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My parents liked their first Buick Enclave well enough they replaced it with another one. And then got a Forrester over the summer and now only take the Enclave out when they have to be different places at about the same time.
The Outback/Forrester is a very Swiss Army Knife sort of vehicle that does a lot of things well- it's a comfortable daily driver that gets above average gas mileage, handles bad weather as well as any of them (their peers in AWD technology are the more expensive BMW and Audi options, IMO) and, while not a rock hopper like a proper Jeep, will handle moderately gnarly single track logging roads on the weekend with good cheer. You can also haul a lot in them with the back seat folded down.
You may find something else that better suits you needs in the end but based on post #1, definitely give the Outback a good test drive.
Volvo. Safest car out there. I have driven them on and off for years. I had a Volvo wagon with AWD and it was great in the snow. I don't live in a real snowy area anymore but when we do get snow it doesn't always get plowed. I currently have a Volvo XC90 and it can fit 7.
I wouldn't get a new one because this is the first year for the new body style and they are working the kinks out. The kinks are mainly technology issues.
While I really like our Volvo v70 XC awd, it is tight or four people. I cannot imagine cramming 7 into it unless 5 of them were under 8 years of age.
I am a bit frustrated with our wagon today having gotten stuck in the snow for an hour this morning. But it was my fault, not the car, I could not get the windows clear fast enough and rather than waiting I tried to back out of our 180' driveway and went too far to one side.
Volvos are not perfect but they have some great features and some not so great:
Fantastic AWD system. Ours has three modes sport, economy (fwd) and winter. They do not do much and the winter one is really only for really severe conditions, but nice to have if needed.
Loads of bells and whistles and more buttons than a button factory.
The best heated seats I have encountered.
Weird 5 cylinder engine (if you like weird engine configurations).
Very little road noise.
Everything is heated and everything has wipers to wipe it.
Decent gas mileage.
Reasonably comfortable for four small people. Kinda tough for tall/big people.
Really expensive parts and unnecessary complicated repairs. DIY is tough. Lots of specialized tools required.
You can get "high mileage club" sticker at 200,000 miles.
Rather anemic acceleration for a 5 cylinder turbo.
Still going strong at over 250,000 miles. (yes it has some issues that are too expensive to repair, but overall, chugging right along).
Thanks everyone...great advice all around. Now I have a place to start research. I sure love the look of the Outbacks so I am going to go look at one
Although I recommended the Honda CR-V (which is a great car), my first choice would probably be a Subaru. Everyone I know that has either of these cars have loved them. I just wanted to give you another solid option. I think the CR-V may have a little more space in them too. Happy shopping!
We just test drove the 2017 CR-V and it was great. Definitely my favorite and if the vehicle was for me, I would be buying it. I like Honda's reliability. We have a couple of Honda vehicles and I like how little problems we have had with them. Of course some of my reasoning may be due to my familiarity with their cars but still you can't go wrong with them. Jay
What does good gas mileage mean to you? What is your definition of Roomy? I would look at a Highlander XLE or a Pilot EXL. 3 rows, 2 of them roomy, easy in and out, AWD.
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