The chassis of a sporty coupe -- Subaru's Impreza -- underpins agile Forester the sport-utility vehicle. It was rebuilt in 2003 and earned optional turbo-charged power in 2004, with 2006 models showing revised exterior designs, more equipment aboard and power boosts to the turbo-charged and naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engines.

Entry issue Forester 2.5 X offers a new Premium Package plus power moonroof, while Forester 2.5 XT Limited is the sole turbo model as rigged with leather upholstery and a power moonroof. Subaru's 2.5-liter boxer four climbs to 173 hp with new i-AVCS controls aboard, but applying a turbo-charger and inter-cooler pushes points up to 230 hp.

Trims cap at the deluxe Forester 2.5 XS L. L. Bean edition with a new MOMO steering wheel added plus premium features. Further, Forester's optional four-speed electronic automatic transmission gains a revised adaptive shift controller.

By summer look for a new nameplate in Subaru's line with the debut of the 2006 B9 Tribeca. It's a mid-size crossover SUV that will come together at Subaru's assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana.

Filled with seats for five or seven (the latter possible by adding an optional third-row bench), the B9 Tribeca will carry Subaru's AWD traction equipment and a boxer-style six-cylinder engine producing 250 hp through a five-speed SportShift automatic.

Expect extensive safety equipment in this new SUV, including curtain-style air bags in headliners and standard anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and a stability controller under Subaru's label of Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).

Turbocharged power becomes a theme for Subaru of Japan, with multiple turbo plants cropping up like a Baja Turbo edition in the inventive Baja series. Baja is part car, part truck and part SUV, an ultimate crossover vehicle geared for active lifestyles.

The front half comes from Subaru's Outback and Legacy wagons with a four-door cabin and two rows of seats for five. The back half is a plastic-lined truck bed only 42 inches long. The bed extends to 75 inches with the tailgate dropped and the cab's rear wall pass-through -- a 30-inch-wide portal called the Switchback -- open.

The Baja Turbo gets a 2.5-liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine with turbocharger and intercooler attached to punch out 210 hp. It's easy to distinguish due to a functional scoop on the hood that marks all turbo-powered Subarus.

All vehicles from Subaru employ an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that operates quite simply, as power from the engine moves directly through an electronically-controlled transfer case to whichever wheels support traction, with scant loss of energy or reduction in fuel efficiency in the process.

Subaru's crossover is part car and part truck -- the car up front and truck in back. Baja's front half comes from Outback and Legacy with a four-door cabin containing front buckets and a back bench. The truck bed crimps to 42 inches long but stretches to 75 inches with tailgate dropped and the cab's rear wall pass-through -- a 30-inch-wide portal called the Switchback -- open.

Baja has a hiked suspension and the body layered in cladding, with optional rally lights and chrome bars lining the roof. The series extends to four models with a well-equipped base Baja, the Baja Sport, Baja Turbo and top Baja Turbo with Leather Package.

Baja and Sport draw from a four-cylinder boxer engine whipped to 165 hp with manual five-speed or optional four-speed automatic shifter. Baja Turbo gets the 2.5-liter boxer four with turbo-charger and inter-cooler to punch out 210 hp.

Subaru's compact cars ride on a chopped chassis out of the Legacy series. Format variations include a four-door sedan and five-door wagon.

This year Impreza's 2.5 i model replaces the 2.5 RS for naturally-aspirated Impreza entry models, as Outback Sport Special Edition returns for 2006 with a spoiler on the back gate and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob in the cockpit plus premium audio gear with six-disc CD changer and a sub-woofer.

All Imprezas use Subaru's 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine that gains the i-AVCS controls to increase horsepower to 173 with a standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed electronic automatic shifter.