Subaru built this three-row hauler for families who prioritize crash protection and winter capability over fuel bills, and the tradeoff is real. The turbo four moves 4,500 pounds with surprising punch, standard AWD handles snow confidently, and the safety structure is legitimately impressive (owners walk away from nasty wrecks). But 17 mpg in mixed driving will hurt every week, and the 2019-2020 models had CVT failures serious enough to warrant full transmission swaps at 40-70k miles. The third row barely fits kids, let alone adults. If you're shopping used, the 2019-2020s are a hard pass, aim for 2023+ when Subaru finally debugged the powertrain. Buy this if you need the safety, the AWD, and can stomach premium gas at SUV-worst efficiency. Skip it if you actually need three usable rows or want a vehicle that won't punish you at the pump, the Honda Pilot does both jobs better.
Toyota's first serious EV stumbled at launch but the 2026 refresh finally delivers what buyers expected: 352 miles of range, 150kW charging, and battery preconditioning that makes winter driving tolerable. The catch? It's still missing one-pedal driving, and the digital key is frustratingly glitchy. Early 2023-2025 models tanked in value, now selling under $25k used, making them screaming deals if you're commuting locally with home charging, but miserable for road trips. Buy the 2026 if you want a sensible, comfortable family EV with Toyota's reliability halo. Skip it if you road-trip often or want the latest tech thrills, the Ioniq 5 and Model Y still feel more modern.