1998 Subaru Forester

Subaru launched the Forester for 1998 as a hybrid vehicle, blending the attributes of a passenger car and a sport-utility vehicle. To create the Forester, Subaru took the subcompact Impreza station wagon, raised its roofline and added a few extra inches to the body length and width. Because wheelbase was increased only fractionally, interior dimensions grew only slightly over the Impreza. Subaru intended the resulting 5-passenger vehicle to be a trucky SUV in the spirit of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The Legacy Outback and subcompact Outback Sport, in contrast, were basically just tall-built station wagons. Base, L, and S models went on sale. Each used Subarus horizontally opposed, 165-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, borrowed from the compact Legacy. A 5-speed manual transmission was standard, and 4-speed automatic optional.Foresters standard all-wheel-drive system sensed wheel slip and automatically sent power to the wheels with the most traction. No driver action was needed. Although ground clea