Not the Forester it Used to Be
Unfortunately, in the years gone by between my wife's previous (then) new 2009 Forester and her (was) new 2018, the quality of the vehicle has declined noticeably. That became clear when she noticed the difference. Overall, the "fit and feel" has declined, with enough squeaks and rattles to BE noticed. The instrument control center might as well be on the space shuttle; we older customers need a "back to basics" option (like I have on my GMC Canyon); even the volume control on the radio needs some old-fashioned knob spinning to make a difference. The driver's side electric window controls certainly aren't engineered for "even" a "fairly large" guy like me--I can't count the number of times my fingers work the front window switches instead of naturally falling into position on the rear. The times I drive it, it doesn't appear to handle turns as solidly as her 2009. Small mechanical glitches like an occasionally sticky switch "somewhere" in the traction control system are indicative of Subaru's slip from quality standards set in years past. Add to that the "negotiating need" to buy this vehicle in Denver when we live in Alaska and it's likely the last Subaru we'll own. Sad but true...