Forester XT (SH)
Discussion
Probably not a lengthy thread as there's not much to be done with this one. It's my wife's car and mostly used locally for dog walks, fetching stuff and bouncing around the back roads of East Anglia. I'll maybe take some proper pictures when it next gets sanitised (and it's not dusk)!
It's stock other than a steel bash plate up front and 225/65/17 Geolander G015 AT tyres on some aftermarket alloys. It's comfy, easy, pretty simple and makes silly Subaru noises. It's also great on fuel - if you're looking to get rid of it quickly.
The SH (3rd gen) is much more a crossover SUV than the original Foresters and the 4EAT gearbox is the dumbest thing on the planet, but I really like it as something to hop into.
It actually replaced 2 of our cars. I had a '99 XJ Cherokee that I used for towing, moving junk, taking up lanes, moving equipment. My wife had a 1.8 SR Yaris. One year, the Cherokee did 600 miles and the Yaris did 400. As great as both cars were in their own way, I wasn't into keeping on top of the maintenance of 4 cars any more and they both had reasons for not getting used much. So we looked for something you'd get if you fused a Jeep and a Yaris together.
The Forester is doing something like 7500 a year, so I'd say it was a success.
I'd originally been pitching a Freelander 2 a middle ground, but the most enthusiastic I could get about it was 'that'll do the job' and my wife was less than luke warm on them. The Forester had been advertised for quite a while and I'd been assuming that someone had mis-listed a diesel as a petrol. I think the advert was '2.0 Forester' and It had the scoop on the front but didn't make any mention of it being an XT. Eventually I ran a plate check on it and found it was indeed a petrol, so I suggested we just pop down to see if we liked it, even if it wasn't all that 'sensible'. My wife pretty immediately said 'yeah, this one!'.
It's stock other than a steel bash plate up front and 225/65/17 Geolander G015 AT tyres on some aftermarket alloys. It's comfy, easy, pretty simple and makes silly Subaru noises. It's also great on fuel - if you're looking to get rid of it quickly.
The SH (3rd gen) is much more a crossover SUV than the original Foresters and the 4EAT gearbox is the dumbest thing on the planet, but I really like it as something to hop into.
It actually replaced 2 of our cars. I had a '99 XJ Cherokee that I used for towing, moving junk, taking up lanes, moving equipment. My wife had a 1.8 SR Yaris. One year, the Cherokee did 600 miles and the Yaris did 400. As great as both cars were in their own way, I wasn't into keeping on top of the maintenance of 4 cars any more and they both had reasons for not getting used much. So we looked for something you'd get if you fused a Jeep and a Yaris together.
The Forester is doing something like 7500 a year, so I'd say it was a success.
I'd originally been pitching a Freelander 2 a middle ground, but the most enthusiastic I could get about it was 'that'll do the job' and my wife was less than luke warm on them. The Forester had been advertised for quite a while and I'd been assuming that someone had mis-listed a diesel as a petrol. I think the advert was '2.0 Forester' and It had the scoop on the front but didn't make any mention of it being an XT. Eventually I ran a plate check on it and found it was indeed a petrol, so I suggested we just pop down to see if we liked it, even if it wasn't all that 'sensible'. My wife pretty immediately said 'yeah, this one!'.
Nice car, bit different to the usual CRV/RAV4 suspects, and looks good on those Geolander tyres.
Konan said:
I think the advert was '2.0 Forester' and it had the scoop on the front but didn't make any mention of it being an XT.
Does XT mean turbo? Or just higher spec than the regular cars?spreadsheet monkey said:
Does XT mean turbo? Or just higher spec than the regular cars?
Yes, it's a turbo. EJ205HT, I believe. 230 or 240HP-ish, similar to the JDM WRX. We didn't get them in the UK on this model, the XT returned later on with the FA20F engine.Fonzey said:
Currently shopping for rental cars for a winter Iceland trip and these came up on a search, put a note in to research them. Recommend?
If you're after a mid size vehicle with a little bit of off road chops, can't see why not.Cambs_Stuart said:
I've had an Imprexa WRX wagon, and two Legacies, and I've always fancied a forester. Is this generation based on the WRX platform? What's the rear seat legroom like?
Compared to the SF and SG, they have a lot more space inside. Rear leg room is (way) more compared to a BP chassis Legacy or Outback.They share the WRX hatch platform.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Is this generation based on the WRX platform? What's the rear seat legroom like?
It's based off of the Impreza hatch. I'm 6ft and if I sit in the rear seat behind my own driving position my knees just about avoid touching the seat backs. I don't think it's all that different to my BP5 in that respect (I think my Levorg has more legroom in the rear).Where you really lose out against a Legacy is the boot, but it's still far more practical than the Impreza wagons were.
The JDM model also has the rear seat recline.
Konan said:
It's based off of the Impreza hatch. I'm 6ft and if I sit in the rear seat behind my own driving position my knees just about avoid touching the seat backs. I don't think it's all that different to my BP5 in that respect (I think my Levorg has more legroom in the rear).
Where you really lose out against a Legacy is the boot, but it's still far more practical than the Impreza wagons were.
The JDM model also has the rear seat recline.
IMHO, the SH has a lot more space on the back seats. I've owned 2 BP chassis cars (Outback H6 with electric seats) and a 2.0R legacy, and in both cars, people sitting in the back complained about the seating position. Where you really lose out against a Legacy is the boot, but it's still far more practical than the Impreza wagons were.
The JDM model also has the rear seat recline.
My EUDM had rear seats that could recline (which is a nice feature).
I'm also not sure if the boot if really smaller... Unless you want to haul PAX from, I found th SH more practical compared to a BP.
But, IMHO, the BP Legacy is the best looking Subaru they ever made. The Levorg comes close.
Lots of love for these here! Just drove my 15 year old Forester SH from Finland to Scotland for the 2nd time. It's on 230,000km. These things become like an old favourite jumper, I'll keep it until it's full of holes. It's a general dog and outdoor pursuits wagon that does what I need in all weathers with no fuss or drama. Looks good with a canoe on the roof too. Also really comfortable on long journeys, big glass house and good visibility with plenty of head and leg room (I'm 6'5") that they seem to have lost in later versions. It's the last non-CVT model too. No idea what I would replace it with...
thomasrs50 said:
I'm also not sure if the boot if really smaller... Unless you want to haul PAX from, I found th SH more practical compared to a BP.
I tend to find that the footprint of the boot is important for the stuff I carry/pack. The Forester is probably taller to the bottom of the windows and then up to the roof line, but it's quite a bit more narrow at the arches and shorter. I tend to have things in boxes. Can confirm that you can get a washing machine in the Forester boot without dropping the seats 
It's annoying me now, I know I took pictures for comparison on a thread on here and I can't find it! But, for example, my inflatable Kayak in it's carry case takes up the entire Forester boot and has to be put in sideways. On the BP Legacy, it'd easily go in lengthways and leave a foot of clear space to one side.
Although it's not big enough to be my ideal daily, it's pretty practical.
Got a full liner so I can chuck dirty bikes in the back:
And then a tall boot liner the rest of the time. Again, just to cart stuff about and contain the muck:
zax said:
Lots of love for these here! Just drove my 15 year old Forester SH from Finland to Scotland for the 2nd time. It's on 230,000km. These things become like an old favourite jumper, I'll keep it until it's full of holes. It's a general dog and outdoor pursuits wagon that does what I need in all weathers with no fuss or drama. Looks good with a canoe on the roof too. Also really comfortable on long journeys, big glass house and good visibility with plenty of head and leg room (I'm 6'5") that they seem to have lost in later versions. It's the last non-CVT model too. No idea what I would replace it with...
Great summary of these cars.I replaced mine with a 2017 Outback (which I could only do because it was dirt cheap and turned out to be a diamond in the rough). Can only recommend these Outbacks, even with the CVT (mine is sitting at 170 000km - 2.5 N/A - CVT fluid has been replaced twice).
I previously owned SF, SG, BP Legacy, BP Outback, SH and now BS Outback.
That looks a great car Konan, we’ve had a SG XT since 2014, which is probably not going anywhere.
A remap, filter and zorst by Duncan at RaceDynamix made a great difference,
We tried a new na outback, which was nice, but once fully loaded would be no match for the well over 300 lbft that the turbo XT can offer (after Duncan’s magic)..
It’s a shame Subaru no longer offer the turbo petrol cars in the UK,
I hope you have as much satisfaction from your SH as we’ve had from our SG.
A remap, filter and zorst by Duncan at RaceDynamix made a great difference,
We tried a new na outback, which was nice, but once fully loaded would be no match for the well over 300 lbft that the turbo XT can offer (after Duncan’s magic)..
It’s a shame Subaru no longer offer the turbo petrol cars in the UK,
I hope you have as much satisfaction from your SH as we’ve had from our SG.
preacherman said:
Do the rear seats drop flat on these? Could two sub-6ft people sleep in the back in relative comfort? I have a dream for a Subaru or Volvo to cover car camping/general dogs body duties.
They drop flat with a slight lip, but I think the people in question would need to be a good way under 6 feet to be sleeping in there with relative comfort. As one poster mentioned above these are high load spaces rather than long. xstian said:
I looked into these, but need it to tow. So I m going to go for a later model xt.
I assume this being a jdm it s not plated to tow? I see you mentioned towing. No judgment from me, just curious.
It came with a tow bar fitted but I'd suggest the UK one is indeed your best bet.I assume this being a jdm it s not plated to tow? I see you mentioned towing. No judgment from me, just curious.
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