Subaru Forester

[April_Ryan]

1. updated review on the Forester 2.0's HU sound quality:

AM/FM radio - bad.
iPhone/ipod - average.
CD - surprisingly okay.

the iPhone integration is also okay - i've now discovered that you can play via playlists, else it will cycle through everything. which means, if you have lots of songs, or, like me, a mix of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, NOT a good idea. Hahaha.

which leads me to my new resolution - since my usual source of songs nowadays is MP3s c/o my phone, and I listen to FM/AM radio and podcasts in my short ride to and from home, i will probably just upgrade my HU first. won't touch the speakers until i start playing from more high-def sources.

2. matting

the free mats that MI gives is the "carpet" type. not good for rainy or dusty weather (water, mud, sand). i got the OEM Subaru All Weather Mat. In the alternative, you can get the 3M Nomad Mat which I had for my previous ride. Good quality for both, but if you don't like looking at dust prints on your mats, the 3M is probably a better idea since it "hides" the soil/dust. on the other hand, this will force me to have my car cleaned (and vacuumed) regularly, which is not a bad thing.

[April_Ryan]

To those thinking of getting the current gen Foresters (2011-2012 editions)- here are reviews from ************:

Forester 2.5 XT - ************ - Philippine Car News, Test Drives, and Prices: Review: 2012 Subaru Forester XT
Forester 2.0 XS - ************ - Philippine Car News, Test Drives, and Prices: Review: 2012 Subaru Forester 2.0 XS

[number001]

the free mats that MI gives is the "carpet" type. not good for rainy or dusty weather (water, mud, sand). i got the OEM Subaru All Weather Mat. In the alternative, you can get the 3M Nomad Mat which I had for my previous ride. Good quality for both, but if you don't like looking at dust prints on your mats, the 3M is probably a better idea since it "hides" the soil/dust. on the other hand, this will force me to have my car cleaned (and vacuumed) regularly, which is not a bad thing.

Never used the freebie floor mat. In fact, I'm in the process of reselling it but no takers so far.

I use weathertech floor liner (floor mat). Very expensive, but it fits snugly on the floor (as long as you use it with other floor mats simultaneously)

[April_Ryan]

oh right, weathertech should be among the recommended floor mats as well. parang Huper Optik ba sya, kung tint pinag-uusapan?

btw, did you install mud guards and rear bumper cover/protector - http://www.subarupartsmall.com/product.aspx?zpid=2509?

I just realized earlier today why i needed the latter. Was loading heavy luggage sa trunk and scratched the paint slightly because we had difficulty lifting the luggage. Ouch.

[number001]

Genuine Subaru mud guards costs 4.5K from outside supplier. IMO, I don't think its worth installing since it only offers minimal splatter protection.

My only concern is with the rear bumper cover is how its installed on the bumper which is the use of adhesive tape (correct me if I'm wrong). We don't know what the paint would be like if you decide to remove the protector in the future.

[April_Ryan]

Googled installation instructions for the rear bumper cover - and you're right, adhesive nga. Hmm. You raised valid points, will re-think if I still want to buy these 2.

[number001]

Appearance-wise, it may make your Forester look like a rally car, but it is more effective as a mud / splash guard than the OEM.








The Subaru OEM. Aesthetically pleasing but that is about it.

[tr1ck5h07]

Reserved a Forester XS today at BGC.

Decided to go for Marine Blue Pearl.

[April_Ryan]

Yey! Still looking at end of the year? Or earlier?

[April_Ryan]

XV prices raised, Forester prices slashed:

Trend to AWD SUVs favors Subaru | Inquirer Business

To encourage impatient XV customers to purchase the Forester SUV instead, Tan has slashed the price of the 2-liter Forester XS by P100,000 and the 2.5-liter turbo Forester XT by P130,000. Corollary to this, since supply cannot meet demand, Tan has raised the price of the XV by P80,000. “I don’t mind losing money if I can keep customers happy and loyal to the Subaru brand,” he said. The all-new 2014 Forester is due to arrive next year with more features and a higher retail price.

[tr1ck5h07]

Yey! Still looking at end of the year? Or earlier?

Luckily a little earlier First week of December daw dadating yung color I want.

[number001]

^I did not reach the discounts. darn it.

I got mine after a month of waiting (apr-may).

Does Subaru GH still have waiting time for the XS Forester?

[April_Ryan]

*tr1ck5h07,

Looks like you'll be getting a nice discount

Did you try asking with other dealers like Alabang, GH, Pampanga - if they have Marine Blue Pearl?

*number001,

when I got mine last October, no waiting time as they had the color I wanted.

[number001]

The common comment/question I get after backing (reverse) up is that my left parking light is "busted". They have no idea that that's the rear fog lamp.


==========

Immediately after I took delivery last may. The GH branch suddenly overflowed with XS stocks. They allowed me in their stock room last June.

[April_Ryan]

The common comment/question I get after backing (reverse) up is that my left parking light is "busted". They have no idea that that's the rear fog lamp.

yup! my officemates were all puzzled when they saw that there's only one park light. Hahaha! I had to research sa manual before I remembered that my SA specifically told me about it when he turned over unit. Must be one of the questions they always get from clients.

One of the quirks of Subaru, together with: (a) gas tank being on the passenger side, rather than driver side; (b) the auto aircon which, for some reason, insists on recirculating air from outside at least once every trip. still can't figure out how to stop it from doing so (aside from manually pressing button to stop)

[tr1ck5h07]

Yup, April_Ryan.

They offered me 80k and an AVT audio-video system with subwoofer and a rear-view camera.

I'll check with other dealers, thanks for the tip. But I'm ok with waiting a bit for the color I want.

*tr1ck5h07,

Looks like you'll be getting a nice discount

Did you try asking with other dealers like Alabang, GH, Pampanga - if they have Marine Blue Pearl?

*number001,

when I got mine last October, no waiting time as they had the color I wanted.

[April_Ryan]

^if that's the AVT 6305, you're getting a nice deal. when I asked if I could have it installed (since it wasn't part of my package), i was told by MI that it costs something like 50K. although I'm not sure if it costs as much if you buy from Banawe shops.

[tr1ck5h07]

^if that's the AVT 6305, you're getting a nice deal. when I asked if I could have it installed (since it wasn't part of my package), i was told by MI that it costs something like 50K. although I'm not sure if it costs as much if you buy from Banawe shops.

I'll have to double check what model but I think it's the 6305. My SA mentioned it was around 60-70k but it might be around 20k+ in Banawe. LOL

[imperialv]

Our Forester is based on Euro spec. Kaya 1 lang ang rear back up lamp.

If you're interested in getting the AVT, better call winterpine, they are the distributor of AVT headunit.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Winte...16698485008823

However, I suggest to get other brand such as Pioneer, Kenwood or Alphine.. Mas maganda ang SQ nyan compared sa AVT.. Ang advantage lang ng AVT would be the built-in GPS.. Kasi dun sa said brand, optional ang GPS and it will add a big cost to install it. Bili ka na lang ng GARMIN mas ok pa.


Regarding sa aircon, I think different na yung gauge natin since you have the facelift model.. Yun sa amin, I don't put the mode to auto (MIDDLE DIAL), so yung aircon circulation is permanent.. Yun aircon blower switch lang ang naka auto (LEFT DIAL)...

yup! my officemates were all puzzled when they saw that there's only one park light. Hahaha! I had to research sa manual before I remembered that my SA specifically told me about it when he turned over unit. Must be one of the questions they always get from clients.

One of the quirks of Subaru, together with: (a) gas tank being on the passenger side, rather than driver side; (b) the auto aircon which, for some reason, insists on recirculating air from outside at least once every trip. still can't figure out how to stop it from doing so (aside from manually pressing button to stop)

[number001]

(b) the auto aircon which, for some reason, insists on recirculating air from outside at least once every trip. still can't figure out how to stop it from doing so (aside from manually pressing button to stop)

Definitely annoying. I think its better to press the button to deactivate and activate the recirculation before you drive off the driveway or before each trip within a day. This takes it out of "AUTO" mode.