I have 2006 Premium as well. It is on a scale from 1-10, 10 being a Lexus. I would say about 7. Very high speeds you hear some noise, but not much, the radio is very good, so it does not drown out the radio at all. The engine is very quiet, I get comments all the time, people say, that when idoling, they do not hear the car running.
Honda's are very good cars as well; as I rate Honda, Toyota, and Subaru all in the same category of top quality vehicles. The difference I see or hear in this case between the three are as follows.
Honda: Build like tanks, runs forever, but stiff ride and wind wind and road noise.
Subaru: Build excellent as well. Also, runs forever, little wind noise, but road noise.
Toyota: Build is execellent, runs forever as well, but no wind noise and little road noise.
Every car will have road noise on rougher pavements, there is no-way around it. But, I like Suabru's for the fact they are priced well for the what you get and also, not many in my area own one, so you can stand out while not following the crowd. I feel IMHO, the companies mentioned above, are the three best on the market. Again, that is my opinion only. I owned an Accord that had 212,000 miles on it and never had any problems, and when I sold it, I still got $ 3,100 for it because it ran like new. It was a 1992 Accord LX I sold it in 2003.
Honda, Toyota and Subaru have the highest resale values after three year on the market according to CR.
Personally, I wouldn't rate this one of the Forester's strong suits. Subarus don't score particularly well in surveys like JDP's Initial Quality and my guess is that's because they tend to come from the factory with the occasional squeak or rattle. That's the bad news. The good news is that once you track down and fix those annoyances (which are covered under warranty), a Subaru will run forever :-)
How about the OB? Squeeks and rattles drive me nuts. The fact that they are covered under warranty is BS as Toyota has not fixed mine in 3 years! Once out of original warranty they are classified as normal wear and tear. Maybe if it were something really bad they could correct it but my experience is you either have good build quality or not. My 20 Camry has high quality parts but they do not fit together well in areas not seen by the human eye. It may last forever but I can't stand it that long! If I need to rid my self of it after 3 years (which I can not afford to do) then I might as well have purchased a Taurus!
I am concerned about the Sub now...again, is the OB any better in the rattle dept.
My experience so far is that the OB is very good. It is like the other poster said, Forester is a box design, not like an sedan, so it is not as quiet as a sedan, However, it can be make quieter with a little effort. Haven't heard any rattles so far.
whats the diff between the drum brakes on the rear of the F and the better (?) disk brakes all around on the OB? Does this effect safety, tireware, brakeware etc?
After I buy my Subaru, I'd like to wait a few months to buy my extended warranty, at least until I see how the car handles in the snow and find out what an 7/75 Gold contract costs....I won't be bullied into a retail price at the time of purchase. I know I can purchase from any dealer or, likely Subaru will solicit thru the mail. Is it true that if you do not purchase at the time of sale you can never get the zero deductible warranty again but instead must settle for a $100 warranty. This would sour the deal for me.
Also, folks have metioned the roadside assistance saves them $60+ a year over AAA. I do not recall my AAA+ membership being that high, maybe it is. How does the Subaru coverage differ from the AAA coverage. Does it provide free tire service, lock service, fuel delivery. More important, if you breakdown on vacation no where near a Subaru dealer....WHAT DOES THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE DO FOR YOU? Must you be towed to a Subaru dealer? Are they there 24/7?????
I'm not sure about the deductible, maybe ask 800-SUBARU3? I'd never heard that. I think you can still get it within the first year.
Yes, my wife gets all of the above. I think the towing limit is 100 miles, and you should be able to find either a dealer or at least a mechanic within that distance. The program is not operated by Subaru, so they will not restrict you to dealers only.
We were paying $71 per year for a AAA family membership, that adds up.
I need to check one thing on AAA, I think it covers me in *any*car I am in, the Subaru warranty only covers me if I break down in the Subaru...which my wife would be driving 95% of the time. So if I were in the Subaru I'd be ok but in my Camry I'd be out of luck without AAA. Still you are right, if I eliminate my AAA+ that might eliminate $75 a year....multiplied by 7 years is $525 saved....something to consider! At the very least we could go back to basic AAA plans which I think might save us $25 a year.
(we do use the AAA discount quite often, might be worth keeping the AAA regular plan)
Anyone have any experience adding one of these to their Forester. Is is a do it yourselfer? Does it require driliing or are the holes already their as they appear to be for the splash guards? How do they look? I have never seen a a Forester with one wexcept in a picture...
Does the rear deflector install in a similar fashion?
I just bought a 2006 Forester X Premium and I bought the rear spoiler seperately to install myself. It's sitting in my front hallway in a box. The instructions involve taking apart the interior of the hatch itself, lots of drilling, and center punching through the exterior metal. There are templates for aligning the screw holes. So I think I'm going to pay the dealer to install it.
By the way, I've seen the spoiler on several 2006 Foresters and it looks great. It looks better in real life than in the photos.
I love my new 2006 Forester X Premium. However, I have discovered one design flaw. The cruise control "on" button is located at the tip of the cruise control stalk. Several times now I have accidentally turned on the cruise control when turning the wheel and the stalk tip (and "on" button) hits one of my knees. :surprise: I could see an accident happening if the stalk were also to catch and "set" at the same time, which hasn't happened yet. I suspect this is more of a problem on manual transmission models because you are raising your knee(s) repeatedly as you use the clutch, etc. On my old Honda, and my old SAAB, the cruise control "on" button was a lateral switch on the stalk that couldn't be triggered by knee contact if you tried. Subaru should recall and fix this ASAP.
I installed an OEM spoiler on my Outback a few years ago -- I'm sure it's a similar process as with the new Forester. I was very intimidated by the instructions and the prospect of mis-drilling or mis-aligning the holes. With the templates and instructions, I was able to install the spoiler in a few hours time and it looked fantastic.
The only near disaster occured when I accidentally dropped a bolt into one of the holes in the tailgate sheetmetal...it took me about 2 hours to retreive it, and it was sheer luck that I was able to get it out. Had I not, it would have created a terrible rattle back there. Otherwise, the center punch, the drilling, the measuring -- all went smoothly.
Hi all, after perusing the Subaru boards for over 8 months now, I am now proud to annouce that I am now the proud owner of an '06 Forester XT Limited! It is a Steel Grey, 5-speed,and fully loaded.
We bought it from Dulles Subaru in Leesburg, VA and although our salesman was a bit of a braggard a$$hat, the overall purchasing experience was very good. We paid 26,800 for it (included compass/auto-dimming mirror, cargo net and rear bumber guard) before the accessories we purchased. Also got free lifetime oil-changes from the dealer. Not sure if our deal is the best ever, but in this area I think we did ok since it's about $350 under Edmund's TMV.
Anyway, the car is awesome and my wife (since it's going to be her primary driver) has already named him Mr. Thundercleese, in honor of the 7-foot tall battle robot neighbor from the Cartoon Planet show, "The Brak Show."
What used to be a full-sized brush guard on earlier models is now just a small thin plastic molding painted silver-- it's not even metal --for which you will pay over $300 when you include tax and/or shipping. Ridiculous. The guy at the Subaru parts shop was so incredulous he even opened it up to make sure it was the right part. We both agreed it was a rip-off and he offered to return it for me. Save your money and put a strip of that 3M clear guard adhesive there instead.
That's if you can find the brakes in a panic when the cruise control engages unexpectedly. A split second is all it takes to get into a dangerous situation. Maybe I can pull the fuse on the cruise control. It's just a matter of time before there's a lawsuit.
Heh heh, good luck prying it out of my wife's hands... I've been having to beg her to let me drive it all weekend and last night too... she typically never drives at night and I do 90% of the driving most other times, but I can see that changing very rapidly in weeks to come.
Oh, and the Steel Grey Metallic is an great color and once the dealer's tinted the windows next week I think the car will look even better. We test drove the '05 version of the XT Limited last spring and my wife and I weren't really impressed with it's handling or ride (we were comparing it w/ the Outback XT), but since they've revised the suspension (and I think the steering box) the transmission shifts alot smoother and body roll is far lessened it seems.
If you're activating the cruise control by simply turning the wheel and lifting one of your feet to brake or shift, you'd also be activating the windshield washer as well. Is that happening too ?
In lieu of pulling the fuse, you might consider adjusting the steering wheel so it sits a bit higher. Or adjust the seat so it sits a bit further rearward so you won't be lifting your leg so high. Or lower the seat little bit.
It's not possible to accidentally activate the windshield washer this way because that stalk is attached to the steering column and does not rotate with the wheel. The ONLY stalk that rotates with the wheel is the cruise control stalk.
I'm 6' tall, 155 lbs., with a normal reach and leg inseam. If I adjust the seat further down or back, or the wheel up, it feels uncomfortable and may actually be a bit dangerous since I won't be able to work the controls as well.
there is a reaction time factor here. i dont think finding the brakes is the issue but the startle factor just as sometimes happens in airplane incidents such as the eastern airline incident decades ago when the ground proximity indicator went off but no one could believe it and did not react to the warning.
Just drove a 06 LL Bean. Like it...but the seats are as hard as rocks. Does the leather soften after a while. I had to turn back because my lower back was in spasm. Any solutions as I really like the Forester!
Blaming design flaws on "driver error" is the classic defense strategy of any automaker facing a lawsuit or even negative PR about design flaws. However, there are hundreds of legal cases that refute your point of view, and even more cases have settled out of court despite the use of this "blame the consumer" tactic.
Subaru must take responsibility for design flaws, such as this poorly designed cruise control stalk, when they create an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to the end consumer. Blaming the consumer for bad engineering is a cowardly way of protecting profits and share price.
It's time to recall and replace the cruise control stalk.
I disagree. I think Subaru (and Toyota and others too) have perhaps the best designed cruise control stalks out there.
I've driven a number of newer Subies and have never hit the stalk with my leg. I will say this, maybe Subaru should consider the mounting angle on the steering column so that it is angled perhaps an inch or two or more higher, it would then be more out of the way from your leg. But change the design of the stalk, I say no.
You may want to try lowering your seat a bit so that your leg angle may be better? You might also try raising the steering column, if it's not already fully raised. These few minor adjustments may be just the answer? It's worth a try at the very least.
HOw do you activitate the cruise control with your leg? I have tried over and over to turn it on and activitate using my leg while going 30 turning the wheel far so the stalk hits my leg. Under 25 the cruise control can't be activated anyway.
I don't think going 60 you can turn the wheel far enough to hit the stalk with your leg, turn it on and activate it without crashing the car.
We're speculating that it *might* happen, but has it? How often?
You have to push it in to turn it on, then down to set it. I'm not sure it one motion does both, but it doesn't seem that likely to happen.
I wouldn't call it a "design flaw" until we at least observed a pattern of people activating cruise unintentionally. So far some folks only think it might.
God Bless the competition, they keep putting pressure on the segment to improve.
I fully expect the next generation Forester to have more rear leg room, stability control, and Sportshift, at a minimum. More power from both engines, also. And at similar price levels.
It seams the car (in overall appearance has not changed in years....just a little tweaking of the head or tail lights...do Subarus ever get a complete makeover. Even the 05 Outback does not look like a complete redesign...the body looks like little was changed on the outside. I can now point to 3 distinct generation Ravs and 2 (soon to be 3) CRVs....it apears I see only 1 gen Forester.....are they overhauling soon?
The 03 Forester was all-new. It kept the same wheelbase, but a lot of the structure was changed, for instance the front and rear bumper beams switched to aluminum, even the roof rails did.
The structure changed enough that the crash test scores improved significantly. The track got wider and the suspension geometry was revised. The engine was tweaked to get better gas mileage.
We recorded at least 8 things that changed that the Subaru Crew had lobbied for, mostly new features.
So not quite a clean-sheet design, but different enough to call it a redesign.
The 05 Legacy changed more, different wheelbase, track, structural components (lots more aluminum). It was pretty much a clean-sheet, minus the engine, which was tweaked.
Other subtle changes were phased in - throttle-by-wire, EBD, etc.
It's true that the MY-06 Forester still looks similiar in outward appearance to the original MY-98 design. But face it, Subaru has never placed a premium on style. On the bright side, you can sleep comfortably knowing that the Subaru you buy today won't appear dated, even 8-10 years from now :-)
I am looking at putting a type II hitch on our '06 XT Limited, I see that Draw-tite and Hidden Hitch both make one, but is one better than the other in terms of quality? These are apparently stronger than the one Suburu sells (more expensively) through the dealer but is there a significant weight savings b/t the type I and II that would make the type I better?
Also, is one of them less noticeable than the other? I don't want one sticking way out from under the bumber, so one that's more "hidden" than the others would probably be what I'd go for, regardless of Type I or Type II.
The Class II hitch would give you more reserve strength, I would think. Class II is good for 3500 pounds, although your car is rated for 2400 pounds (1000 without trailer brakes). Class I is rated for 2000 pounds, again with trailer brakes.
That's the frustrating thing about Subaru. They can add 2 of the 3 right now. In the UK, the 5EAT with sportshift and VDC comes standard on automatic Forester XTs. If it was available over here on a non turbo model, I'd buy one today. I've decided ny next car will have stability control and I hope the 08 Forester has it standard.
The OE has a nice, tucked-in fit, and keep in mind it comes with a plug-n-play harness. Bolt it in and you're done, no worries, no splicing, easy as pie.
Comments
Honda's are very good cars as well; as I rate Honda, Toyota, and Subaru all in the same category of top quality vehicles. The difference I see or hear in this case between the three are as follows.
Honda: Build like tanks, runs forever, but stiff ride and wind wind and road noise.
Subaru: Build excellent as well. Also, runs forever, little wind noise, but road noise.
Toyota: Build is execellent, runs forever as well, but no wind noise and little road noise.
Every car will have road noise on rougher pavements, there is no-way around it. But, I like Suabru's for the fact they are priced well for the what you get and also, not many in my area own one, so you can stand out while not following the crowd. I feel IMHO, the companies mentioned above, are the three best on the market. Again, that is my opinion only. I owned an Accord that had 212,000 miles on it and never had any problems, and when I sold it, I still got $
Honda, Toyota and Subaru have the highest resale values after three year on the market according to CR.
Why? Aerodynamics, it's boxier and taller. Plus it has an open cargo area (vs. an enclosed trunk in a sedan.
If you dig up the two comparo tests by C&D for the class, Forester scores the lowest noise levels of the bunch, both times.
-juice
Personally, I wouldn't rate this one of the Forester's strong suits. Subarus don't score particularly well in surveys like JDP's Initial Quality and my guess is that's because they tend to come from the factory with the occasional squeak or rattle. That's the bad news. The good news is that once you track down and fix those annoyances (which are covered under warranty), a Subaru will run forever :-)
-Frank
I am concerned about the Sub now...again, is the OB any better in the rattle dept.
Now, the only squeeks and rattles in the car are my joints.
Also, folks have metioned the roadside assistance saves them $60+ a year over AAA. I do not recall my AAA+ membership being that high, maybe it is. How does the Subaru coverage differ from the AAA coverage. Does it provide free tire service, lock service, fuel delivery. More important, if you breakdown on vacation no where near a Subaru dealer....WHAT DOES THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE DO FOR YOU? Must you be towed to a Subaru dealer? Are they there 24/7?????
Yes, my wife gets all of the above. I think the towing limit is 100 miles, and you should be able to find either a dealer or at least a mechanic within that distance. The program is not operated by Subaru, so they will not restrict you to dealers only.
We were paying $71 per year for a AAA family membership, that adds up.
-juice
$0 deductible option is available throughout the 3 year, 36000 mile
warranty. Any dealer can sell it.
Gold Coverage - It has trip interruption, so in his scenario of traveling,
it would cover accommodations, up to $500 for lodging meals, etc.
Roadside assistance:
Road hazard tire protection
Sign and Drive service up to $100 (gas, etc.)
Emergency lockout service
24/7 availability
A dealer is recommended for repairs, but if one is not nearby, they will
authorize repairs at an independent shop.
Sounds good to me. My wife's is a Gold so if we ever break down, I hope the only Hotel near us is a Ritz Carlton.
-juice
PS E-mail me for more details, if you want.
(we do use the AAA discount quite often, might be worth keeping the AAA regular plan)
http://www.subaruwrxparts.com/security.html
http://www.business-solutions.us/projects/masterPortfolio/Subaru/www/other/home.cfm
Thanks.
Does the rear deflector install in a similar fashion?
By the way, I've seen the spoiler on several 2006 Foresters and it looks great. It looks better in real life than in the photos.
The only near disaster occured when I accidentally dropped a bolt into one of the holes in the tailgate sheetmetal...it took me about 2 hours to retreive it, and it was sheer luck that I was able to get it out. Had I not, it would have created a terrible rattle back there. Otherwise, the center punch, the drilling, the measuring -- all went smoothly.
B
Don't tell Bob that, he lobbied hard to have the switch all in one place. It used to be on the lower left dash and required a reach to turn it on.
-juice
Does the rear Deflector install in the same way?
We bought it from Dulles Subaru in Leesburg, VA and although our salesman was a bit of a braggard a$$hat, the overall purchasing experience was very good. We paid 26,800 for it (included compass/auto-dimming mirror, cargo net and rear bumber guard) before the accessories we purchased. Also got free lifetime oil-changes from the dealer. Not sure if our deal is the best ever, but in this area I think we did ok since it's about $350 under Edmund's TMV.
Anyway, the car is awesome and my wife (since it's going to be her primary driver) has already named him Mr. Thundercleese, in honor of the 7-foot tall battle robot neighbor from the Cartoon Planet show, "The Brak Show."
Steve, Host
-juice
Such generosity and sacrifice are rare - I am impressed!
tidester, host
Yeah back when SoA frequented these forums for ideas to forward to the Product Planning division, Bob was going full bore to have this changed. :P
I always thought the cruise control was perfect "as is". Now someone is accidently activating it!
-Dennis
Oh, and the Steel Grey Metallic is an great color and once the dealer's tinted the windows next week I think the car will look even better. We test drove the '05 version of the XT Limited last spring and my wife and I weren't really impressed with it's handling or ride (we were comparing it w/ the Outback XT), but since they've revised the suspension (and I think the steering box) the transmission shifts alot smoother and body roll is far lessened it seems.
In lieu of pulling the fuse, you might consider adjusting the steering wheel so it sits a bit higher. Or adjust the seat so it sits a bit further rearward so you won't be lifting your leg so high. Or lower the seat little bit.
I'm 6' tall, 155 lbs., with a normal reach and leg inseam. If I adjust the seat further down or back, or the wheel up, it feels uncomfortable and may actually be a bit dangerous since I won't be able to work the controls as well.
If you don't, it is driver error, every time.
We need to take personal responsibility for our driving. Not being able to find the brakes is not an excuse for causing an accident.
-juice
Subaru must take responsibility for design flaws, such as this poorly designed cruise control stalk, when they create an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to the end consumer. Blaming the consumer for bad engineering is a cowardly way of protecting profits and share price.
It's time to recall and replace the cruise control stalk.
I've driven a number of newer Subies and have never hit the stalk with my leg. I will say this, maybe Subaru should consider the mounting angle on the steering column so that it is angled perhaps an inch or two or more higher, it would then be more out of the way from your leg. But change the design of the stalk, I say no.
You may want to try lowering your seat a bit so that your leg angle may be better? You might also try raising the steering column, if it's not already fully raised. These few minor adjustments may be just the answer? It's worth a try at the very least.
Bob
I don't think going 60 you can turn the wheel far enough to hit the stalk with your leg, turn it on and activate it without crashing the car.
Which in the end would be driver error.
You have to push it in to turn it on, then down to set it. I'm not sure it one motion does both, but it doesn't seem that likely to happen.
I wouldn't call it a "design flaw" until we at least observed a pattern of people activating cruise unintentionally. So far some folks only think it might.
-juice
I fully expect the next generation Forester to have more rear leg room, stability control, and Sportshift, at a minimum. More power from both engines, also. And at similar price levels.
Thank you, Toyota and Suzuki.
-juice
Bob
The 03 Forester was all-new. It kept the same wheelbase, but a lot of the structure was changed, for instance the front and rear bumper beams switched to aluminum, even the roof rails did.
The structure changed enough that the crash test scores improved significantly. The track got wider and the suspension geometry was revised. The engine was tweaked to get better gas mileage.
We recorded at least 8 things that changed that the Subaru Crew had lobbied for, mostly new features.
So not quite a clean-sheet design, but different enough to call it a redesign.
The 05 Legacy changed more, different wheelbase, track, structural components (lots more aluminum). It was pretty much a clean-sheet, minus the engine, which was tweaked.
Other subtle changes were phased in - throttle-by-wire, EBD, etc.
-juice
-Frank
That may change once all the Subaru models have gone over to their new look.
Bob
Also, is one of them less noticeable than the other? I don't want one sticking way out from under the bumber, so one that's more "hidden" than the others would probably be what I'd go for, regardless of Type I or Type II.
Just looking for some advice on this, thanks all!
Bob
For this reason I went with OE.
-juice
Steve, Host