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The first Subaru Forester cars were released in 1998 as part of a new trend of 'hybrid' vehicle, combining the attributes of both a family car and sports utility vehicle. With ABS as standard, good manoeuvrability and visibility and excellent cargo room, Subaru Forester sales proved the vehicle a popular choice. The design was based on an Impreza, modified to make the size of the vehicle slightly larger. The four wheel drive system uses a technology to sense wheel slip, automatically sending power to the wheels with the most traction, so the Forester was designed with off-road use in mind as well as comfort and passenger transportation. The engine for this generation was a 2.5 litre four cylinder model with 165 bhp.
Changes to the design of the Forester have been minimal. In 1999 revisions were made to improve torque and transmission, and changes were made to improve the model's performance in crash testing. In 2001, the Forester gained an improved appearance with reshaped headlights and a new bumper and rear lights. In 2002 a retractable cargo area cover was fitted as standard. In 2005, the 2.5 litre engine had a performance of 156bhp, much improving the speed of the car but slightly increasing fuel consumption.
In road tests the used Subaru Forester achieved good reviews, as visibility and cabin space are time and time again found to be exceptional. The drive of the car is better than an SUV, with a more comfortable and agile feel to the handling and steering. The Subaru BOXER engine has a flat, compact configuration, giving the vehicle a low centre of gravity to improve handling and control in any driving conditions. Quality and reliability of the car are both very high, and in general owners report very few problems regarding either.