Subaru Forester 2015 Problems

Without being able to scan the car from here, this sounds like a classic case of a body computer that is suffering a slow death. This computer is the one that links all the car’s major functions, including those ones you’ve listed as being on the blink. Random failures of these systems all at once point to the computer itself rather than the systems themselves.

Hooking the car up to a scanner at a workshop will tell you a lot more about what’s going on as the mechanic should be able to read the fault codes and make a diagnosis from there. The alternative cause is a poor earth somewhere in the car or a dodgy battery that is playing hell with the computer’s power source. Modern cars will not tolerate a poor power supply or earthing problems.

To start you need to have the filter cleaned out by what it called a manual regeneration. It’s not a warranty issue. Take it to a Subaru dealer and get a quote from them. The reason the light has come on is that the car hasn’t been driven in a way that ensures the regeneration takes place automatically. It could be because of the way you drive it, or the way previous owners have driven it. When you talk to the Subaru dealer about regenerating the filter also ask about the way to drive it so the regeneration happens automatically.

There are no hard and fast rules for how fast you should drive when towing, but many companies recommend driving at a lower speed when towing. Subaru say you should not drive its vehicles, including the Forester, at speeds in excess of 80 km/h when towing. It's done for safety.

Without wanting to get involved in a family feud, the best choice is the Subaru Forester. It rides a bit higher like an SUV but is a classy family wagon. It gets The Tick from me and remind her that it's the safest in the class.

For your needs, I would recommend the Subaru Forester. It is a great country drive, comfortable and safe, and gets The Tick. The Koleos is getting very dated.

With modern stability control systems and on-demand all-wheel-drive you are far less likely to get caught out with understeer (where the nose of the car pushes wide) than you once were. Having said that, the Kluger — and the LandCruiser for that matter — aren't city-friendly vehicles. If you no longer need to tow but still like the safety net of all-wheel-drive, why not look at a Subaru Outback or Forester?

The Forester gets The Tick from me but only the latest model. It has improved quality and refinement, which came after Subaru — and a lot of Japanese brands — cut costs through the GFC.

A Mazda CX-5 would be the best bet, and gets The Tick, but also look at a Subaru Forester which is more car-like and will be better around town when you're not towing.

The salesman is right you really do need to run them over long distances to get the most out of them, and they can be noisy, although modern diesels are less so than old ones. You really need to do the maths on the running and servicing costs of the diesel versus the petrol to see which is best suited to your use. Diesels generally cost more to service, and they are prone to blocking of the diesel particulate filter if not used in a way that allows the automatic regeneration of the filter to happen. I would buy the petrol engine.