All Foresters are powered by the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine found in the Legacy Outback. Dropping the bigger Legacy's engine in the smaller, lighter Impreza platform results in good acceleration performance. Forester's 2.5-liter engine produces outstanding power for its size--165 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque--and does a fine job of propelling this 3,020-pound wagon.

By comparison, the 2.0-liter engine in the 2,789-pound 4-door 4WD RAV4 produces 127 horsepower and it feels like a small truck engine. Honda's 2.0-liter engine is smooth and responsive, but its 126 horsepower doesn't get the 3,153-pound all-wheel-drive CR-V off the dime very quickly when equipped with an automatic transmission.

With horizontally opposed pistons, Subaru's 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine is just over half the length of a traditional inline-4. Because the engine is so much shorter, there's more room available for people and cargo. This boxer engine is also not nearly as tall, which permits a low hood line for excellent visibility out front and a low center of gravity for improved handling balance in corners.

All Subarus sold today are equipped with all-wheel drive and race and rally drivers say it's one of the best systems in the world, rivaled only by Porsche and Audi all-wheel-drive systems. The beauty of Subaru's all-wheel-drive system is that it works full time and operates seamlessly. It smoothly redirects power to whichever tire offers the best grip. About the size of a grapefruit, the transfer system takes up little space and adds little weight. It does not have a low-range set of gears, however, and is designed more for blasting through snow and mud than creeping up steep rocky faces. The RAV4 or the Jeep Wrangler are better suited for rock climbing, but the Forester is quite capable of carrying a trout fisherman to that remote stream or a backpacker to that distant trail head.

Because it isn't nearly as tall as a sport-utility, it's much easier to load a kayak, a set of skis and other car-top gear onto the roof of the Forester.

Forester is available with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Automatic transmissions are often the best choice for V8- and V6-powered sport-utilites, but Subaru's manual gearbox shifts as easily as a 5-speed on a compact and it makes driving the Forester more fun and more efficient. Still, the $800 electronically controlled four-speed automatic matches well with the big 4-cylinder engine.

Three trim levels are available: Forester, L and S. All three are mechanically identical and the base Forester comes with a high level of standard equipment, including air conditioning, power windows, fog lights, roof rack, rear window defogger, trailer harness connector, reclining front bucket seats with adjustable lumbar support, tilt steering, and an AM/FM/cassette stereo.

The L model adds antilock brakes (ABS), power locks and a cargo tray. The S model adds rear disc brakes, a chrome grille, big power mirrors, deluxe cloth interior, cruise control and vanity mirrors. The S model also comes with lower profile 215/60 H-speed-rated Yokohama Geolander 035 all-season tires mounted on 16-inch alloy wheels, while the other two models come with 205/70SR15 Bridgestone Dueler 684 all-season tires on 15-inch steel wheels.