2017 Subaru Forester

2017 was a facelift year for the SJ-generation Forester (updated lights, grille, EyeSight v3) with no powertrain changes; the naturally-aspirated 2.5L FB25 remains the standard engine across all trims and the volume seller.

Unchanged FB25 2.5L torque figure carried through the SJ generation's 2017 facelift.

The 2017 facelift carried over the prior 2.5i/CVT drivetrain unchanged, so contemporaneous instrumented tests of the same generation's CVT 2.5i (Edmunds 9.0s, Motor Trend 8.7s) apply; CVT is the higher-volume configuration (standard on Limited/Touring, optional on Premium) versus the quicker-tested 6-speed manual.

The naturally-aspirated boxer four is smooth at cruise but coarse and strained under hard acceleration, a recurring criticism of this generation; the 2017 facelift did not address it.

Lineartronic CVT is smooth in normal driving but drones under acceleration; Limited/Touring trims add simulated stepped 'shifts' via paddle shifters to mask it, with mixed reviewer reception.

Flat towing rating across the 2017 trim range, including the turbocharged 2.0XT — modest for the compact SUV class.

Subaru Symmetrical AWD is standard on every 2017 trim — no FWD variant exists — with X-Mode (electronic traction management + Hill Descent Control) standard on Premium, Limited and Touring CVT models, though absent on the base 2.5i.

8.7 in of ground clearance (class-competitive) plus X-Mode/Hill Descent Control on upper trims give real light-duty capability, but there is no dedicated off-road trim, low-range gearing, or underbody skid protection in 2017 (the Wilderness trim did not exist until years later).

Two distinct gas engines were offered in 2017 — the naturally-aspirated 2.5L on all trims and the turbocharged 2.0XT on Premium/Touring — but no hybrid, PHEV or EV variant (electrification did not reach the US Forester lineup until years later).

EPA rating for the 2.5L FB25 with Lineartronic CVT and standard AWD, the higher-volume 2017 configuration versus the slightly less efficient 6-speed manual.

EPA city figure for the 2.5L CVT AWD powertrain.

EPA highway figure for the 2.5L CVT AWD powertrain.

Derived from the EPA-published combined range on the Forester's 15.9-gallon tank at 28 MPG combined.

EPA's standard annual fuel-cost estimate for the 2.5i CVT AWD powertrain.

The volume 2.5i runs on 87-octane regular unleaded with no performance penalty; only the turbocharged 2.0XT trim recommends premium for peak output.

NHTSA gave the 2017 Forester a 5-star overall rating, with 4 stars frontal, 5 stars side, and 4 stars rollover.

Good ratings in moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints, but Marginal on passenger-side small overlap front. Earned Top Safety Pick+ only conditionally — vehicles built after October 2016 with the optional EyeSight front crash prevention and specific (LED projector) headlights.

EyeSight (AEB, adaptive cruise, lane departure/sway warning, lane keep assist) plus blind spot/rear cross-traffic alert are standard only on Limited and Touring; on the volume Premium trim (and base 2.5i) EyeSight and BSM/RCTA are optional extras, and unavailable at all on manual-transmission cars.

IIHS rated the EyeSight front crash prevention system Superior, avoiding collisions in both the 12 mph and 25 mph vehicle-to-vehicle test scenarios — but this is an optional system, not present on every trim.

Blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert are standard on Limited/Touring and optional on Premium (bundled with EyeSight); alert-only, no active braking intervention or trailer-aware coverage.

EyeSight adds lane departure/sway warning plus a lane keep assist steering nudge for 2017, a step up from prior lane-warning-only systems, but it is a corrective assist rather than continuous lane centering and is optional on the volume trim.

EyeSight's adaptive cruise control operates across the full speed range including stop-and-go, functional and capable for the era, but reviewers of the period note it is not paired with a dedicated highway-assist/centering mode and is optional equipment.

No hands-free highway driving system exists on the 2017 Forester or in Subaru's lineup at this time; EyeSight requires hands on the wheel at all times.

IIHS rated most 2017 Forester headlight configurations Marginal; only the LED projector headlights with high-beam assist, available on certain trims built after October 2016, reached Acceptable — no configuration reached Good.

The Forester's upright greenhouse, low beltline, large glass area and thin A-pillars (plus a small triangular quarter-window ahead of the mirrors) give it class-leading outward visibility, repeatedly singled out by reviewers as superior to competitive compact crossovers.

Full LATCH lower anchors in both rear outboard seats plus a rear-middle tether, anchors under easy-access Velcro flaps; IIHS improved the Forester's ease-of-use rating to Acceptable for 2017 after flagging deep-mounted lower anchors as Marginal on the prior year.

The 2017 Forester (SJ-generation facelift) is a two-row, five-passenger compact SUV; no third-row option exists at any trim.

The SJ-generation Forester's tall, boxy greenhouse gives generous front headroom, a carryover figure from before the 2017 facelift since the body structure was unchanged.

Above-average front legroom for the compact SUV class, unchanged by the 2017 cosmetic/tech facelift.

The upright SJ-generation body gives the Forester segment-leading rear headroom.

Competitive second-row legroom for a compact SUV, part of a roomy cabin that was a consistent strength of this generation.

No third row is offered on the 2017 Forester at any trim; it is strictly a five-seat compact SUV.

Solid for the compact SUV class but modest against the broad cross-segment SUV band used for normalization.

Folding the 60/40 rear seat more than doubles cargo space, a strong figure for a compact SUV.

A wide center console bin, large door pockets and a flat load floor make the cabin practical, but nothing rises to standout storage innovation for the class.

Front seats are consistently described as supportive and comfortable for daily use; rear seats are flatter but adequate for the class.

Edmunds' 2017 Forester review calls the ride 'supple -- one of the best in the segment,' aided by a taller-sidewall tire package and off-road-biased suspension tune, with the trade-off being more body roll than sportier rivals.

For 2017 Subaru added thicker door glass, restructured door seals and an acoustic windshield to cut wind/road noise, but the naturally-aspirated 2.5L still drones audibly under hard acceleration through the CVT.

The All-Weather Package (heated front seats, heated mirrors, wiper de-icer) is standard on manual-transmission Premium and Limited but only optional on CVT Premium, and the heated steering wheel — new for 2017 — is exclusive to Touring; automatic climate control is Limited-and-up only, leaving richer comfort equipment concentrated at the top of the range.

Entry-trim pricing sits well under the compact-SUV band floor, among the most affordable AWD-standard SUVs on sale for 2017.

Premium is the Forester's traditional best-selling trim and the CVT is by far the more common transmission choice; at $26,870 it lands near the low end of the compact-SUV volume-trim band.

Mid-pack for the compact-SUV class; RepairPal rates the Forester's ownership costs "average" for the segment, and this generation's CVT drew some owner complaints that keep costs from undercutting segment leaders like the CR-V/RAV4.

The Forester depreciates well below the compact-SUV segment average and is consistently rated top-decile for value retention in the class, though 2017 lacks the launch-year demand bump of an all-new generation.

Industry-standard 3/36 basic coverage, at the floor of the compact-SUV band and short of value-brand rivals offering longer bumper-to-bumper terms.

Standard 5/60 powertrain term, at the floor of the compact-SUV band and well short of Hyundai/Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile coverage.

24/7 roadside assistance is included for the 3-year/36,000-mile warranty period on every Forester, and Premium/Limited/Touring trims add a complimentary Starlink Safety and Security services trial (SOS, automatic collision notification, maintenance alerts) — but the base 2.5i lacks Starlink, and there was no nationwide included-scheduled-maintenance plan in 2017, so coverage is closer to basic roadside than a genuine multi-year maintenance perk.

$26,870 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (64% retained, or about $17,197) leaves about $9,673 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,910 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $15,583 in total.

J.D. Power gave the 2017 Forester a predicted reliability score of 2.5/5, below the average of 3.0, and Consumer Reports subscriber data flagged specific trouble spots (notably air conditioning/cooling) for the model year, pulling the overall predicted rating below average.

J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study put Subaru at 164 problems per 100 vehicles in the 2017 study (worse than the 156 industry average) and Subaru fell further into the bottom quarter of automakers in the 2018 study (167 PP100) before rebounding in 2019 — a multi-year stretch of below-average brand dependability spanning this generation's production.

NHTSA lists roughly two dozen recall campaigns touching this generation Forester, including a safety-significant Occupant Detection System issue that can deactivate the front passenger airbag, plus brake light switch, turbo intake duct (stall risk on turbocharged trims), ignition switch, floor mat, and rear suspension bolt campaigns — more numerous and more safety-relevant than a clean-record vehicle, but not concentrated in a single systemic powertrain or fire defect.

The 2017 Forester's naturally aspirated 2.5L FB25 (in production since 2011) replaced the head-gasket-prone EJ25 with a timing-chain design and no systemic head gasket failures, but earlier FB25 production runs were dogged by excess oil consumption from low-tension piston rings; by 2017 Subaru had revised rings and gaskets to address it, leaving a powertrain with a reasonable track record but a known asterisk rather than a fully clean bill of health.

Reviewers described a mix of soft-touch and hard, scratchy plastics on the dash and console — competent for the mainstream compact-SUV price point but not a class-leading cabin; Subaru added extra sound insulation and thicker glass for 2017 to improve refinement without changing the base material story.

Reviewers consistently credited the Forester's assembly quality even while criticizing its materials — panel gaps and cabin rattles were not a common complaint theme for this generation, consistent with Subaru's traditionally solid (if not luxurious) build execution.

Subaru's roughly 630-dealer US network was mid-pack in density compared to the largest mainstream brands, but by 2017 J.D. Power's Customer Service Index showed Subaru's service satisfaction had climbed above Toyota's, following several years of dealers expanding service-bay capacity to keep pace with Subaru's sales growth (which had previously produced multi-day wait times).

RepairPal puts Forester ownership at $632/year in average repair and maintenance costs versus a $521 compact-SUV-class average, with a slightly above-average 13% chance of a given repair being severe — Subaru's AWD driveline and boxer-engine-specific parts push routine and unscheduled costs above segment norms even though parts themselves are not scarce.

The volume Premium trim carries the 7.0-inch Multimedia Plus touchscreen; the base 2.5i uses a smaller 6.2-inch single-touch unit.

The Multimedia Plus system pairs a touchscreen with physical knobs and buttons, which reviewers found usable, but the graphics and menu structure were already dated in period reviews relative to segment leaders.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were not offered on the Forester at all for 2017 — Subaru rolled smartphone projection out starting with the 2017 Impreza/Crosstrek and did not extend it to the Forester until the redesigned 2019 model.

Multimedia Plus includes Siri EyesFree mode (iPhone-dependent, not a true native assistant) and an optional 7-inch voice-activated navigation package with three years of complimentary map updates, functional but basic relative to later systems.

Base audio is adequate for the class; an 8-speaker, 440-watt Harman Kardon premium system with DSP is available as an upgrade, a modest but genuine step up.

Gauges are fully analog with a small monochrome/color multi-information trip display for audio and MPG data — not a configurable full-digital cluster.

The 2017 STARLINK system had no meaningful over-the-air update capability for infotainment or vehicle software; Subaru introduced OTA capability in later model years.

STARLINK Safety and Security services (SOS, automatic collision notification, maintenance alerts) are offered on Premium/Limited/Touring, but the modern MySubaru app's remote start/climate functions were not compatible with Forester models until the 2019 redesign, leaving 2017 owners with a thinner remote feature set than later generations.

Standard USB and 12V power points are provided, but only legacy USB-A, no USB-C, and no wireless charging pad at any trim.

Keyless Access with Push-Button Start is standard only on Touring, described by Subaru as new for the Forester line in 2017; Premium and Limited retain conventional key-and-remote entry.

A rearview camera is standard across the lineup, and Touring adds rear sonar parking sensors paired with EyeSight's new-for-2017 Reverse Automatic Braking, but there are no front sensors and no 360-degree surround view at any trim.

No head-up display was offered on any 2017 Forester trim.

Wide-opening rear doors and a low load-in height ease car-seat installs and stroller loading, and IIHS upgraded LATCH ease-of-use to Acceptable for 2017 after flagging it Marginal the prior year, but there's nothing that stands out versus segment leaders.

A 5-star NHTSA overall rating and a conditional IIHS Top Safety Pick+ are strong credentials, but EyeSight (AEB, adaptive cruise, lane keep) and blind-spot/cross-traffic alert are optional extras on the volume Premium trim and unavailable on manual-transmission cars — the family-friendly price point doesn't include the full ADAS suite standard.

Roomy front and rear seating (38.0 in rear legroom, 39.8 in rear headroom) and a supple highway ride support multi-hour trips, but rear-seat amenities (climate vents, USB, entertainment) are limited on lower trims and cargo behind the seats is only mid-pack for the class.

The CVT is smooth at low speed and the Forester's segment-leading outward visibility significantly eases stop-and-go traffic and lane changes, offsetting some engine coarseness under harder acceleration.

28 MPG combined and a $2,200/yr EPA fuel-cost estimate on regular unleaded are about average for an AWD-standard compact SUV — reasonable but not a class-leading running cost.

A tight ~34.8 ft turning circle and compact SUV footprint make the Forester easy to place in the city, aided by a standard rearview camera; the absence of front parking sensors on any trim is the main limiting factor.

A flat 1,500-lb tow rating across every trim, including the turbocharged 2.0XT, is modest even for a compact crossover and rules out serious hauling duty; there is no bed or dedicated cargo-area work provisions.

Subaru's AWD/boxer-engine platform has a long-standing reputation for handling rough rural and light-work duty, but this specific generation posted below-average J.D. Power dependability scores and known early-FB25 oil-consumption issues, tempering the durability case.

Standard roof rails support crossbar-mounted racks, but there's no onboard AC power outlet, no factory tie-down/upfit ecosystem, and cloth upholstery on lower trims isn't especially work-friendly.

A ~445-mile EPA combined range and a genuinely supple highway ride support long trips, but adaptive cruise control (part of EyeSight) is optional on the volume trim rather than standard, and cabin noise creeps up under hard acceleration.

Standard Symmetrical AWD, 8.7 in of ground clearance, and X-Mode with Hill Descent Control (Premium and up) make the Forester a genuine light-duty adventure vehicle, one of this generation's defining strengths even without a dedicated off-road trim.

60/40 split-folding rear seats, standard roof rails, and a healthy 74.7 cu ft of max cargo volume handle bulky gear well for the class, short of minivan-level flexibility but a strength among compact SUVs.

Reviewers place the Forester on the sportier end of the compact-SUV handling scale — more composed and secure than the CR-V, RAV4 or Rogue — though less agile than the Escape or CX-5.

The electric power steering got a quicker ratio for 2017, but period reviewers still found it short on genuine feel, response and accuracy despite the recalibration.

Reviewers describe the brakes as strong and confidence-inspiring, a consistent strength of this generation even as steering feel drew criticism.

The naturally-aspirated 2.5L FB25 and Lineartronic CVT are smooth at cruise and around town, but throttle response is leisurely and the pairing becomes coarse under hard acceleration — a recurring criticism the 2017 facelift didn't change since it carried the powertrain over unaltered.

The boxer four's characteristic engine note is audible and grows coarse under load, and the CVT's tendency to hold high RPM for extended periods ('drone') under acceleration compounds the impression, despite 2017's added sound insulation.

A tight turning circle near the best of the compact-SUV band, a consistent Forester strength that aids low-speed maneuverability.

An upright seating position, thin pillars and low beltline give the Forester class-leading outward visibility, and controls are logically laid out even on the base cluster — a consistently praised strength of this generation.

The volume naturally-aspirated 2.5i is competent but unremarkable to drive — composed rather than exciting — while the turbocharged 2.0XT offers real enthusiast appeal that the mainstream trim doesn't share.

Symmetrical AWD is standard across the entire lineup, a real differentiator versus rivals that reserve AWD as an option, and the base 2.5i includes a rearview camera, Bluetooth and a 6.2-in display — but the EyeSight driver-assist suite is a paid, CVT-only package rather than standard equipment, and blind-spot monitoring/LED headlights are reserved for Limited and Touring, so essentials beyond AWD still cost extra.

Roomy, boxy packaging with best-in-class visibility and standard AWD gives the Forester a strong practicality case at a competitive base price, and the improved-for-2017 EyeSight and cabin insulation add real substance; offset by a modest 170-hp base engine and a CVT that reviewers found unremarkable to drive relative to segment leaders.

Eight distinct configurations spanning $23,470-$35,170 — 2.5i and 2.5i Premium each offered with 6-speed manual or CVT, plus Limited and Touring, and a genuinely different 250-hp turbocharged 2.0XT available in Premium and Touring trim — gives real spread from budget/manual buyers to performance-oriented and loaded buyers alike.

The Forester posted 177,563 US sales in 2017, one of Subaru's top-selling nameplates during a year in which Subaru of America set an all-time best-ever yearly sales record.

Subaru carries a loyal, outdoor/family-lifestyle brand image with strong owner loyalty and a safety-focused reputation, though it lacks the aspirational halo of premium marques.

Subaru ran roughly 65% below the industry average incentive spend in 2017 (about $1,032/vehicle vs. an 11%-of-transaction-price industry norm), reflecting the brand's low-incentive, thin-margin strategy even as demand for the Forester stayed near record levels — buyers had little discounting to find beyond modest demographic rebates.

2017 is a mid-cycle refresh of the fourth generation (2014-2018): new front/rear styling, an upgraded EyeSight camera system, additional sound insulation and a mild economy bump keep it competitive, but the underlying platform is three model years old with an all-new fifth generation arriving for 2019, so redesign risk is on the horizon rather than distant.

Consumer Reports named the 2017 Forester its top-ranked Small SUV among its "Best Cars of the Year" picks, beating the RAV4, CR-V, Escape, Rogue and CX-5, and it earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award; U.S. News' aggregated critic score of 7.8/10 reflects consistently favorable contemporary reviews.