Scooby fans down under might get the first look at an STI version of the Subaru Forester meant for global markets. It’s only speculation at this point, but Subaru has said it will bring a “sporty SUV,” and the Sydney Morning Herald figures an additionally boosted Forester makes the most sense.
Regardless of whether such a beast would wear an STI badge – if it exists at all – the theory goes that it would get an STI-like jump in power above the turbocharged Forester currently on sale in Australia. The JDM version of the Forester STI, on sale for five years, puts down 322 horsepower – that’s 26 more ponies than are available in the Aussie WRX STI.
The Forester is already the top-selling compact SUV in Australia. Right now the most powerful version is the 227-hp XT model, so a boost in gumption would place it incontestably above the 268-hp Toyota RAV4 and 235-hp Mazda CX-7. Subaru won’t confirm anything else about what will be revealed, except that it could go worldwide.
