unibrook

I have a 2014 XV, regular model. The original Panasonic battery lasted 6 yrs and 44k miles, just now replaced it. Was reading 7.68V as I tried to start the car, and it just clicked a few times. Replacing the battery is straightfwd with a small 10mm combo wrench. Your electric rear hatch will not work once you disconnect your old battery, so don't have the new battery sitting back there. Rear brake light bulb was also original and easy enough to replace yourself, but note a couple of things. You want a 10mm socket to remove the two black screws that retain the entire tail light assembly onto the frame, beneath the rear hatch. Once the two screws are removed, you probably want to be wearing grippy gloves as you carefully but firmly pull the entire tail light assembly STRAIGHT back from the care to remove it, NOT out to the side. There are plastic retainer clips inside that you can't see or get at from the outside, and you will crack them if you try to pry the tail light off the car sideways. Capiche?

Worth mentioning here, my 2014 Crosstrek with 32k miles on her, seems to consume a little bit of oil. I don't see any leaks or puddles on the ground, the car runs perfectly and is not noticeably burning oil, but I have to top up the oil every other month. If I do not add oil, the oil light comes on, only at highway speed of around 70mph. The light goes off when my speed drops down. If I ignore it and don't add oil, eventually I get a CEL and the cruise control will not work until I add oil and the oil light and CEL go off.

I got a new Fumoto valve for the 2014 Crosstrek. From what I can tell, the 2001 Forester takes valve: F105N and the 2014 Crosstrek takes: F108N. They are different sizes.

I have a 2014 Crosstrek, and since the nav system is about as anti-intuitive as possible, I would have no hope of being able to hear emails via the unit. I applaud your intrepid expectations of the system. :-)

To help folks compare.....I just did a 360 mile weekend trip in my 2014 regular non-hybrid Crosstrek Premium with 13k miles on her. It was mostly easy, light traffic highway driving. I got over 36 mpg for the trip. Spinning 1800 rpm at 65 mph. Sweet. I am loving the CVT, although you do have to get used to how it behaves when accelerating etc. The more irritating thing to get used to is the steering at highway speeds. I dunno if it is the electric power steering motor or what, but you have to constantly adjust the wheel to keep the car tracking straight at highway speeds. And it takes a bit of work with the hand, not just a one finger gentle type of adjustment. This is only an issue at highway speed, you will not notice it around town.

Compared to my 2001 Forester, our 2014 Crosstrek has very few storage cubbies, front and back. Not a dealbreaker, but a noticeable irritant. Also, I find the steering at highway speeds needs quite a bit of hand effort to keep it tracking straight. Dunno if this is due to the electronic power steering motor or what. But this is not something you will notice around town. Otoh, I got over 36 mpg on my highway trip of 360 miles recently. So, I love the CVT. It has plenty of power for our family use. We are not hauling heavy loads and don't feel the need for a bigger engine.

Do the paddles help lock in a ratio that will help avoid that "high rev/no speed increase/CVT rubber band effect" when trying to accelerate at around 40mph to merge onto highway?

That 3rd key is the valet key.

Good tip, thanks. Yep, that seatbelt chime is irksome. Nice to know there is a cure if I get irritated enough by it.

We ended up buying a 2014 Crosstrek. Wife liked the visibility and seating position much better in it than the Outlander Sport, CX-5, and Escape we test drove. One thing you will notice and miss in the Crosstrek vs the old Forester.....the Crosstrek has a distinct lack of storage cubby spots. I loved that the Forester was loaded with these. Oh well, I will adjust.

Oh, and another tip. Do not take your wife into the dealer with you to buy the car. Once the sales guy sees your wife sitting at the table, he knows you will pay full sticker price.

My 2001 Forester did that occasional shudder thing (slight misfire??) the entire time I owned it....from 75k to 145k miles. Never did figure out what caused it.

Well, I used to own the Fumoto, since it was installed in my 2001 Forester for the last 10 years. And I loved it. So easy and clean to change oil with it. But yesterday we sold the Forester with Fumoto, and bought a 2014 Crosstrek. So now I will get a new Fumoto for the newer car.

Wife finally got fed up with my chasing tranny problems. She twisted my arm and forced an upgrade to a 2014 Crosstrek. Sold the old Forester to the dealer for $200. On to the next chapter of Subaru Love.... :-)

Great points guys, thanks for this input. I will post back here with a fix when I get it.