2004 Subaru Forester: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Arrival of a turbocharged version highlights changes to Subaru's compact SUV for 2004. Forester shares its powertrain and many underskin components with Subaru's Impreza subcompact car. Forester comes as the base 2.5 X, uplevel 2.5 XS, and new turbocharged 2.5 XT. All use a horizontally opposed 2.5-liter 4-cyl engine with 210 hp in the XT and 165 in the others. All offer manual or automatic transmission. The manual transmission includes Subaru's Hill Holder feature designed to prevent rolling on inclines with the clutch pedal depressed. ABS and all-wheel drive without low-range gearing are standard. Head-and-chest-protecting front side airbags are standard. An in-dash CD changer is now standard on XS and XT. All Foresters have 16-inch wheels, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt steering, and remote keyless entry. Leather upholstery is available on XS and XT models.