The Subaru Forester is one of the most popular SUVs on the market. From its great gas mileage to the high safety rating and industry-leading all-wheel-drive system, it’s easy to see why. Most owners love their Subaru Forester but complain about interior noise caused by the Boxer engine, road noise, and wind noise.

I sat down with a customer interested in getting a Subaru Forester to discuss the common complaints and what we recommend to fix it. Check it out!

Question One: IS the Subaru Forester Noisy?

Q: I’ve been looking at the Subaru Forester because it seems like a solid all-around SUV. But I keep seeing people mention that it’s noisy. Is that true?

A: That’s a good question, and yeah, we get a number of calls about the Forester and the noisiness does come up a lot in reviews and forums. The Forester is a fantastic SUV—great safety ratings, excellent all-wheel drive, and solid fuel efficiency—but it’s not the quietest option in its class. Compared to rivals like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, the Forester tends to let in more noise, especially at higher speeds.

Question two: Why IS the Subaru Forester so loud?

Q: Okay, that’s kind of what I was worried about. Why is it noisier? Is it a design flaw or something? What kind of noise issues do you hear about?

A: Not really a design flaw, but more about the priorities Subaru has for the Forester. There are three main things:

Subaru Forester Engine Noise

The Boxer engine it has is a unique design style really only used by Subaru and Porsche where the engine was essentially designed sideways. Instead of the pistons moving up and down like a traditional inline engine, they move horizontally. That design is great for lowering the center of gravity, but it also creates more vibrations and a distinct hum or rumble especially during hard acceleration.

Subaru Forester Wind Noise

The boxier design of the Forester adds to wind noise since there’s more surface area catching the air, especially at highway speeds. Newer models get fewer complaints with more aerodynamics in mind, but throw in a moon roof and some roof racks and wind noise is still a problem.

Subaru Forester Road Noise

Subaru focuses more on performance and practicality rather than luxury. So, things like sound deadening and sound insulation take a back seat. Tire noise and road noise are more noticeable because of this.

Question three: How Do You make the Subaru Forester Quieter?

Q: Got it. I still really like the car. If I do end up getting a Forester, what can I do to make it quieter?

A: Let's walk through them like we did with the noise problems. We'll use the Second Skin System, a two-step process of deadening vibrations and block noise, to notice the Second Skin difference. Here’s what I’d suggest:

Reduce Subaru Forester Engine Noise

The Subaru Forester engine noise is a lot of vibrational energy that needs to be dampened. Install Damplifier Pro CLD sound deadening mats on the metal of the cabin-side firewall to stop vibrations at the source. 60% coverage will get you 95% of the results.

Part two of the Second Skin System is pairing your sound deadener with a sound barrier. Apply Luxury Liner Pro on top of Damplifier Pro at 100% coverage to keep that Boxer engine from bothering you. Luxury Liner Pro is the perfect automotive sound barrier.

You can also upgrade the hood insulation with our hood insulation kits. This will help control the echoes under the hood and give your hood the best insulation it can get.

Reduce Subaru Forester Wind Noise

As I said, a lot of the wind noise is a bit out of your control due to the boxier shape of the car. With that said, you can still add vibration dampening to the roof and the doors along with some sound insulation. Deaden the vibrations with Damplifier Pro and use Mega Zorbe or Heat Wave Pro as your insulation. For your door application, Damplifier Pro and your insulation of choice go on the outer door skin. You can also add some deadener to the inner sheet metal. This will help to cut down on the wind-related noise you'll experience in almost any car.

Reduce Subaru Forester Road Noise

We're going to use the Second Skin System one more time. Take the Damplifier Pro and Luxury Liner Pro install you did on the firewall and bring it across the floor and into the trunk. All in like this, you'll be reducing road noise by 10+ dB.

One last spot to treat is one of my favorites. A lot of road noise and tire noise come through the wheel wells so they need sound deadening. Use Spectrum Liquid Deadener to deaden vibrations coming up from the tire. (3) 1mm coats brushed on or sprayed on will cut down noise 3-5dB alone, and you never actually have to get in the car to do it.

Question four: is this treatment worth it for all foresters?

Q: Interesting! One last thing—if I did all of this, how much quieter are we talking? Is it worth the effort? And is this something you’d recommend for all Foresters, or just older ones?

A: Absolutely worth it! Older models definitely need it more, but my thought is that if you're questioning it now, there's a good chance the Boxer engine and cabin noise could bother you. A Second Skin sound treatment is going to make your day-to-day and cross-country adventures more comfortable and enjoyable. All in, this treatment will make your vehicle about 50-60% quieter than off the lot.

I'd recommend giving one a test drive to see how you like it, then come back and let me know what bothered you and we can walk through a targeted approach.

Subaru Sound Deadening Projects

The Garage: Customer Projects