A 2025 Subaru Forester Owner Bought a Base Trim and Now He Regrets It - He Says, “The Salesperson Must Have Seen Me Coming a Mile Away, Guess I’m Too New To the Brand To Know Better”

Dude, your bigger issue is going to be when the Subaru CVT fails at 30k miles.

All I would want is the all weather package with the base trim and paddle shifters. I have no use for a sunroof on the premium model that adds $800-$900 and will never be used and reduces cargo space. The standard AWD is great in snow even without X-mode.

Parts of the article were good,like 5k miles oil changes w/synthetic oil, and changing your own air and cabin filters, but I definitely dont agree on buying the upper scale trim unless you actually want a bigger screen or leather seats etc. As far as the HD off road stuff, again, the standard awd is fine, that is unless you are a die hard off roader!

Almost forgot about the CVT- another important issue: I say change that fluid between 30-40K not the 60K he mentions.

Poorly written article by someone who doesn’t get it. The base trim allows you to buy an excellent car, specifically if you don’t want to pay for ‘bells and whistles’
That’s the entire point! You get an excellent vehicle that’s highly capable of handling snow and mud, regardless of not being able to push a button to tell the car what type of terrain it is. You think 2005 Subarus powering through rough winter weather needed a computer to provide additional intelligence?
A base trim means you save money. You want more, pay more. Don’t buy it and then complain that you got what was advertised.

I ordered a blue 2024 Base Subie to avoid the sunroof. We have a lot of rain and tree fallout in Western Oregon. I know folks that get clogged drain lines from sunroof area. Cause mildew or moisture in the cabin area. I also did not want the giant screen. I love the dual screens. I don't go beyond gravel a logging roads and lack of X Mode has not been an issue. I like the toughness of steel wheels and not want a roof rack. Easier to clean the top and a tad quieter without it. I'm happy with it.

Dont over think it. The base mode does most of the same stuff. The 11.6" screen looks nicer but works like garbage. The base system actually functions better. X-mode is drastically over hyped as well. My son drives a 2024 Crosstrek sport and I have the 2024 Impreza RS. Both have the same 2.5L engine but my Impreza does not have any Xmode functions. This Chicago winter has hit us with record levels of snowfall accumulation. We both drove our cars to a parking lot that was unplowed to try out the AWD. There were varying degrees of difficulty from light snow, deep snow, ice, snow and ice, etc. To be brutally honest the Xmode and better tires for the job on the crosstrek made ZERO DIFFERENCE at all. We both started off in normal mode. We began to struggle in the same areas. My son activated Xmode and I turned off my traction control. We both got through every single area we tried from that point on just fine. Keep ib mind the Impreza is a full 3" lower, has performance street tires and has no Xmode. The Xmode feature is nothing more than varying levels of loosening traction control. Every needs to know that the best type oof traction control in snow is NONE AT ALL. Especially with 4wd or AWD. Just let all 4 tires claw away. One or more tires will find grip and pull you out. Playing around with settings so the brakes slow down certain wheels is a waste of time and now the best method. Some of the other high end features like Harmon Kardon sound system, adaptive cruise heated\ventilated seats are well worth the price. Fancy traction control like Xmode I couldnt care less about having driven vehicles both with and without it.

I have a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i - bought new. Purrs like kitten, does not burn nor leak oil; great mileage; CVT is smooooth- no problem. Old - but very true - saying: Oil is the cheapest mechanic you can find! Use a high quality synthetic oil (I use Amsoil signature series) a good oil filter (I use Wix XP) and change it at 6,000 mile intervals. Live in a cold state, use 0W/20; live in a hot state, use oW/30. No jack rabbit starts and no panic breaking. Drain and refill CVT at 30,000 miles. You should have no problems.

I'm on my second base model Forester and I'm fine with it. One feature, the adaptive cruise control, I have done without. I won't turn on the extra switches to enable it, and I won't use it. Half the year the road conditions here won't be safe, and the other half...I don't use the interstate system very much. Using something that will slow you down on the Interstate sounds like the trip will go the way of the arrow that's always halfway to the mark. I'm old and I want to get there and back.
Yeah, motorized back hatch, heated seats, and remote start might be nice, but I've not had any such thing till we traded my husband's truck for something used he can get into. I prefer Subaru to American cars, always bought the Japanese-built ones, never had a problem. This is my 5th Subaru and it's great at 6 years of age.

Dumb article...you should obey maintenance schedules regardless of trim levels.

The base trim still allows you basic transportation. All the other trim levels don't support basic transportation needs. If your minimum needs requires special seating or special AWD, then get it it. Otherwise the guy has nothing to feel guilty about.

All the oil change chains report their maintenance work, so no dealer can deny warranty if you don't service it with them. Otherwise just keep your receipts.

Not sure what kind of fear or paranoia this article is promoting other than sponsored up selling for Subie dealers.

I have the base forester subura, and love it. I can live without the heated seats, leather interior. My love is the smooth ride, gas milage, love the cruise control. Living in the mountains I have no problem going up gravel roads. Love the all wheel drive.

Denis, exactly where does Subaru say CVT fluid is "lifetime"? I find no reference to that in either my owners manual or warranty & maintenance booklet. On the scheduled maintenance chart, I agree that the "I" recommendation is vague, but Subaru does define "I" as "Inspect, correct or replace as necessary". "Replace as necessary" does not mean lifetime. Furthermore, Subaru specifically recommends changing CVT fluid at ~25k miles if towing.

I bought a 2014 XV Crosstrek in July this year. It is high mileage (200k) but one owner, dealership serviced. I typically put 500 miles a month on a vehicle so the miles didn't concern me much. I drive like a Grandpa and don't put much stress on a car. After 3 and a half months and 1,900 miles or so, the CVT started "shifting" gears (noticably) even though it's a CVT. I knew it must be the dreaded bad transmission or start of it going out. With no warranty or service contract, I took it a local mechanic who knew how to check the fluid level properly. It was full and had been changed, he felt, at some point in the last couple of years. I then took it to the Subaru dealership. $180 to diagnose . They determined the transmission solenoid was sticking. After fixing it and having the almost due oil change, I walked out $2,414 poorer. And it took 2 weeks because of ordering parts around and over Thanksgiving. They also replaced another transmission part but it's name escapes me. Moral of the story... 1. Buy an extended warranty. 2. Run Carfax. 3. Don't rely on a salesman verbal guarantee that the car is near mechanically perfect. I am keeping the car after all that. I pray it is trouble free forever !

I regret ever buying a Subaru. I bought one of the foresters with a bad factory installed head gasket. Of course this ruined my engine and Subaru had customers eat the entire loss on what they knew was a factory installed defective piece of equipment.

This is not a correct quote of the actual post. Many additions made that are not from the original.

As a owner of a 2024 Subaru Forester base. I love it. As a 65 year old guy I prefer not to have at the technology ridden higher spected models have. Cars have become so full of touchscreens it's really ridiculous and dangerous. Too different and dangerous to use while driving and just too confusing to operate and try to adjust settings on the HVAC or stereo.