18/11/2008 19:09. The Subaru team assigned to come up with a new, improved Forester might have thought for a fleeting moment that the task was roughly like being told to rewrite Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

After all, Subaru’s modestly sized 2008 station wagon — excuse us, crossover — was deemed “sensible, practical and affordable†by Consumer Reports, earning high marks for reliability from that bastion of bias-free evaluation. It also racked up a “Top Pick†designation from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Well, the sequel is out. And while the basic Forester DNA remains intact — high seating, 2.5-liter Boxer engine and standard symmetrical all-wheel-drive — the third-generation Forester is bigger and … (OK, Subaru... // AsianWeek