2008 SEMA Show: Subaru Forester XTI Concept

Straightline Blogger in Chief Bob Holland mentioned the Subaru Forester XTI concept last week , and though these washed-out photos taken under harsh Vegas Convention Center lighting don't do it justice, it's a pretty cool car in person.

Its entirely a Subaru of America project, hence the XTI bit of its name, which distances it from previous Japanese-spec Forester STIs. It's not even a certainty that an STI version of the 3rd-generation Forester will be offered in Japan.

Still, one engineer told me, "This Forester thinks it's a WRX STI" -- right down to the calibration of its SI-Drive and VDC systems. We're told it's only 60 pounds heavier than a real STI.

Essentially, a 3rd-gen Forester body was dropped down onto an STI engine, transmission, struts and control arms -- so the whole front clip. Various suspension bits had to be repositioned here and there, and Subaru did add an adjustable coil-over kit that's obviously not included on a stock STI. With all these changes, the Forester XTI concept rides 5 inches lower than a stock Forester XT.

For packaging reasons, the Forester XT's cold air intake is used here, however. Also, a custom-fabricated cat-back exhaust butches up the soundtrack (so we're told), while liberating 10 extra horsepower (now 315) and 10 more pound-feet of torque (now 300). And for cosmetic, SEMA-related reasons, the 18-inch wheels are borrowed from the JDM Legacy S402.

Have a look in the front seat of the Forester XTI concept, though, and you'd swear you were staring into an STI cockpit.

Erin Riches, Inside Line Senior Editor

Categories: SEMA Show,Subaru