• While others are just developing their crossover sport-utility vehicles, Subaru launches the second generation of its Forester;
• Much more than a mere makeover, the 2003 Forester has been redesigned inside and out;
• Changes include a lighter but stronger body, larger brakes and other safety enhancements, even the return of Subaru's famed Hill Holder system.

While many automakers are rushing into production with car-based, crossover sport-utility vehicles, Subaru introduces the second generation of its Forester, the vehicle that actually started this whole craze.

It was in 1997 that Subaru, known for its tough little Outback station wagons, raised the roof with the first Forester. Subaru hoped to find at least 30,000 people who might like a vehicle that drove like a car, albeit a car with the sure-footedness of all-wheel-drive, and that also provided the utility and roominess of a compact SUV. Last year 56,000 people bought Foresters, and now there are hundreds of thousands of us driving crossovers produced by virtually every automaker except Ferrari.

So how is the second-generation Forester different from the first? It has been redesigned inside and out, with the goal for the interior restyling being to move up a class, to provide more of a premium environment.
But this is not a mere makeover or even just a facelift for the Forester. There are many significant changes that you may not be able to see, but that Forester buyers will appreciate. They include a new body that is 90 pounds lighter but as much as 30 percent stronger, drivetrain and safety system enhancements, larger brakes and revised suspension, even the return of Subaru's once-popular Hill Holder clutch.

For those who may not remember, Subaru's with manual transmissions had gearboxes featuring mechanical components that enabled a driver sitting on a hill to release the clutch pedal without rolling backward. Financial pressures forced Subaru to abandon the hill holder system for several years, but it's back on the 2003 Forester, though now with updated technology that employs a pressure-holding valve as part of the hydraulic clutch.

For 2003 the Forester comes in two versions, the 2.5X and the 2.5XS, with X representing "crossover" and S standing for "sport." In the Forester's case, the S adds four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake distribution technology, alloy wheels, a viscous limited-slip differential and an upgraded interior with automatic climate controls, an in-dash six-CD changer, heated seats and other features. The 2.5XS can be further upgraded with a very large moonroof and leather seats.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves… back to the basics of all second-generation Foresters:

The 2003 Forester retains Subaru's 165-horsepower 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions, all-wheel drive and 7.5 inches of ground clearance.

The basics of the long-travel independent suspension remain, though the car has a wider track (by about an inch), redesigned suspension struts have internal rebound springs to reduce body movement in quick lane-change maneuvers, rear suspension trailing link angles have been changed and antiroll bars are larger and have a new, tubular design.

Steering feel is improved through a new variable gear ratio and relocation of the power steering pump. Front brake rotors are more rigid and are 11.4 inches in diameter (compared to 10.7 inches last year). The goal was to provide a firmer feel and quieter, smoother operation. The '03 Forester gets new 16-inch wheels and rides on 215/60-aspect Yokohama Geolander G900 tires that are 10 percent lighter and less rolling resistant.

The Forester's new body has ring-framed reinforcement around the passenger compartment and uses structural technology introduced on the newest-generation Impreza. Front and rear crossmembers, a hydroformed front subframe, tailored blank welding, high-strength steel and mounting points that are as much as four times stronger enhance rigidity and crashworthiness.

New standard safety equipment includes front head-and-chest side airbags, whiplash-resistant front headrests and LATCH child safety seat anchors.

The new body also is more aerodynamic, with a coefficient of drag down to 0.35 (compared to 0.389 and 0.405 for the 2002 Foresters). The new exterior styling features large, multi-reflector headlamps that include parking lights and turn signals, pronounced fender flares with a long crease that runs up the front fenders then back through the door handles to accent the car's strong shoulders.

The rigid body and improved aerodynamics also contribute to better noise, harshness and vibration control, which is also improved by new front axle shafts, a new rear differential mount, the move of the power steering pump, a larger muffler, modular windshield wipers and better sealing around the tailgate. By the way, the new tailgate takes 30 percent less force to close than the previous model's.

That tailgate has a handsome, hexagonal shape that is accented by a dark gray metallic panel. The new panel also provides a larger opening into the new Forester's cargo area, which has five covered storage areas (including an umbrella holder), two side pockets and retractable grocery bag hooks that are mounted higher for 2003.

The forward part of the cabin has a new instrument panel, cupholders in the center console, standard keyless entry, increased steering wheel tilt angle, a height-adjustable driver's seat, longer fore/aft travel for both front seats and improved rear seat egress and legroom, among many other upgrades in the second-generation Forester.

To introduce this new Forester, Subaru invited auto writers to drive along divided highways, narrow and twisting two-lanes through the Alabama hill country and down red-dirt byways that work their way from Birmingham to the high banks of the Talladega Superspeedway.

A track where NASCAR stock cars race at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour may seem a strange setting for the debut of a crossover SUV with a four-cylinder engine, but the Forester showed itself capable of maintaining triple-digit speeds on the big oval. The facility also provided safe space for demonstrating the car's handling abilities at such things as quick lane changes and for using concrete blocks and wood planks to show how the Forester's refined suspension absorbs the sort of rough conditions you find on off-road trails.

The drive back to town ended in a parking lot next to the huge Galleria shopping mall, an environment where, just like the first, the second-generation Subaru Forester also is right at home.