Forester：全車迷都嫌棄的這台車，卻三次救了 Subaru 的命

What truly reshaped the North American SUV market wasn't the RAV4 or the CR-V—but this oddball that nobody believed in back in 1997, a wagon-like vehicle with thick-soled boots, and even Subaru itself unsure if it should be called an SUV: the Forester. It was criticized by car enthusiasts for 30 years: its low-slung body was removed, its manual transmission was removed, and finally, even the turbocharger was removed. But every time it "said no to car enthusiasts," Subaru earned even more. In February 2026, while the entire US auto market was sluggish, it bucked the trend, surging 24.9% in sales, selling 17,919 units in a single month, once again becoming Subaru's lifeline in North America. This video tells the story of the Forester's 30 years through six generations (SF→SG→SH→SJ→SK→SL)—from almost being sold by GM to being acquired by Toyota, from the Japanese wagon craze to becoming a necessity for the North American middle class. This is not just the evolution of a single car, but the story of how a marginal car manufacturer managed to save itself with a car that was "the least liked by car enthusiasts."