I just bought an 03 Forester XS, and was wondering (no owners manual in car otherwise I wouldn't ask) what is the max towing in this car?? Is it 2500 lbs like I've heard? Also, any advise for this particular car r/t auto tranny fluid when it's time to change it? The car has 21K on it. Contrary to what I've seen on this site, and compared to my old 97 Outback 5 speed, the auto runs perfectly, not that mushy, rattling stick shift that I hated.

Let's see, you paid thousands of dollars for a complicated piece of machinery and you're driving around without having read the owner's manual. Instead of towing something with car, suppose the car had to be towed. Nah, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure the guy driving the tow truck knows how to tow a Subaru. Those guys never miss.

i'm sure you can download a manual somewhere. Now what you should be thinking about is the material properties of your tow package. I have no doubt that the vehicle will tow 2500lbs, or even 4000lbs.... you'll just start breaking stuff though

If it's a stock subaru package i'm betting it's "Rated" to 2500lbs, with a factor of saftey of course

i've seen other aftermarket tow packages for subi's that are 3000-3500lbs i believe.

Let's see, you paid thousands of dollars for a complicated piece of machinery and you're driving around without having read the owner's manual. Instead of towing something with car, suppose the car had to be towed. Nah, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure the guy driving the tow truck knows how to tow a Subaru. Those guys never miss.

 

 

Thanks for your reply, but if you really read my post, I stated that the car did not come with an owners manual. I asked them for one, and it will be 2 weeks or so to get it to me!!!

I just bought an 03 Forester XS, and was wondering (no owners manual in car otherwise I wouldn't ask) what is the max towing in this car?? Is it 2500 lbs like I've heard? Also, any advise for this particular car r/t auto tranny fluid when it's time to change it? The car has 21K on it. Contrary to what I've seen on this site, and compared to my old 97 Outback 5 speed, the auto runs perfectly, not that mushy, rattling stick shift that I hated.

 

I just towed a 5x8 U-Haul trailer from San Francisco to Seattle with my 2003 Baja - it is no fun, especially in the mountains. The Baja is rated to tow 2400 lbs and even though most of the after-market hitch makers say their hitches are Class II rated, the factory hitch is Class I rated. I would not tow more than 2000 lbs with a Forester unless it is only for a short distance.

 

To read an on-line manual, create an account on MySubaru.com. You will need to enter your VIN.

Hi Buddy. There is a reason I responded the way I did. No lie, a number of Subaru owners have had their transmissions destroyed by improper towing while they were waiting for their owner's manuals. Subarus are great cars, but they certainly have their quirks. I hope that you have the same good luck with your Forester that I have had with my 1999.