SJ Forester

SUBARU’S fourth-generation Forester arrived amid a flurry of activity in the compact SUV segment, with new versions of the Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota RAV4 all going on sale within a few months of each other.

Improvements over the previous generation Forester included better fuel efficiency for both the petrol and diesel engines, a new CVT to replace the old four-speed auto on petrol models, and a reduced coefficient of drag from 0.37 to 0.33.

The Forester is the Japanese car-maker’s top-selling in Australia and has developed a loyal customer base since its launch in 1997.

The design was evolutionary to ensure it maintained that unmistakable Forester feel but was chunkier than the model it replaced.

Sticking with all-wheel drive across the range, the Forester was available in a number of specifications, with the 2.0-litre turbo petrol XT Premium topping the range.

Subaru’s X-Mode all-wheel drive assistance program was available on automatic models and the EyeSight anti-collision system was standard on the XT Premium.