Every compact SUV (and every car, for that matter) launched wants to be the biggest, best, and brightest in at least one thing that can reel you into buying it. The coolest off-road trim. The most powerful engine. The best interior tech. Marketing departments latch onto a singular specification that they can promote as an advantage over other makes and models. It is a strange way of doing business though, because there’s so much more than one point to buying a new vehicle.
Anecdotally, it is much more difficult to make a compact SUV that wins in nearly every category. The Toyota RAV4 Woodland Edition might be better off-road. The Honda CR-V Hybrid might have better gas mileage. The Kia Sportage might be the cheapest option. What are the categories, you might ask? It’s a compact SUV that has all-weather capability, good road visibility, cargo capacity, safety technology, and long-haul dependability all in one reasonably priced package. One of these compact SUVs (and there are many), quietly dominates the rest of the segment by doing all the aforementioned things well.
The SUVs That Win Headlines Rarely Win The Long Game
Front 3/4 shot of a blue 2026 Mazda CX-50 driving through cityMazda
The compact SUV segment might be one of the most competitive, next to, say, the midsize three-row family SUV. This type of competition forces manufacturers to choose headline-grabbing numbers instead of making their vehicles well-rounded. Class-leading stats are good to have, and they’re even better to have from the salesperson’s perspective. That doesn’t, however, always equate to the entire vehicle ownership experience. The Mazda CX-50 has a punchier turbo four-cylinder, but it doesn’t have nearly as much fuel efficiency as the Honda CR-V (even just the non-hybrid).
Chasing One Standout Spec Usually Hides A Weakness
Just like most things in life, the engineering reality behind this involves a set of trade-offs. When you maximize ground clearance with more off-road-capable tires, for example, you’ll pay for it in road noise and lack of fuel economy, not to mention worse on-road manners. If an engineer’s priority is to make the exterior more coupe-like, as in the Buick Envista, for example, then you end up with much less cargo space and headroom for rear passengers. Unfortunately, you would be better off finding something more well-rounded unless you are looking for an off-roader and don’t care about road noise.
The Quiet All-Rounder Is The One You Stop Thinking About
2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport frontToyota
Of course, the “all-rounder” has its own trade-off as well. The main one being that they are mostly forgotten about — nothing really quite grabs your attention like the new GR RAV4 does. It does its job every single day and in every single condition without complaining or making you think twice. You can convey it in an advertisement, but it doesn’t always land as something worth buying because it’s not exciting or flashy.
What “Does Everything Well” Actually Demands
Front 3/4 action shot of 2026 Honda CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid driving on roadHonda
Being able to do everything well is actually a higher bar than one may think, because it means toeing the line (and towing in general) and covers one of the aspects we’re going to address simultaneously. It has to be able to handle inclement weather and rough roads without breaking a sweat. It has to be genuinely practical in terms of cargo space, passenger space, and comfort. It needs to be able to protect you from crashes and potentially fatal incidents involving pedestrians. Nailing all of these aspects at once is doable but incredibly difficult and oftentimes rare.
All-Weather Capability That Shows Up Without Drama
Front shot of 2026 Ford Bronco Raptor parkedFord
One good example of an SUV handling all weather capabilities well is a Ford Bronco. With the slippery mode and a 4×4 drivetrain, driving in the rain is almost as easy as driving on dry pavement. We’re talking about compact cars, however, and they need to be tall enough to clear a rotted gravel road or a snow-packed driveway. You don’t necessarily need to rock crawl like a Bronco, but the all-wheel-drive drivetrain had better have more capability than Toyota’s hybrid “all-wheel drive,” which ends up just being a motor connected to the rear axle as opposed to the drivetrain itself.
Visibility And Space That Owners Take For Granted
Side profile photo of 1990 Honda Accord posed on a highwayBring-A-Trailer
Something that is honestly not talked about enough in automotive content, whether it be video or written, is driver visibility. Sedans like the Honda Accord from the ’90s were celebrated for their unbelievable field of vision thanks to a massive windshield and a hood that sloped down. SUVs are admittedly harder to design for this kind of capability because they are much taller and much larger, after all. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible, however, because there is one brand that is able to not only achieve great visibility, but also keep an eye on their drivers thanks to their awesome safety technology.
Although the current sixth-generation Subaru Forester was built from the ground up, it objectively looks like the same car. Speaking of marketing, and marketing cars that aren’t all the way exciting, one of the biggest selling points of the Subaru Forester was the improved NVH. One of the biggest complaints from previous drivers was the noise and vibration, and they’ve improved upon it. It’s not going to win in a race, it’s not going to have the fanciest cabin you’ve ever seen, and it’s certainly not going to be able to tow (but let’s be fair, not a lot in this class can). What it can do is everything else we’ve just touched on, and it does it flawlessly.
Symmetrical AWD And Ground Clearance On Every Trim
The Subaru Forester has one of the most famous all-wheel-drive drivetrains on the market, period. The Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive comes standard on every single one of their vehicles, including their sedans. They’ve also released a new Wilderness trim level that gives it even more ground clearance and an impressive X-MODE. The geometry of the system further bolsters its capability:
Standard ground clearance: 8.7 inches
Wilderness ground clearance: 9.3 inches
Available X-MODE featuring hill descent control and the ability to switch between snow/dirt and deep snow/mud.
A Boxy Shape That Swallows Cargo And Sightlines Alike
There’s truly nothing particularly exciting about not only the side profile of the Subaru Forester, but also in the overall design. SUVs like the Hyundai Tucson and the Mazda CX-5 focus more on form than functionality. The Forester has one of the boxiest shapes in its class that prioritizes functionality over form because it not only allows for some of the best outward visibility in the segment, but also makes for great cargo capacity. Its cavernous ceilings and massive trunk space allow for up to 74.4 cubic feet with the seats folded and passenger space up to 110.8 cubic feet. This is far more space than anything else out there.
Why Forester Owners Rarely Look Elsewhere
2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness side shotAmee Reehal
Again, other than the Subaru WRX and the BRZ, Subarus aren’t particularly sexy, they just work. That work ethic that they’ve lived by has garnered them a massively dedicated following of customers that keep coming back to them no matter the generation. They know the formula their buyers (and potential new buyers) are looking for, and they stick to it every time. It especially shows in the Forester because they really did not dramatically change it from the previous generation — other than the front and rear fascias, the looks are the same, and the capability only improved.
Another reason people constantly keep coming back to the Subaru Forester is its unbridled safety. It’s not just a feeling, there’s real tangible data that can prove it. IIHS awarded it their Top Safety Pick+, which is considered to be their highest honor. This includes every trim and every powertrain, including the newer hybrid. This is their 19th consecutive year winning this award. Not only is the crash structure nearly impenetrable, but it’s also aided by their patented EyeSight Driver Assist Tech.
Low-Drama Ownership That Rewards The Long Haul
2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness front driving shot off-roadSubaru
Finally, the boxer 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine in the Subaru Forester is not only easy to drive, but it’s also easy to own. There’s predictable maintenance. RepairPal gives it an annual repair cost of $632, which is slightly above the average for a compact SUV but below the standard vehicle average of $652. Its resale value is also strong, with J.D. Power awarding it number one in compact SUVs for projected resale value. It might not be the flashiest, but it’s the best at what it does.
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