Subaru was ahead of the curve with the 2004-2008 Forester XT. Maybe too far ahead of the curve… making a ‘performance crossover’ for a buyer who didn’t really exist yet. Or at least… hadn’t matured yet. See back in ’04, the WRX & STi were the no-brainer Subarus for the import-tuning generation. But as our families & vehicular needs ultimately grew, the Forester XT became the answer that no longer existed. At least not with a manual transmission to make it relevant. Why the heck not??
What Subaru created with the 04-08 Forester XT…
Was simplistically brilliant. It was essentially a nimble yet utilitarian storage bin with all-wheel-drive, a boxer engine, boost, AND a manual transmission option. The Forester XT was a crossover for people who weren’t dead to driving. Think about it… in today’s car market, how refreshing would it be to have a cargo-carrying crossover that genuinely wanted to take a run at corners? Something that came with AWD, 3-pedals, and a turbocharger on the spec sheet.
The Subaru Forester XT was an enthusiast-minded platform that can do it all…
Lower it or lift it. Rip mountain roads, or wander mountain trails. Pull the spare tire & hit the track, or load the stroller & hit Disney World. Heck, we even have a buddy who drifts one. The Forester XT made the ‘family car’ fun.
And here’s a thought:
Raising a family should be fun. It should raise the bar on adventure. When did parenting and/or ‘growing up’ become a damnation to forgettable, disconnected, generic crossovers? Moments are more valuable than electronic conveniences. And our time spent together in the car should be memorable, stimulating, eye-opening, & connecting. Instead though…
The modern world has adapted a commercialized, ironic, & secluded version of the word ‘connected’. One where your windows are up & your car’s connected to your phone. And your phone’s connected to your attention, and your attention is connected to anything but the road or the moment. It’s also a world where your obscenely high car payment is connected to automatic withdrawal… & your heated seats are connected to a monthly subscription lol. But the good news is…
You can excuse yourself from that insanity…
Don’t like the game… don’t play it. If you’ve got the mechanical know-how to maintain a solid but ‘seasoned’ (older) platform, the Forester XT is both 1/5 the price & 100% more interesting than whatever the bloated new model is. And if you don’t yet have that mechanical know-how… maybe it’s time to use that phone to hey-Siri a new skill. Car culture is here to help. And these days, having the ability to maintain an older vehicle opens your options, gives you more freedom, and enriches your life behind the wheel.
This is Jonathan Holtzleiter’s 2004 Subaru Forester XT… errrr XTi:
He’s essentially transformed his XT into Forester STi with 340hp & 400tq. And – there’s more coming over the winter season. The meat of which – will be an STi 6-speed transmission so that a bigger turbo can be added to make around 500+hp. Look for this Forester XT to make an updated S3 appearance sometime this Spring/Summer.
Photos by Dustin Sparks
Engine
EJ257 STi Type RA short block
ARP head studs
Refreshed OEM heads
Perrin turbo inlet
Custom fender-routed intake
Ported STi intake manifold
IAG tgv deletes
Injector Dynamics 1050 injectors
Top Feed conversion with 2015+ STi OEM fuel rails
Walbro 255 fuel pump
IAG Street air-oil separator
Cobb 3-port boost controller
Vf48 turbo (STi turbo 2008-2019)
Braided oil lines for turbo
2014 STi intercooler
Grimspeed intercooler hose kit
Johnson Tuning speed density kit
Invidia downpipe
Tomei header and up-pipe
Grimspeed turbo heat shield
Invidia G200 exhaust
Kartboy solid extended exhaust hangers
Koyo radiator
Grimspeed radiator hoses
07 STi expansion tank
STi oil pan & dipstick
Killer B oil pickup & baffle
Group N motor mounts
Powder coated valve covers (wrinkle black)
Transmission / Driveline
South Bend clutch – HD stage-2 street
ACT monolock collar
Kartboy short shifter, front & rear shifter stay bushings
Group N transmission mount
TIC pink transmission crossmember bushings & shifter linkage
Torque Solutions aluminum driveshaft bushings
Kartboy rear subframe lock bolts
Suspension / Brakes / Wheels
Feal 441 coilovers
JDM STi front upper strut bar
Whiteline rear strut bar
Cusco nose brace
JDM Forester STi front control arms…
With Whiteline front bushings & caster-adding bushings
GD STi rear trailing arms with Whiteline bushings
Whiteline swaybars (and braces) front & rear
Kartboy solid endlinks
JDM STi pink trailing arms
GD STi trailing arm brackets
Whiteline rear lower knuckle bushing
STi master cylinder
Cusco master cylinder brace
Goodridge stainless steel braided brake lines
GD STi Brembo brake calipers (added since shoot)
StopTech pads & rotors
STi power steering pump
Whiteline roll center adjuster kit
Enkei RPF1s 17×8
Bridgestone Potenza RE71R – 245/40/17
Interior
07 STi steering wheel
Fastwrx mount for Cobb Accessport
05 WRX front seats
JDM red hazard switch
05 Forester hvac controls w/ black overlays
Kenwood touchscreen headunit
Custom weighted shift knob
Exterior
JDM Cross Sport frontend with Crossfire lip
Also has JDM headlights & a JDM Forester STi hood scoop
Lamin-X yellow fog light covers
JDM Forester wing
08 Forester X roof moldings
Mirrors, c-pillar trim, roof moldings, and rear hatch garnish all color-matched Java Black
Kill All Wipers rear wiper delete
JDM Forester taillights
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