Subaru unveiled the all-new 2019 Forester at this year's New York Auto Show, and if we were to sum it up in one word it would be "safe." The familiar design is evolutionary rather than revolutionary to the point it's barely distinguishable from its predecessor, there's more cargo space, and the popular SUV comes equipped with an abundance of new advanced safety tech as part of Subaru's EyeSight driver assist package. Under the hood is a more powerful 2.5-liter flat-four engine delivering 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque.

In other words, the new Forester isn't exactly sporty, despite riding on the same Subaru Global Platform that underpins the Impreza and, eventually, the next-generation WRX STI. But what if Subaru made a high-performance Forester STI? Thanks to render artist X-Tomi Design, we now know what a sporty version of the Forester could look like. To give the Forester the STI treatment, X-Tomi Design has added new side skirts, a spoiler, and body-colored fender flares. The wheels are taken from the WRX STI sedan, as is the iconic blue exterior finish and front grille with red accents. As a result, the Forester has been transformed into a true performance SUV that looks practically production ready.

The render artist hasn't provided any fictional technical specifications, so we'll imagine the WRX STI's turbocharged 2.5-liter, 305-hp engine is lurking under the hood. Sadly, the chances of Subaru giving a sporty Forester STI the green light are extremely slim, as safety tech seems to be higher on the Japanese automaker's priority list rather than performance. We can only hope Subaru has a change of heart and cash in on the current popularity of performance SUVs.