Subaru Forester

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Subaru Forester

Also called:	Subaru Forester
Manufacturer:	Fuji Heavy Industries
Production:	1998–present
Class:	Compact crossover SUV
Body style:	4-door wagon
Engine:	2.5 L Flat-4 2.5 L turbocharged Flat-4
Related:	Subaru Impreza Saab 9-2X
Similar:	Ford Escape Honda CR-V Jeep Patriot Toyota RAV4

The Subaru Forester, is a compact crossover SUV (or arguably a station wagon) produced since 1998 by the Japanese automaker Subaru. Released in the United States in 1998, it is based on the chassis of the Subaru Impreza.

1 Characteristics
2 2006-present
- 2.1 US
- 2.2 Australia
3 Gallery
4 Awards
5 Trivia
6 References

[edit] Characteristics

As with all Subaru models marketed in the United States and other international markets since the early 1990s, the Forester is equipped with an all-wheel drive drivetrain. Subaru advertising employed the slogan SUV tough, Car Easy to appeal to the SUV-oriented market; and to this end, the Forester has features associated with SUVs such as a large, boxy cargo area and more ground clearance than other Subaru models (although it employs a unibody architecture, rather than a body-on-frame construction associated with trucks and large SUVs). The Forester, up until recently, was also sold in India as a Chevrolet alongside other Chevrolet models sold there. However since General Motors no longer holds an ownership stake in Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, sales in India of the Chevrolet-badged Forester have ended. The Forester is produced at the Gunma Yajima Factory in Japan.

US-Spec Subaru Forester XT

In 2003, a turbocharged Forester, the XT, was released alongside the naturally-aspirated X and XS in the United States as a 2004 model, however the same model had been available since the late 1990s elsewhere in the world. The XT model features a 2.5 L turbocharged engine mated with the same Mitsubishi TD04 turbocharger used in the Subaru Impreza WRX. In fact, the engine in the 2004 to 2005 Forester XT is identical to the American market Subaru Impreza WRX STi except for using the smaller TD04 turbocharger from the WRX, a smaller intercooler, different exhaust system, and different engine management programming.

The 2003 Forester features weight-saving refinements such as an aluminum hood, perforated rails, and a hydro-formed front frame. The Forester was Car and Driver magazine's Best Small SUV for 2004, 2005 and 2006.

In 2005, Subaru launched an STI variant of the Forester, the Forester STI. It shared the same engine as the 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, but generating a bit less than the WRX STI.

In 2006, the turbocharged engine (powering the Forester XT) was awarded International Engine of the Year^[1]^[2]. This engine is also used in the Subaru Impreza WRX, as well as the re-badged Saab 9-2X.

[edit] 2006-present

[edit] US

2006 Subaru Forester

For 2006, the Forester exterior was updated with an arguably more upscale look. Just two models are produced:

2.5 X - naturally-aspirated 2.5 L flat-4, 173 hp (129 kW)
2.5 XT Limited - turbocharged 2.5 L flat-4, 230 hp (171 kW)

[edit] Australia

The Forester has three main models available in Australia:

X - naturally-aspirated 2.5 L flat-4, 121 kW (162 hp)
XS - naturally-aspirated 2.5 L flat-4, 121 kW (162 hp)
XT - turbocharged 2.5 L flat-4, 169 kW (226 hp)

The difference between the X and the XS is the styling of the car through its accessories. Both the XS and the XT come with the option of having a "Luxury Pack" fitted - allowing for leather seats and a sunroof. Besides the difference in engine between the X or XS when compared to the XT, there are other minor styling differences like the addition of a MOMO steering wheel as standard on the XT model.

[edit] Gallery

USDM 1998-2002 Subaru Forester	1999 Subaru Forester S	2001 Subaru Forester	2004 Subaru Forester X
Subaru Forester X 2006 at the Melbourne International Motor Show	Subaru Forester XT 2006 at the Melbourne International Motor Show

[edit] Awards

Winner Australia's Best Recreational Four Wheel Drive in 2000
Winner Australia's Best Recreational Four Wheel Drive in 2001
Winner Australia's Best Recreational Four Wheel Drive in 2002
Car and Driver's Best Small SUV 2004
Car and Driver's Best Small SUV 2005
Car and Driver's Best Small SUV 2006

[edit] Trivia

In India the Subaru Forester was marketed between 2003 and 2006 as the Chevrolet Forester, and had a naturally-aspirated 2.0 L flat-4 engine rated at 120 hp.
Richard Hammond (of Top Gear fame) said of the Forester XT that it will "take years off the family man" ^[3]. This was in response to the shape that appealed to the typical "family man" along with the sporty engine that appealed to a younger demographic.