Subaru introduced a facelifted version for the Forester’s first generation in 2000, and it slightly enhanced the interior features and altered the exterior.
With an established reputation of a reliable vehicle and a go-anywhere attitude, the Forester’s only problem was the design. The Japanese carmaker already knew that its design department was the weakest link and pressed them to do something better. And they came with this version.

Once again, Subaru’s design department proved that it couldn’t make a proper facelift or come with ideas that could make the car look better. They installed a new front bumper, including the squared fog lights, and changed the grille for specific trim levels. The new side moldings and bumpers were painted into a contrasting of matching color other than black as before. But the designers still didn’t consider matching the door-handles and mirrors with the car’s color.

Subaru changed the dashboard’s design on the upper trim levels, with an extended instrument cluster over the center stack. For most of the range, it kept the same old design from the 1997 model, with a few touches here and there on the button’s shapes. In the back, the Forester offered a 50/50 split-folding bench that could extend the trunk.

Under the hood, the Japanese engineers kept the boxer-engine architecture but added new versions. For the U.S. market, they introduced the 2.5-liter engine but no turbocharged version. Subaru reserved that one for other parts of the world.