2017 SUBARU FORESTER ground clearance

&On-road and off-road driving
This vehicle is classified as a utility
vehicle. Utility vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other types of
vehicles. Your vehicle has a higher ground
clearance and higher center of gravity,
making it more likely to roll over than
ordinary passenger cars. It also handles
and maneuvers differently from other
passenger cars. For this reason, please
read carefully the following section and
follow the instructions and precautions in
order to prevent serious injury or death
due to loss of control, rollover and other
accidents. Refer to “On-road and off-road
driving ”F 8-6.
& Attaching accessories
WARNING
. Do not attach any accessories,
labels or stickers (other than
properly placed inspection stick-
ers) to the windshield. Such
items may obstruct your view.
. If it is necessary to attach an
accessory (such as an electronic
toll collection (ETC) device or
security pass) to the windshield,
consult your SUBARU dealer for
details on the proper location.
General information
& California proposition 65
warning
WARNING
Engine exhaust, some of its consti-
tuents, and certain vehicle compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. In addi-
tion, certain fluids in vehicles and
certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to
the State of California to cause
cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
&California Perchlorate Advi-
sory
Certain vehicle components such as air-
bag modules, seatbelt pretensioners and
keyless entry transmitter batteries may
contain perchlorate material. Special
handling may apply for service or vehicle
end of life disposal. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/
hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
8

Starting and operating/Reverse Automatic Braking System
nated, the Reverse Automatic Braking
system cannot be operated.
.In the following cases, the system
may not be able to properly detect an
obstacle. Promptly contact a SUBARU
dealer to have the system inspected.
–A sticker, paint, or a chemical is
applied to the rear bumper near the
sonar sensor
– The rear bumper is modified
– The rear bumper has been re-
moved and reattached
– The ground clearance is changed
due to the vehicle ’s loading condi-
tion or modification
– Ice, snow or mud is adhered to
the rear bumper near the sonar
sensor
– The rear bumper is exposed to
strong impact, or the rear bumper is
deformed
. On a steep hill, the system ’s auto-
matic braking ability will be reduced.
. The system is designed to avoid
collisions by automatic hard braking
when the vehicle ’s reversing speed is
less than approximately 3 mph (5
km/h). However, the system does not
guarantee that the vehicle will be able
to avoid collisions in any situation.
. If the vehicle is reversed at an
extremely slow speed, the driver ’s operation may be prioritized. In this
case, automatic braking will not oper-
ate.
.
The system may not be able to
detect the following objects
–Sharp or thin objects such as
poles, fences and ropes which may
not reflect the sound wave emitted
from the sonar sensor
– Objects that are too close to the
rear bumper when the select lever is
set to the “R ” position
– Objects with a surface which may
not reflect the sound wave emitted
from the sonar sensor such as a
chain link fence.
. Objects the system is not designed
to detect
–Pedestrians
– Moving objects including moving
vehicles
– Objects which absorb sound
waves such as cloth or snow
– Objects whose surface has a
diagonal angle
– Objects that are low to the
ground such as parking blocks
– Objects that are high above the
ground such as objects hanging
from above
. The system may not be able to
properly detect objects or may cause a system malfunction when the follow-
ing conditions exist
High frequency sound from other
sources are nearby– Horn sound from another vehicle
– Engine sound from other vehi-
cles
– Sound of an air brake
– Vehicle detection equipment or a
sonar from another vehicle
– A sound wave with a frequency
similar to the vehicle ’s system is
transmitted nearby
– A
vehicle equipped with the same
system is reversing toward your
reversing direction
Weather conditions – Extremely high or extremely low
temperatures in which the area near
the sonar sensor becomes too hot
or too cold to operate
– The rear bumper near the sonar
sensors is exposed to heavy rain or
a significant amount of water
– Fog, snow or sandstorm, etc.
– Air is moving rapidly such as
when a strong wind is blowing
7-68

Parts attached to the rear bumper
near the sonar sensor– Commercial electronic parts (fog
light, fender pole, radio antenna) or
commercial attachment parts (trai-
ler hitch, bicycle carrier, bumper
guard) are attached
– Parts that emit high frequency
sound, such as a horn or speaker,
are attached
Vehicle conditions – The vehicle is significantly in-
clined
– The ground clearance is signifi-
cantly reduced due to the vehicle ’s
loading condition, etc.
– When the sonar sensor is mis-
aligned due to a collision or an
accident
Surrounding environment – A cloth banner, flag, hanging
branch or railroad crossing bars
are present in the reversing direc-
tion
– When reversing on a gravel or
grassy area
– When reversing in an area where
objects or walls are adjacent to the
vehicle such as narrow tunnels,
narrow bridges, narrow roads or narrow garages
–
Wheel tracks or a hole is present
in the ground of the reversing
direction
– When reversing over a drainage
cover (grate cover)
– The path of the reversing direc-
tion is inclined such as on a steep
uphill
– A curb is present in the reversing
direction
– When reversing downhill
& Reverse Automatic Braking
System operation
When the Reverse Automatic Braking
System is in operation, the range between
the vehicle and the detected object will be
indicated on the multi function display.
Also, warning sounds will activate in 3
levels to warn the driver of a potential
collision.
Starting and operating/Reverse Automatic Braking System
–CONTINUED –7-69

Driving tips/On–road and off –road driving
conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle.
There is little difference in handling,
however, during extremely sharp turns or
sudden braking. Therefore, when driving
down a slope or turning corners, be sure
to reduce your speed and maintain an
ample distance from other vehicles.
. Always check the cold tire pressure
before starting to drive. The recom-
mended tire pressure is provided on the
tire placard, which is located under the
door latch on the driver ’s side.
. Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle
under hard-driving conditions such as
steep hills or dusty roads will necessitate
more frequent replacement of the follow-
ing items than that specified in the
“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
– Engine oil
– Brake fluid
– Rear differential gear oil
– Manual transmission oil (MT mod-
els)
– Continuously variable transmission
fluid (CVT models)
– Front differential gear oil (CVT
models)
. There are some precautions that you
must observe when towing your vehicle.
For detailed information, refer to “Towing ”
F 9-13.On-road and off-road driving
WARNING
. In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wear-
ing a seat belt. You the driver and
all your passengers should fas-
ten the seatbelts before starting
to drive in order to minimize the
chance of serious injury or death.
. Do not make sharp turns and
quick maneuvers unless abso-
lutely unavoidable. Such actions
are dangerous as you may lose
control, possibly resulting in a
rollover which could cause death
or serious injury.
. Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-
tions.
. Whenever strong crosswinds are
present, slow down sufficiently
to maintain control of your vehi-
cle. Remember that your vehicle,
with its higher profile and center of gravity, is more likely to be
affected by crosswinds than or-
dinary passenger cars.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive model could easily
lead to a serious accident.
Your vehicle is classified as a utility
vehicle. Utility vehicles feature a higher
ground clearance which enables them to
be used for wide applications including off-
road driving. But please keep in mind that
your vehicle is neither a conventional off-
road vehicle nor an all-terrain vehicle. A
higher center of gravity in relation to the
tread width as compared with ordinary
passenger cars makes vehicles of this
type more likely to roll over. In reality, utility
vehicles have a significantly higher roll-
over rate than other types of vehicles. The
high ground clearance of this vehicle is a
real advantage, giving you a better view of
the road and allowing you to anticipate
problems earlier. However, remember that
your utility vehicle is not designed for high-
speed cornering comparable to ordinary
passenger cars and that your vehicle
could roll over if you make a sharp turn
at high speed.
If you take your SUBARU off-road, certain
8-6

Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel.
Move the tires to the positions shown in
the illustration each time they are rotated.
For the tire rotation schedule, refer to the
“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn
tires at the time of rotation. After tire
rotation, adjust the tires pressures and
make sure the wheel nuts are correctly
tightened.
After driving approximately 600 miles
(1,000 km), check the wheel nuts again
and retighten any nut that has become
loose.
& Tire replacement
The wheels and tires are important and
integral parts of your vehicle’ s design;
they cannot be changed arbitrarily. The
tires fitted as standard equipment are
optimally matched to the characteristics
of the vehicle and were selected to give
the best possible combination of running
performance, ride comfort, and service
life. It is essential for every tire to have a
size and construction matching those
shown on the tire placard and to have a
speed symbol and load index matching
those shown on the tire placard.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts from controllability, ride comfort, braking
performance, speedometer accuracy and
odometer accuracy. It also creates incor-
rect body-to-tire clearances and inappro-
priately changes the vehicle
’s ground
clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), con-
struction, and size. You are advised to
replace the tires with new ones that are
identical to those fitted as standard equip-
ment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU
recommends replacing all four tires at
the same time.WARNING
. When replacing or installing tire
(s), all four tires must be the
same for the following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear For the items (a) to (d), you must
obey the specification that is
printed on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the
bottom of driver
’s door pillar.
If all of four tires are not the same
in items (a) to (h), it may lead to
serious mechanical damage to
the drive train of your car and
affect the following factors.
— Ride
— Handling
— Braking
— Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
— Clearance between the body
and tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
. Use only radial tires. Do not use
radial tires together with belted
bias tires and/or bias-ply tires.
Doing so can dangerously re-
duce controllability, resulting in
an accident.
Maintenance and service/Tires and wheels
–CONTINUED –11-29

Specifications/Specifications
Specifications
These specifications are subject to change without notice.
&Dimensions
in (mm)
Item Non-turbo models Turbo models
Overall length 181.5 (4,610) 180.9 (4,595)
Overall width 70.7 (1,795)
Overall height 68.3 (1,735)*
2
67.7 (1,720)*3
Wheel base 103.9 (2,640)
Tread Front 60.8 (1,545)
Rear 61.2 (1,555)
Ground clearance*
18.7 (220)
*1: Measured with vehicle empty
*2: Models with roof rails
*3: Models without roof rails
12-2