1998 Subaru Forester Off-highway capability with sports sedan performance. By Mitch McCullough, Editor-in-Chief, New Car Test Drive .com

The Subaru Forester isn't a sport-utility vehicle in the traditional sense. In many ways, it's much better than the small SUVs that have been recently introduced. The reason for this is that there's more car coursing through Forester's unitbody than truck.

Subaru designed the Forester using technology gained by racing rally cars over unpaved roads throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. As a result, the Forester inspires confidence in slippery conditions in ways that traditional truck-based sport-utilities can never hope to do. Subaru's all-wheel-drive system constantly redirects power to whichever tires offer the best grip, providing precise control in all types of conditions. Its long, soft springs and stiff shocks allow lots of controlled wheel travel so handling balance isn't upset in bumpy corners. And its generous ground clearance allows it to tread places a sedan cannot go.

The rest of time, which is most of the time, the Forester drives like a car. It offers substantially better braking and cornering performance than a truck, making it easier to handle on winding roads or in emergency situations during the stop-and-go of the daily commute. Best of all, the Forester is fun to drive, a phrase that doesn't really apply to trucks. Forester is similar in size to the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but offers superior performance and handling.