The Subaru Forester, released in the US in 1998, is a lightweight, small crossover SUV based on the Subaru Impreza platform and drivetrain. As with all Subaru models marketed in the United States of America and other international markets since the early 1990s, the Forester is equipped with an All wheel drive (AWD) transmission. Subaru advertising employed the slogan "SUV tough, Car Easy" to appeal to the SUV-oriented market; and to this end, the Forester has features associated with SUVs such as a large, boxy cargo area and more ground clearance than other Subaru models (although it employs a car-like unibody chassis, rather than the body-on-frame construction associated with trucks and larger SUVs). The Forester is also sold in India as a Chevrolet alongside other Chevrolet models sold there.

In 2003, a turbocharged Forester, the XT, was released alongside the naturally-aspirated XS. The XT model features a 2.5 L turbocharged engine with a turbo system similar to that of the Subaru Impreza WRX (in fact, the engine in the Forester XT is most similar to the engine used in the U.S.-market Subaru Impreza WRX STi).

The 2003 model Forester features weight-saving refinements such as an aluminium hood, perforated rails, and a hydro-formed front frame. The Forester was Car and Driver magazine's Best Small SUV for 2004 and 2005.

For 2006, the Forester exterior was updated with a more upscale look. Just two models are to be produced:

2.5 X - naturally-aspirated 2.5 L flat-4, 173 hp (129 kW)
2.5 XT Limited - turbocharged 2.5 L flat-4, 250 hp (186 kW)
In India the Subaru Forester is marketed as a Chevrolet Forester, and has a naturally aspirated, 2.0L flat-4, 120 hp engine.