Leroy Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 We're looking at one of these in a couple of days, and I'm just wondering what opinions folks on the forum have about this model. Is it subject to the excessive oil consumption problem? How useful is the Eyesight feature? What about the CVT transmission - good / bad? Thanks in advance for the feedback. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 leroy, Never owned a Forester, only OutBacks, but if one fit my needs, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The oil consumption issue is over blown and you're not likely to stumble onto a Subie that has it. I've owned 4 different OBW LTD's since 97 and not one has used a drop of oil between changes. The eyesite feature should prove to be a godsend if you are an easily distracted driver, particularly in stop and go traffic, or you have teenage drivers. Never had a car with it though, and don't know what that option would price out at. My present OBW has the CVT. Love the gas mileage, and the flappy paddles help with slowing down and saving the brakes. There is a very slight hum with it though. Drive one and see if it would bother you. I don't find it objectionable and hardly notice it, and I'm pretty fussy about noises that shouldn't be there. Pull the shifter to the left and you're in Manual and the paddles do all of the shifting. Leave the shifter to the right and its in Automatic, no paddles required, but ...... you can use the paddles to downshift, and if you get on the gas quickly enough off a corner you can paddle shift up through the gears, until you back off the gas, where the CVT will go back into Auto mode all by itself. Put some dedicated winter tires on the car and it is almost unstoppable in the snow and ice. Just be sure to go narrower than the standard tire size by at least two sizes. That way you'll cut through the snow rather than ride up on top of it at speed and aquaplane. My OBW runs 225's most of the year, except in winter where I drop down to 215's. It makes all of the difference in the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leroy Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, it seems that Subaru discontinued the paddle shifting option for 2014: All 2.5 model CVTs have L-D transmission control. L is Low mode, and is the only option other than Drive. There is no manual control available on 2.5 models, and is the first Forester without it. It means the driver can't control or get more power when needed for passing on hills or 2 lane roads, or for towing a trailer, driving on camping or snowy roads etc. All previous year Foresters have had controllable transmissions for safety and performance. If you think Subaru should put Paddle Shifters with manual control back on the 2.5 model, please voice your concern to Subaru's customer support at 800 SUBARU3 (800 782-2783) (from Joe Spitz, cars101.com) so I won't have that option. Having always driven standards, it might take some getting used to. We're checking the vehicle out this afternoon; I'll let you know what we decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbillyhans Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 My '13 outback absolutely had an oil consumption issue. Glad I got rid of that thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 leroy, Never owned a Forester, only OutBacks, but if one fit my needs, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The oil consumption issue is over blown and you're not likely to stumble onto a Subie that has it. I've owned 4 different OBW LTD's since 97 and not one has used a drop of oil between changes. The eyesite feature should prove to be a godsend if you are an easily distracted driver, particularly in stop and go traffic, or you have teenage drivers. Never had a car with it though, and don't know what that option would price out at. My present OBW has the CVT. Love the gas mileage, and the flappy paddles help with slowing down and saving the brakes. There is a very slight hum with it though. Drive one and see if it would bother you. I don't find it objectionable and hardly notice it, and I'm pretty fussy about noises that shouldn't be there. Pull the shifter to the left and you're in Manual and the paddles do all of the shifting. Leave the shifter to the right and its in Automatic, no paddles required, but ...... you can use the paddles to downshift, and if you get on the gas quickly enough off a corner you can paddle shift up through the gears, until you back off the gas, where the CVT will go back into Auto mode all by itself. Put some dedicated winter tires on the car and it is almost unstoppable in the snow and ice. Just be sure to go narrower than the standard tire size by at least two sizes. That way you'll cut through the snow rather than ride up on top of it at speed and aquaplane. My OBW runs 225's most of the year, except in winter where I drop down to 215's. It makes all of the difference in the world! My sister just bought a 2011 a few months ago with 28k on it. I was a little suspicious at first but after driving it, she fell in love. Just a couple of weeks later when I checked the oil it was almost 2qrts low. She drives a little over 400mi a week and thats a lot of oil to lose. The dealership said to keep a eye on it for 1200mi, but I was afraid of engine damage and added oil when it went below 2qrts. They took the car for 10days and put about 400mi on it. They wanted to continue the oil consumption test and gave the car back so she could drive it for another 10days. She brought it back, checked the oil and gave her another loaner until SoA got back to them. About a week later they called and told her they would be installing a new engine. More and more people are reporting the problem and SoA is finally doing something about it. If you have a vehicle with this issue, stay on the dealership and make them do the oil consumption test (More than 2qrts of oil in 1200mi) and then contact SoA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leroy Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 A new engine - wow. At least they seem to be accepting responsibility. I'll certainly be checking oil level in the soon-to-be-our 2.5i. We checked it out the other day, and it's a beauty! It turns out to have the shifter paddles after all, plus a load of other bells & whistles that will probably take some time to sort out. Very clean, only 18,000km, nice to drive, easy to park, lots of get up & go when you need it. We take possession next week once all the paperwork is sorted - looking forward to it! Thanks to all who weighed in on the discussion. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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