For me being 6'5", size mattered! It was between the RAV4, Forester and Outlander. You get more for your money buying the Outlander! RAV4 V6 is heavy on the gas. Forester's are expensive in Canada for what you pay for!

 

... and the Outlander lost out to the Toyota (overall winner), Honda, VW and Subaru Forester. It did beat the Ford Escape and GM Version of the Equinox.

 

And who really buys a vehicle based upona magazine review? Sure, it might spark some interest but I always go to a dealership, check out the vehicle, take it for a test drive, then I play with it some more, and then decide whether price/performance/aesthetics are right for me. Besides, funny how every magazine has different winners, there is no one car that dominates all the rankings. Car And Driver ranks Rav4 the highest, Motor Trend Subie Forester, and lots of magazines especially in Europe pick Mitsu Outlander on top. Its all based on opinions (ahem, sponsorship dollars, ahem) and nothing else. And here in USA what most magazines don't mention is that Mitsu is more prone to lowering the final purchase price, when comparing MSRPs, Mitsu looks average, but when you actually go buy the car, Mitsu is a lot more lenient than other Japanese manufacturers when it comes to the out the door pricing, been there done that.

On a side note, it really puzzles me how most magazines criticize the Outlanders interior quality of materials, I have sat in Rav4, CRV, and especially in Foresters case, that car has an interior of a 2004 Mitsu Lancer, nothing to brag about either yet most reviews praise it :s