2015 Forester vs 2015 Crosstrek

missmelis

Hi. I currently own a 2009 Impreza Outback Sport and will be trading it in soon for a new Subie. I'm torn between the Forester Premium and the Crosstrek Limited. I've read the reviews and it seems like the experts like the Forester better for it's power and larger cargo space, but it appears from the consumer reviews, that the Forester's sound system is not very good. Any opinions?

stever

My sister has an '05 Forester and is shopping for a new car. She has the Crosstrek on her short list, but not the Forester (mostly because of the looks though, and she's not an audiophile).

I sold my old Outback last year and I'm more partial to the Forester. But I like boxes.

Just a couple of reference points - forgot who mentioned it - @xwesx ?, but it doesn't sound like the Forester's sound system is easy to upgrade.

dcm61

I had a 2012 Impreza Sport Limited (aka lowered CrossTrek) and now have a 2015 Forester Touring. Got the Forester after the Impreza was totaled by an encounter with a deer.

I liked the Impreza but did missed the larger cargo area (previously had 1996 and 2003 Outback). The Forester does have more power but the Impreza was pretty peppy.

As far as the sound system, the Impreza had the pre-2015 system and the Forester has the Harmon Kardon system which are both different than either of the models you are interested in.

FYI - The 2015 Impreza / CrossTrek have new sound systems (similar to 2015 Legacy / Outback). The 2016 Forester should get the same sound upgrade.

It all comes down to which model YOU are satisfied with. Buy which one YOU like.

missmelis

Thanks guys! I like the sporty look of the Crosstrek but more cargo space and little more zip is also appealing.

stever

Someone just posted a link to our Crosstrek review and one thing our editors didn't like was the "substandard sound system".

The one Forester negative consumer review here complaining about the sound quality was from a Limited owner, so perhaps the upgraded stereo in the Forester Premium would suit your aural needs.

dcm61

Why are you deciding between a Forester Premium and Crosstrek Limited? Why not Premium to Premium or Limited to Limited? I guess the Forester Premium and Crosstrek Limited are comparable price wise?

sunbright

I test drove the 2015 Forester yesterday, and liked much about it, except the mileage showed it was getting only 14 mpg (this is a mostly country/open highway area) and when I started out it said 40 miles were left on the tank, and after a 3 mile test drive, it still said 40 miles were left on the tank. My research shows the major complaints with this car by owners was gas mileage. I'd like to know if this *is* a problem, and if it was fixed in the 2016, which is just being delivered to our local dealers.

sunbright

I forgot to mention I also drove the Crosstrek, and it was a nice car with plenty of pep. The cabin was more cramped, seats less comfortable, and drive a bit rougher than the Forester. Were it not for my concerns about the Forester, I probably would have purchased one.

stever

Lots of people get great mpg with their new cars, but my last new car didn't start settling in to decent mpg (close to the EPA) until I had around 4,000 miles on it. So I'd put more stock in owner's reports than the readout on a new car (and even with owners reports, it helps to know how many miles they have on their car, and what kind of driving they usually do).

fredbilloie

sunbright said:

I test drove the 2015 Forester yesterday, and liked much about it, except the mileage showed it was getting only 14 mpg (this is a mostly country/open highway area) and when I started out it said 40 miles were left on the tank, and after a 3 mile test drive, it still said 40 miles were left on the tank. My research shows the major complaints with this car by owners was gas mileage. I'd like to know if this *is* a problem, and if it was fixed in the 2016, which is just being delivered to our local dealers.

??? The mileage of a vehicle you Test drive will almost always look very poor and it shows NOTHING. Think about it. Short Test drives with people testing acceleration and cars sitting with their motor running are NOT conducive to great mileage. My friend with a 2014 Subaru is getting 26 miles to the gallon in the city! Also when their is very little mileage on the car test drives will almost certainly show a gain on miles to empty if you were one of the few drivers that treated it gently. i. e. if someone drives a car and guns it the MPG will be poor. Then when another person test drives it the miles to empty can easily INCREASE instead of going down because the computer recomputes the miles to empty by interpreting the poor MPG WITH the great MPG you may have produced. My miles to empty on my Mazda 6 ALWAYS increases when I switch from lousy local MPG to much better freeway MPG.