The Subaru Forester XT has been named Queensland Country Car of the Year 2004 and Recreational Car of the Year 2004, in awards sponsored by Queensland Country Life magazine and Personalised Plates Queensland.

The turbocharged Forester XT underwent a rigorous two-day test along with 24 other vehicles, covering 800 kilometres of Queensland roads, including gravel, dirt and broken sealed sections.

Besides taking the overall title, Forester XT placed just ahead of Outback 3.0R in the recreational category, in the awards announced last night at Brisbane Motor Show.

Forester XT beat a wide variety of vehicles including the new Holden Adventra, Mitsubishi Pajero, Nissan Patrol, Peugeot 307 Diesel and Ford Falcon XR6 to win the overall Queensland Country Car of the Year 2004 award.

The win maintains Forester's status as the most awarded vehicle in Australian automotive history.

Subaru won two of the six categories in the Queensland awards.

Judges in the awards were from a wide variety of backgrounds.

They included well-known motoring journalist Peter Wherrett; Queensland Country Life Motoring Editor, Malcolm McCosker and Vice President of the Queensland Rural Women's Network, Andrea Middleton, plus small business owners, a restaurateur and a financier, among others.

Ian Andrew, General Manager of Personalised Plates Queensland, said Forester XT had been a firm favourite among the 24 judges, performing with distinction on the tough drives designed to highlight the typical conditions encountered every day in rural Queensland.

Queensland Country Life Motoring Editor Malcolm McCosker said: "I don't think there was anyone who didn't get a smile on their face when they experienced the rush from the XT's turbocharged engine."

Forester X was recently named Best Recreational Four Wheel Drive in the national motoring organizations' Australia's Best Cars awards.