The Outback's five-year cost of ownership was $28,499, slightly less than a Honda CR-V EX AWD at $29,015. A Santa Fe Sport AWD ($32,026) and a Ford Escape SE AWD ($32,908) were considerably more.

Had we gone with a long-term 2015 Subaru Outback, the first year of the fifth generation, we would've missed out on the 2016's improved safety features (addition of lane keep assist to the ...