bumper only and headlights.

[supermanila]

my only gripe with my 2013 (2014) Forester XT is the fuel consumption of 5.5 to 6km/L lifetime average fuel consumption, now on my 1900kms. other than that, those features you mentioned are all pretty sweet. yeah the sunroof is pretty much useless but is a plus "wow" factor, the only time you can use it is when the sun is about to set and at night. and for you to enjoy the sunroof, you have to clean it when you plan to use it, its not nice to see bird droppings and what not imprinted on the outside glass, heck i even apply "rain away" water repellant just to ease off the cleaning. i dont want to open it for long since outside air goes in, fumes, bugs, flies, leaves will be sucked in. and you dont want to open the glass when you are going faster than 80kph.

for those who also have the XT, the harman kardon head unit plays sound much better through USB than AUX. i have more bass when playing music thru USB.
Regarding the engine and CVT, me binabagayan na tao, kasi you wont feel the "oomph" every gear change. babagay to sa mga taong palaging me sakay na pasahero, you can go fast without them noticing since there is less"oomph" feeling, masarap tulog nila hehe. but heck its fast once na nakabwelo na and SI mode. chances are, you're the fastest on the road 99% of the time, no fortuner, montero, everest, ranger, santa fe, explorer that you cannot overtake (do it responsibly of course). im from the province so madalas ako sa hiway. my only problem now is since this car is really fast, i get dings on my bumper gawa ng small stones na tumatalsik from other cars. im thinking if bringing it to "foil-a-car" and apply some transparent paint protection on the bumper only and headlights.

Nice inputs on the XT sir. I have read that dings are pretty normal daw for a subaru...apparently subaru uses cheap paint as they say...it dings easily, and the paint chips off easily din daw. Double waxing and paint protection is a must if you want to maintain the paint.

* rickmor

yes you can use 95RON fuel for the XT. In fact, according to an owner here, local manual states that 95RON is recommended...international manual though recommends 98RON, but 95RON works fine pa rin daw and may just have a "slight" performance hit daw.

[karl2001]

Nice inputs on the XT sir. I have read that dings are pretty normal daw for a subaru...apparently subaru uses cheap paint as they say...it dings easily, and the paint chips off easily din daw. Double waxing and paint protection is a must if you want to maintain the paint.

* rickmor

yes you can use 95RON fuel for the XT. In fact, according to an owner here, local manual states that 95RON is recommended...international manual though recommends 98RON, but 95RON works fine pa rin daw and may just have a "slight" performance hit daw.

I have reserved XT from MI greenhhills meron. Is it true na cheap paint and ginagamit ng subaru? I hope to hear some more feedback about the XT negative and positive para if it is worth to buy. My wife is trying to ask me to cancel purchasing the XT

[supermanila]

I have reserved XT from MI greenhhills meron. Is it true na cheap paint and ginagamit ng subaru? I hope to hear some more feedback about the XT negative and positive para if it is worth to buy. My wife is trying to ask me to cancel purchasing the XT

I have never owned a Subaru sir. But since I am on wait list for the XT, I also did some reading from other forums. From what I read from current and previous owners of Subaru cars, paint is not really a strong point for them. Some say it's what makes Subaru a Subaru, others say they are buying a Subaru, not a BMW, so it's acceptable that the paint is inferior to more premium brands.

How it compares to other Japanese cars though, that I don't know. Maybe they are saying Subaru uses cheap paint, but compared to Toyota and Honda, maybe they are just at par lang. In my opinion, you have reserved for the Forester XT for your own reasons, like maybe you liked the AWD, the technology, safety features, etc... so whether your decision will be affected by paint quality is really up to you

I think any car naman that isn't being maintained properly will age faster. As recommended by some Subaru owners, proper care and waxing of the paint is highly recommended to protect the paint of the car. I think this actually applies to other cars as well, not just Subaru.

May I ask sir what color you reserved and what date they are telling you na dadating yung unit? Thanks.

[karl2001]

I have never owned a Subaru sir. But since I am on wait list for the XT, I also did some reading from other forums. From what I read from current and previous owners of Subaru cars, paint is not really a strong point for them. Some say it's what makes Subaru a Subaru, others say they are buying a Subaru, not a BMW, so it's acceptable that the paint is inferior to more premium brands.

How it compares to other Japanese cars though, that I don't know. Maybe they are saying Subaru uses cheap paint, but compared to Toyota and Honda, maybe they are just at par lang. In my opinion, you have reserved for the Forester XT for your own reasons, like maybe you liked the AWD, the technology, safety features, etc... so whether your decision will be affected by paint quality is really up to you

I think any car naman that isn't being maintained properly will age faster. As recommended by some Subaru owners, proper care and waxing of the paint is highly recommended to protect the paint of the car. I think this actually applies to other cars as well, not just Subaru.

May I ask sir what color you reserved and what date they are telling you na dadating yung unit? Thanks.

I reserved white colour , they told me 2nd or 3rd week of May. Saan ka ba nagpareserved na dealer?

[supermanila]

I reserved white colour , they told me 2nd or 3rd week of May. Saan ka ba nagpareserved na dealer?

I reserved from Alabang and Greenhills sir, and both are saying 4th week of May to 1st week of June. Of course both are saying they will prioritize me. Maybe you've heard the same pitch I am on reservation since first week of April I believe. I have also been informed yesterday by someone with a contact in Subaru Greenhills that for the white pearl, they are expecting end of June pa. I also reserved white pearl, so I don't really know which is true anymore.

It can kind of get frustrating while waiting, since they keep pushing back the dates and makes me think na they are just saying it's near but it's really not. They told me before that stock will arrive 3rd week of April, then end of April or 1st week May, now it's 4th week of May or 1st week of June. So I kind of been shopping around from other brands as well, looking at the Mazda 6, CX5, and will be looking at the new Sta Fe, Sorento, etc while waiting.

[imperialv]

Tama ba basa ko 5.5 to 6 km/l lang ang bagong forester.. Yung SH5 kasi ganun din and the claim is may fuel efficient ang bago...

my only gripe with my 2013 (2014) Forester XT is the fuel consumption of 5.5 to 6km/L lifetime average fuel consumption, now on my 1900kms. other than that, those features you mentioned are all pretty sweet. yeah the sunroof is pretty much useless but is a plus "wow" factor, the only time you can use it is when the sun is about to set and at night. and for you to enjoy the sunroof, you have to clean it when you plan to use it, its not nice to see bird droppings and what not imprinted on the outside glass, heck i even apply "rain away" water repellant just to ease off the cleaning. i dont want to open it for long since outside air goes in, fumes, bugs, flies, leaves will be sucked in. and you dont want to open the glass when you are going faster than 80kph.

for those who also have the XT, the harman kardon head unit plays sound much better through USB than AUX. i have more bass when playing music thru USB.
Regarding the engine and CVT, me binabagayan na tao, kasi you wont feel the "oomph" every gear change. babagay to sa mga taong palaging me sakay na pasahero, you can go fast without them noticing since there is less"oomph" feeling, masarap tulog nila hehe. but heck its fast once na nakabwelo na and SI mode. chances are, you're the fastest on the road 99% of the time, no fortuner, montero, everest, ranger, santa fe, explorer that you cannot overtake (do it responsibly of course). im from the province so madalas ako sa hiway. my only problem now is since this car is really fast, i get dings on my bumper gawa ng small stones na tumatalsik from other cars. im thinking if bringing it to "foil-a-car" and apply some transparent paint protection on the bumper only and headlights.

[cfule]

Tama ba basa ko 5.5 to 6 km/l lang ang bagong forester.. Yung SH5 kasi ganun din and the claim is may fuel efficient ang bago...

yes tama po basa mo, yan ang FC ko

[imperialv]

Lakas din pala sa gas...

yes tama po basa mo, yan ang FC ko

[karl2001]

I reserved from Alabang and Greenhills sir, and both are saying 4th week of May to 1st week of June. Of course both are saying they will prioritize me. Maybe you've heard the same pitch I am on reservation since first week of April I believe. I have also been informed yesterday by someone with a contact in Subaru Greenhills that for the white pearl, they are expecting end of June pa. I also reserved white pearl, so I don't really know which is true anymore.

It can kind of get frustrating while waiting, since they keep pushing back the dates and makes me think na they are just saying it's near but it's really not. They told me before that stock will arrive 3rd week of April, then end of April or 1st week May, now it's 4th week of May or 1st week of June. So I kind of been shopping around from other brands as well, looking at the Mazda 6, CX5, and will be looking at the new Sta Fe, Sorento, etc while waiting.

I just reserved 2nd week of April, hintayin ko na lang this May kung meron stock silan dadating. Alabang call me up 3rd week of April sabi nila meron stock daw sila ng white because one of the buyer change color but I have to pay in house insurance and the unit tint have been install, hindi ko na kinuha. In Alabang para gusto mo maprioritize, you have to get insurance in house . I think Mazda 6 is a nice car, I thought of buying it also.

[8BRZWRX]

I saw the white XT while registering my XT at Skyway office in Bicutan and it really looks epic! But the waiting list sucks! lol

Due to business reasons I am stuck with Caltex Gold. Once you get the Forester read up the manual and see what it says for fuel requirement.

[supermanila]

I just reserved 2nd week of April, hintayin ko na lang this May kung meron stock silan dadating. Alabang call me up 3rd week of April sabi nila meron stock daw sila ng white because one of the buyer change color but I have to pay in house insurance and the unit tint have been install, hindi ko na kinuha. In Alabang para gusto mo maprioritize, you have to get insurance in house . I think Mazda 6 is a nice car, I thought of buying it also.

Yes sir, that's what I don't like about Subaru Alabang. The agent told me outright if I get in house insurance I will be prioritized. I don't feel confident with them and when the agent kept delaying the delivery date, I just felt like I needed a backup. I was thinking na baka may dumating talaga na stock and they just gave it to others who would choose to go in house financing or in house insurance, so I went to Greenhills and made another reservation there. The agent at greenhills told me na ganon talaga sa Alabang, sometimes they would ask you to go in house financing as well to be prioritized.

Hearing from you now that a white pearl was offered to you, and wasn't mentioned to me at all made me realize na ganon pala talaga sa Alabang. Especially since I reserved earlier than you. Not good.

[LoBudget]

Yun na lang other features of the XT variant na wala sa 2.0i-L:

4. Powerlift gate -- what's not to like with this one? Madali ba masisira to? this can be manually closed unlike other brands version
5. Display/Monitor on dashboard -- can this be custom-installed for the 2.0i-L? no. there is no MID provision on the base and there does not appear to be any provision at the tailgate for the camera either
8. Push start button -- nice to have as well this is something they should have made standard

Anything else I'm missing? Is this automatic headlamp and rain-sensing wiper common for both the NA and XT variant?

My comments hopefully in blue

[April_Ryan]

Yes sir, that's what I don't like about Subaru Alabang. The agent told me outright if I get in house insurance I will be prioritized.

this is reminiscent of the lines in Toyota or Mitsubishi when there are new models introduced. Ganun na din pala ang Subaru.