2014 Subaru Forester XT Muddy Off-Road Drive & Review
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- ( www.TFLcar.com ) The new 2014 Subaru Forester 2.0XT is a family hauler with the ground clearance of a Jeep Wrangler and Subaru's well know symmetric all-wheel-drive system. Recently we took the 2014 Subaru Forester off-road in one of the worst Colorado snow storms of the year and we quickly go the Forester stuck. Without proper snow tires, this unfair to the Forester so we waited a few days until the snow melted and tried again in the mud. How did the new 2014 Subaru Forester do when the trail turned muddy and very wet. Watch this off-road review to find out.
From an owners stand point, a Subaru is the way to go for a super reliable car, safe, relatively cheap, and of pretty good quality. Repping a 2003 Impreza OBS, I bought the car with intentions of it being my "first winter beater" type car. I never driven a Subaru prior to purchasing my OBS, but on the test drive, I fell in love. The car felt tight to the road, a little zippy, and come on; a 2.5L getting 28 MPG? My wallet is more than happy! I purchased the car for $3900, spent about $200 in random parts, and I have a long list of modifications I want to do to it. Subaru isn't kidding about their slogan: "Love. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru." I will be purchasing many more of these cars in the future, for these do more than fit my needs and style.
Wait until it needs head gaskets and you're pulling the motor
Edit: I owned a 2002 outback and other subarus, also wrenched at a dealer for a while
Estoy por comprarme un subaru forester 2019 o 2020 depende cual me den mejor precio, pero mi hermano dice que me compre la crv honda, no me gusta, me gusta subaru y definitivamente lo amare, ya que este sera mi primer carro con mi esposa
I work at a Subaru dealership and drive these every day. They handle like a sports car and they go like one too. I really like these and I might get one when my car is payed off.
True dat :-).
We love the engine. Smooth and powerful. We can't wait until if and when they stick in into the next STI. That will be one hell of a ride.
My neighbor purchased a 16 Outback top edition with the PZEV. It's a 2.5L with the CVT. It sits comfy, rides like a Mercedes, and is super quiet. My neighbor loves the 4WD because he went to Niagara Falls and he encountered snow and said he didn't sense any wheelslip. Since my first ride in a Subaru, I actually like it.
I have a 2018 Subaru Forester XT. Bought it 10 months ago and racked on a whopping 28,000 miles. Zero problems with the engine or transmission. Wife loves the CVT because the engine doesn’t rev high like most traditional automatic transmissions in normal drive mode.
Great videos guys! I have a heavily modified Wrangler and I have driven this trail. It's not the toughest in Colorado but I'm so impressed that you have the guts to take a brand new Forester up here. Just bought the Forester for long distance family trips based in part on your great reviews. It has the camping gear storage, rear seat room and fuel economy that my Jeep lacks. For serious offroad I have my Jeep, for a DD and I70 ski trips I love the Subie. Thanks guys!
Why test drive a car with a CVT and complain about it when it comes in a standard transmission and make it a major point of why you dislike the car. Seems like they are having to make up reasons to not buy a forester
danmarcelino They don't get a choice what car Subaru sends them.
Try one with manual transmison. You will see the difference. AT is not for this conditions. Try MT.
danmarcelino The forester XT only comes with a CVT, no manual transmission option. (at least here in the states there isn't.)
tyson505 buy one from canada then hahaha
+danmarcelino because subaru only offers the forester XT with a cvt, just like they only offer a CVT on the XV, outback and levorg except for the entry level specs, they should really learn to make a 6 or more speed auto or offer a manual on all spec levels because frankly, it's seriously disappointing that a manufacturer that makes/ made awesome cars like the WRX STI and the old legacy and with a great rally history now only offers dreary and boring CVT cars
Thanks for asking. You are welcome to embed, or post these videos as you like to your web site, facebook and such but you cannot copy or re-upload them.
What's up with the lack of sound!? Made it almost unwatchable!
Samuel Bomorse probably used music they weren’t allowed to lol kinda lame
Wouldn't have been so bad if his lips weren't moving during the dead zones
I pressed mute from the start.
I’ve had the XT now 4 years and 68,000 kilometre later…. Love the CVT, l even tow a 1.6 ton caravan around Australia, off road and never had one mechanical issues. With the right tyres it goes anywhere best all round vehicle l have ever owned. The turbo is in short an awesome motor. I usually upgrade ever 3 yrs or 60k on clock however l have not found a replacement car as good as the 2017/18 XT, l am so disappointed Subaru has not released another turbo version….. CVT gearbox reversed caravan up off road dirt track no problem also in 45 degree heat, up and down steep hills no issue. This this does all very good oh and let me put a myth to bed, it changes faster than my mates manual so CVT l rate.
“This is not light off-roading.” As he drives up what is essentially a bumpy dirt road.
Roman, thanks for another excellent video! Your multiple reviews of the 2014 Forester's performance under different circumstances paints a really comprehensive picture of this car's capabilities and shortcomings. I appreciate your auto insights and entertaining no-nonsense approach. Keep them coming.
Good review! You guys are one of the only reviewers who actually take vehicles off-road in real life. It would be interesting if one day you could set up a comparison on the same vehicle between all seasons and mud or snow tires. I know you did one before with the wrangler and mazda 6 but it would be interesting to see all the variables removed with the same car. Keep up the good work!
Great idea. We would love to do that but we only get the car for a week so we don't have access to it now.
Nope that's fine. Please be so kind as to give us credit and/or a link back to TFLcar. Thanks
I always enjoy it when you guys take these SUVs off-road, MOST ESPECIALLY the Subaru vehicles! Keep it up and I hope to see more off-road adventures from your channel.
My Mom has a 2015 Forester and there are things I like and things I hate. I hate the acceleration lag (turbo and CVT related), lack of memory seats, odd material choices and the god-awful infotainment system. I'm glad that Subaru is going to use the same system in the Outback and other vehicles. Everything else I really love.
first of all learn how to drive, before you go knocking the best all-wheel drive made.
subaru is the best period!
Art Craven I agree 👍🏻👍🏻
And get 23 mpg
@@Divinityiscalling headgasket problems existed untill 2007 and was only for the 2.5l engines.
The CVT is set well and has nothing to do with a head gasket?
Please dont speak if u dont know what u r speaking!
@@Divinityiscalling my dad drove a 99 Forester for 10 years 300k miles and the car runs like new. Regular maintenance and a center diff reapir and that was all. Also its internet here not the USA. You may have a keyboard to write comments but do u have knowledge?
@@moonsapling wow your dad is quite lucky. I think youtube stands with the idea of free speech since their headquarters are located in california. Also tfl is an american channel. You dont have to take things so personally, i was just making a joke about a subie!!
The audio keeping going off through your this video. Am really not sure why there is soo much hate for this CVT. IMHO this gearbox is one of the best in this price class. It performs better in the hilly regions than normal 6-8speed automatic. Good job as always TFL. Cheers
X-Mode can't help that much with the horrible tires Subaru has on the car. No substitute for winter tires. You guys did a great job on the snow video.
Huge Car, tons of room for me and my gear.
Nice to have such great fans like you. Thanks for watching!
Roman...You're sniffing glue. The engine is incredibly smoothe and refined. For everyday driving, it is an amazing engine. The interior is functional and materials are very good. Car is super quiet and verging on Q5 and X3 territory for a lot less money. Can't believe you are not praising the engine. Strange.
I checked Subaru with their info. You're right. Subaru said that it prefers premium fuel with their turbo engines, but not required.
This channel is fast becoming my favourite car-based show on youtube. I don't know of any other show that does such a variety of tests on a variety of cars. Off road, 0-60, and you don't just say the same shit over and over like say, Motorweek, or Saabkyle. And.... A NEW VIDEO EVERY DAY! :D
i own a 2016 outback , 2.5 the transmission is fine, its only there opion, good power,
If he took the time to read the owners manual on the car or a quick reference guide for the vehicle. Maybe he would go to the correct menu for the radio. They do this all the time give bad information on vehicles because they don't know what they're doing. So sad
Cool shots of jeeps and slow-mo mud puddles, why did I watch this?
I don't even have "hill descent control" and I could fly through any of that in my 2015 Forester. Drove it through a 2-ft snow storm in the Sierra last winter and was able to go places Land Rovers weren't going. I actually was stopping and helping people in SUVs that got stuck. If you don't have the right tires on ANY car, it will have trouble.
That guy clearly doesn't know anything about subaru's.
Average What do you mean? What did he say incorrectly?
I just bought my Subaru couple of weeks ago and I love it
Subarus are one of the best ever cars built
possibly one of the worst reviews i have seen. Great car, awful host. Quite a shame cuz these cars are really good.
I can't stand these guys, but I keep watching their videos. I guess they are doing something right.
Your videos are fantastic guys, but just a little constructive criticism when testing AWD & off road capabilities you really need to make sure the X drive AWD option is engaged as well as your ford escape video testing its AWD with summer tires... I mean it kinda defeats the entire purpose of the video
Nice little wagon for some trailriding. It would of been nice to see you get stuck just to see what the limit of the Forester is, if it was a bit tougher up that trail.
I am going to watch this later, but thanking you guys in advance for yet another great video!
I loooove Foresters and STI's . I own both 2015's
Sexually transmitted infections aren't something to be proud of, you should get STI treated by your doctor.
Spencer Howard well considering he got a 2015 STI, I don't think doctors have found a treatment for it yet.
Good,congratulations, I’m glad to see that
We've already review it. Go to TFlcar or search our UA-cam channel.
yup!! there are too many you tubers have a big mouth to talk trash and they don't even have any driving experience at all. great review and keep it up brother :)
The CVT isn't near as bad as you play it out to be and there are paddle shifters with simulated, but pretty natural feeling gearing if you really want that kind of feel and control anyway. I have the new XT and mostly just use the paddles for engine braking when going down steeper hills. Dont understand why people are so stuck on manuals, especially when it comes to off-roading type of stuff. The 5spd in my WRX was horribly inneffective trying to start from a stop going up steep icy stuff
Offroading is where freedom begins.
I think I spent the whole video waiting for the mud pit only to find out you didn't want to get stuck.
Thanks for saving me 10 minutes of my life
He apparently didn't look at the radio very hard because you can type in the station number you want it to go to, also he failed to mention that you can get an optional Harman Kadon speaker system.
BTW, you can use the steering wheel controls to change the Nav head's radio/sat/CD modes and to walk up or down the stations. Those really help one work around the klugey touch screen.
I enjoy your reviews and this one is probably the best of all the Jeeps you have done so far.
;)
One good thing.. since it's an imported car, that stereo is a standard DIN style radio.. So swapping it out would be pretty easy, unlike the crappy CVT. The US built Outbacks have an integrated style stereo, and changing that is expensive, and often looks like crap after.
Good point. What about the Voice commands?
I usually just have my presets as you probably would for a station you loved so much. Presets are pretty easy to use.
I agree with your overall point though. The head unit could be better. But the sound is awesome!
For $2000 (the very minimum combined price for nav and speakers I've seen), you can get a nice smart phone, good speakers and head unit +- install, and maybe even have money left over for the actual plan for your phone.
To me, the only reason to actually option the nav and/or speakers is 1. If it's required for something you REALLY want (engine, suspension, leather, etc.) 2. You want the HU and speakers to be covered under factory warranty or you're leasing.
If the new models last as long as the older ones screw the leasing... I have an '01 with currently 277+K on it....lol Ive taken it on some fun advents but it really depends on what you want to use it for. lol I rip older 4.0 mustangs off the line with the awd and yet I am still getting 27+ miles to the gallon...
Thank you Stephen.
This is the goof that reviews this SUV in the snow without snow tires.
Come on! Push it to the limit and get it stuck. That's why everyone is watching! We wanna see it in a worst case scenario situations! Still a good video. keep them coming!
i have an 09 xt and we drove the new one a few weeks ago. the stability control system is excellent interior materials have improved significantly but i think fit and finish is better in the 09. The cvt is very good especially in sport sharp with it's simulated 8 speed manumatic. we managed a zero to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds with two large adults in the car and a full tank of fuel. it's much faster from a rolling start than a stand still to prevent cvt slip. lastly the tires are shit!
The XT has 2.0L 250 hp Flat-4 engine. The normal Forester uses a 2.4L 170 hp Flat-4 engine, a holdover from the previous year's model.
You guys should redo the ford escape. You got the escape stuck in the same spot, but you didn't give it a second chance like you did with the subaru.
Could use better tires for sure. Especially in the mud. That said, Subie handled it just fine. I remember viewing the video when he got stuck in the snow. The car was doing just fine and when it started to pull through, the driver slammed on the brakes and it lost traction and slid down the ditch. Not the cars fault. Also not the right tires.
I test drove the forester 2.5i premium and thought it was great. The CVT didn't have any kind of rubberband effect to me. When I accelerated hard it acually put me back in the seat which was impressive. My 2010 forester 2.5X premium won't do that. I also test drove the new 2013 rav4 and was very dissappointed in the ride quality. It was rock hard with very little compliance. It was very harsh on the highway when going over expansion joints. I was very impressed with the new forester. Getting one
Testing any vehicle off road with road tires is flat out stupid. We know what it can do with road tires. Put the proper tires on it and see where you can go.
To that effect, I don't care for CVTs either. The fuel efficiency gains seem minimal. The new WRX, which uses the same engine as the Forester XT, gets better mileage out of the manual than the CVT.
the 2014 legacy with a true auto gets 32mpg the 2015 with the cvt gets 36. i dont know as much about the forester since we own the legacy but 4mpg is not a minimal difference at all. i dont love the cvt for a lot of reasons id rather an 8 speed auto but for the vast majority of people the cvt will be absolutely fine and 36 mpg with all wheel drive is almost unheard of
Ryan Partlow 4 MPG IS pretty minimal.
So he should buy AT’s for every vehicle he reviews? Do you think before you write stupid shit?
Yup. Only used premium on my Foz though. I love the car and it's performance so far. Subaru has set record sales (in history) this year and there aren't enough Foresters around for them to sell. I think they hit this one out of the park! They certainly did with my XT Touring!
The previous Forester was a 2.5 4 cyl as well and towed 2400 lbs, the Ford Escape is a 2.0L turbo and tows 3500 lbs. so it's not due to the engine, probably the transmission.
I'd give it a Buy It because who needs fancy pandora or nav systems. Everyone that has a smartphone has that already. This car will stand the test of time and it'll still be going after 100 or even 200 thousand miles.
Eric M smartphones are exactly why I don't want built-in nav and special radio apps. Give me HD radio, bluetooth, USB, and aux (which just about all modern cars have) and I'm happy. I'd rather take care of everything else myself. Besides, if you intend to keep the car for 20 years, what are you going to do when one of those services gets outdated?
Great point! My mom just bought the 2015 Forester XT, yes I convinced her to buy a turbocharged model XD, but it's not the Touring. Who needs leather, nav, and all that fancy crappy? She already has her Garmin!
xCkillaxC oh and if you want to see it, I posted it on my ig page @awd_alliance
Good decision on turining around - I know from experience that getting stuck on a trail like that can lead to sliding off the road and even down a slight - or more than slight - cliff.
I thought that you said you liked the engine.. just not the CVT... Great review as always. Love your channel. Thanks
I know this video is quite old, but if you had proper tires, how far do you think it could have gone?
you guys should review the subaru forester 2.5i sub-model with a manual transmission to compare full package to basic package
Still, that's the part we wanted to see!
Roman still likes the Outback better.
Subaru seems to have listened to Roman's XM complaints as a new map/navigation upgrade available for Foresters built before Sept '13 fixes the XM scrolling buttons so they actually scroll across stations. New maps, icon tweaks and other goodies also get applied. Nice that Subaru is listening to customers and improving products as they go!
I was watching to see how far it would go but then he pussied out. Autos are actually very good off road due to being more gentile, even though I prefer a manual due to the fun factor. The CVT is designed to put the revs where it is needed and it has a paddle shift for if you prefer to select a gear. Don't just rely on xmode as a one shoe fits all. There may be situations where it is better to turn off traction control instead. A big part of traction in muddy situations is tyre choice. It doesn't look like those jeeps had standard factory tyres fitted, so why should you? Letting a bit of air out of the tyres could help a bit as well. Half the fun of going off road is to see how far you can go, get stuck, reassess the situation then conquer; which can be just as much fun in a soft roader as a jacked up, highly modded jeep. It would have been nice to show the limits of the forester but I guess we won't find out from this video.
Can't let too much air out of low profile tires before the rims are getting beaten up by the trail debris.
I completely agree with you, I was trying to see the real challenges this Subaru could take, since I mean, he only drove past a couple puddles and some rocks so nothing big
At 3:20 Roman states that " This trail is not Camry worthy" but the Forester seems to be doing quite well at that point..... At 4:00/5:30/6:00 Roman states " This vehicle has standard all season tires" and not mud/snow tires. At 6:30 Roman states "This is a
hard core Colorado Trail." At 8:00 Roman states "There is no substitute for having great tires....." At 10:15 Roman states that is about as far as all season tires will take the
Subaru without getting stuck. I'm not sure what else anyone could expect from a vehicle with such humble origins.................
Agreed,,,,,,,
He's like Jeremy Clarkson. This episode's car is the "best EVER!" ;)
Absolutely!. Thanks for the quick responses!
Imagine how well this car would do with even a 2" lift and some better off road tires.
There is a whole world of UA-cam channels out there showing you *exactly* how awesome these cars are with a lift kit and some big tires. They are very capable even stock.
Great video! You guys just keep getting better! All the Best
I have one. it replaced my 2011 wrx.. cvt witout the option of a stick shift sucks but nothing else is better within the price range. The interior is an upgrade from what I had and my sound system is too. the sport grille is a must have
You could probably get a set of older 16 inch Subaru wheels and run a set of General Grabber AT2s and have a larger sidewall with more traction for off-roading. Lot's of guys do this with the previous gen Forester. You'd have to get TPMS sensors for each wheel though.
Roman -- saw the graphic of 25.5 mpg is pretty good for this class SUV. Especially one with a 2.0L Turbocharged engine with 250 hp. (Note: for shoppers who want the XT, it needs the good stuff, aka 91+ octane unleaded fuel).
That's perfect because we have a great challenge just for you. Check it out: watch?v=zxvI5mw63EI
Probably true that they are a ? right now. But have you driven it though?
The version of the CVT they have on the XT is different from the NA. This is supposed to be a high torque high performance CVT and many experts have opined that it is the best CVT implementation they have seen. It is yet to be seen however if they can hold up to mods and time. I wouldn't dismiss it outright like you have and I sure as heck do not see it hurting their sales. The refresh in general is very well received.
+1. My JDM forester is lowered and built. They are not designed to go off-road and that's as simple as it gets. All the newer technology as the video stated, just puts more distance between you and the driving experience. the most advanced technology my Jeep had was a CD player. Consumers need to know exactly what they're buying and this video does a good job of demonstrating that the Forester, is not an off-road vehicle. Cheers for the full review ;)
You told us that it has crappy tires for offroading 6 times. I and hopefully others got the message after the first time.
I really hope you could test the cvt... i mean really test it out, abuse it, trash it, and see how much it can take.
No it DOES NOT! Premium is recommended, but it will run on regular. only caveat is a slight dip in performance and mpg. But even the manual says using regular will not hurt anything
Good review. I thought the Forester handled itself admirably considering it didn't have off road tires like the many Jeeps out on the trail. Still not crazy about the overall look of the Foester.... it's pretty plain inside and out.... but the video did show what it's capable of. As for the radio, it looks like it would be pretty easy to replace with any aftermarket double-DiN unit.
you ever think of redoing this test with Geolandar A/T-S tires?
Not true. Drive it first. I have one and it is quite responsive. Its not an MT by any means, but you'd be surprised how well it matches the engine + turbo!
Thanks for the kind comments. Much appreciated.
Yup, we get that a lot from viewers that's why we put out this simple challenge: watch?v=zxvI5mw63EI Funny...no one has yet taken us up on it.
Right. It's no big deal to replace the head unit and speakers. I would never base my decision to buy a car on the quality of the sound system.
Would you guys be willing to do a serious review of the 2015 Forester in the manual transmission? The cliff hanger course would be a great test for its limits.
why are locking differentials better than Subaru's AWD system?
Imagine what this little guy could do with a lift kit and all terrain tires
Nathan u guys need to review the Jeep wrangler mw3 call of war 4x4 edition now those jeeps r hot
Drive it till it gets stuck. We want to see what it's capable of! Great video though. Thanks for the video!
This vid showed me nothing I didn't know about. I can do all this and more in our 11 year old Forester. I was hoping you are going to push this one a bit further and see how far the CVT and the X mode can take it
Honestly I believe TIRES make all the difference.
Lets face it, these are non challenging trails in this video, that dont require 4wd,
and AWD would suffice just fine.
With proper mud tires, the Subie would be fine.
They absolutely do🤙🏻
that's the exact reason why I won't trade up to the '14 Forester, im sticking with my '11 XT even though i have the dinosaur 4AT lol i have yet to see a review of CVT positive enough to even sway me a tiny bit
For Sure
one other XM channel you could try is either 46 49 or 13... those play pretty much the same if not similar to 7
I've had a 3 series, Acura TL, Tsx, Wrx.... In sport mode, most could not even tell this is a CVT. The 'artifical' gears feel like a 6spd. I drove the Q5 from audi with the 2.0 and Forester motor was just as smooth and a lot more power.
Roman - can you please do a review of this machine driving in the snow with snow tires? That would be helpful for a buyer like me.