After arriving at dealerships in March, the redesigned 2014 Subaru Forester is quickly making an impact in the showroom, with sales of the compact SUV rising by 65 percent in April compared to the same month last year. The Forester was Subaru’s best-seller last month, moving 9,366 models to lead the automaker to its best-ever April sales of 32,943 units overall.

For the 2014 model year, the Subaru Forester boasts a new exterior design, taking on a firmer stance with its wider track and a wheelbase that is nearly an inch longer. All 2.0XT models have received an even bolder look, donning a sport design front bumper, a one-piece mesh grille and chrome-trimmed fog-light bezels. Under the hood, the new Forester features boosts in performance and fuel efficiency with a newly available 2.0-liter Boxer engine that outputs 250 horsepower or a standard 2.5-liter Boxer unit that now returns 32 mpg on the highway when paired with a new Lineartronic continuously variable transmission.

“Once again, Subaru has managed to improve upon all the areas that make the Forester such a popular choice in the compact SUV segment, carefully mixing performance, fuel economy and go-anywhere capability,” said Chris Dunn, general sales manager of Mastria Subaru, a Subaru dealer in Massachusetts. “As always, buyers get the confidence of standard all-wheel drive, but they now receive even more power, as well as fuel efficiency that rivals many of the Forester’s less-capable, front-wheel-drive competitors.”

The 2014 Subaru Forester isn’t the only new compact crossover making waves at dealerships, as the all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek had another solid month in April after going on sale last fall. Moving 4,433 units last month, the XV Crosstrek sold nearly as many vehicles as the popular Impreza on which it is based. The versatile crossover is smaller in height and length than the Forester, yet it offers an identical 8.7 inches of ground clearance for navigating rocky trails and snowy roads.

The inspiration for the XV Crosstrek, the Subaru Impreza, will soon be manufactured stateside in both sedan and hatchback variants to better keep up with consumer demand. Subaru recently announced that it will be moving production of the Impreza from Japan to its Lafayette, Ind., plant in 2016 as part of a $400 million investment to increase output at the facility.

“With vehicles like the Forester, XV Crosstrek and Impreza, Subaru has managed to create a range of fuel-efficient compact options that don’t step on each other’s toes when it comes to sales,” added Dunn. “Each model offers slightly different levels of capability, cargo space and efficiency, but none of them is lacking in any of those areas.”