Considering a New Car

So, this weekend the Husband and I are going to go test drive some cars. My poor Outback is on its last wheels, as it were, and we do not want to put in the extra $3000 or so it needs to keep running, especially after putting that much into it last year. If our finances improve in the way we hope they will after Husband's job review at the end of next month, then a fairly new car shall be ours!

I'm going to test drive a Honda CRV, a Mazda CX5, and a couple of Subaru models, plus maybe some others if the salesperson recommends a few more. I'm mentally leaning toward the CRV right now, as I like the reviews and the options and the price on that one best, but a lot will depend on how it feels on the road, and how comfy it is in the backseat, which the Husband will be testing out.

After all, Maeve is nearly 4 feet tall these days, and she's going to need a lot of leg room in the next ten years. (I can imagine a newish car might last ten years, right? We got six out of our current one and it had almost 100,000 miles on it when we got it!) And if it lasts 12 years, it can be Maeve's first car, although the concept does give me heart palpitations.

At any rate, I want to ask you, my reader friends, if you have any recommendations for a crossover vehicle, something you liked about one or something you didn't, any input at all. We only need a 5-seater and don't want to go any bigger than that, and it has to be available in AWD (because Colorado) and automatic (because children). Thoughts?  I'm pretty excited to do some test driving, myself!