2.0D EE20
The first flat-four diesel in a passenger car, and it drives beautifully because the torque arrives so low. Early units cracked crankshafts, so the build date and any engine work decide whether this is a bargain or a trap.
Overview
The 2.0D is the EE20 diesel version of the Subaru Forester SUV (SH), sold 2008–2013 with 147 PS and manual_6. High risk at level 4. Early engines cracked crankshafts, and that failure costs more than the car is worth. 3 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.
Subaru Forester SUV (SH) · photo Subaru Forester (III) – Frontansicht, 10. Juni 2012, Wuppertal by M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons
Ranked by probability × repair cost. 3 recorded in total.
Risk level −33 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −8 · Undetectable big repairs −4 · all issues →
Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both
The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.
| Phase | Years | Low | Average | High | Good buy | What differs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pre Pre-facelift | 2008–2010 | €5,200 | €8,200 | €12,500 | €6,700 | The specification the car launched with. |
| LCI Facelift (LCI) | 2011–2013 | €5,650 | €8,950 | €13,650 | €7,300 | FB20 replaced EJ20 on petrol; Revised nose and interior; EE20 diesel gained a particulate filter |
Known issues, ranked by expected cost
Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.
Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once.
Pre-purchase inspection
The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.
1PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.
2OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.
Mileage and servicing
What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.
The crankshaft failures cluster on the earliest engines rather than at a particular distance, so find out when the car was built. A later example with a full record is a very different proposition to a 2009 car with none.
| Service item | Interval | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Engine oil and filter Bearing and crankshaft life depend on it, which matters more here than usual. | 12,000 km or annually | €110–170 |
| Particulate filter check Failed regenerations dilute the oil, which compounds the crankshaft risk. | at every service | €0–120 to inspect |
What to pay
What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.
Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.
United States vs Europe
1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.
- ModelSubaru Forester 2.0D
- ChassisSH
- EngineEE20
- Years2008–2013
- MarketCentral EU
- Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for crankshaft cracking (early flat-four diesel) should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →
Buyer notes
Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.
Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.
Full specification
Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.
| Engine code | EE20 2.0D boxer |
| Configuration | flat-4, turbocharged · 1998 cc |
| Fuel / injection | diesel · common rail |
| Model years | 2008–2013 |
| Facelift phase | Sold either side of the 2011 facelift, 2008–2010 pre, 2011–2013 LCI |
| Power / torque | 147 PS · 350 Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed manual |
| Gearbox families | |
| Drivetrain | Symmetrical AWD |
| Economy (real-world) | 5.5–7 l/100 km mixed |
| Markets | EU |