SUBARU is celebrating the production of its one-millionth Forester - one of the first and, arguably, most successful 'crossover' sports utility vehicles to combine off-road ability with sporty handling.
In fact, the Forester is Subaru's most popular export model with 83.2 per cent being sold outside Japan.
The milestone was reached nine years and three months after the company began production. Since then there has been a complete model change in 2002 followed by an extensive facelift for the 2006 model year.
Naturally the Forester continues to showcase Subaru's admired symmetrical all-wheel drive system and low-centre-of gravity horizontally opposed 'boxer' engines.
Worldwide Forester sales reached 119,743 units last year - a 6.2 per cent increase on 2004.
The latest range starts at £17,595 on-the-road for the Forester 2.0X which has a new 158bhp four-cam 'boxer' engine and features a high equipment count which includes a low ratio gearbox, hill-holder clutch and self-levelling suspension.
Meanwhile the 2006 MY Forester 2.5 XT now has a 230bhp turbocharged 'boxer' engine which gives a Porsche Cayenne-challenging 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds in manual form. Forester 2.5XT prices are from £21,995.
