2014 Subaru Forester: Family Checklist

At first glance, the redesigned Subaru Forester doesn't look that different from its predecessor, but the 2014 model has added cargo room and even more family appeal.

This five-seat crossover also gets some serious retooling under the hood. I tested Forester 2.0XT Premium trim that zipped along with a 250-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. A majority of families will opt for the standard 170-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder, however.

The all-wheel-drive Forester was thoroughly confident and capable in all driving conditions. It handled like a champ with little body roll despite its height and had good road feel. There was considerable wind and road noise with this new Forester, which left me a little down in the dumps. Typically I would be cheered by its turbo four-cylinder boxer engine. And I was, but it was loud and I had to adjust to some turbo lag.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Honda Crosstour

Ambivalence abounds in our review of the 2013 Honda Crosstour. Cars.com reviewer Kristen Varela finds the five-seat hatchback's newly restyled exterior eclectic, to put it kindly — she calls it "some crazy experiment from a chop shop." Somehow, though, that oddness translates into impressive practicality with regard to ease of entry and cargo space. The front seats are terribly uncomfortable, though the backseats easily fit three children across. Its heated leather seats suggest luxury, but much of the interior screams cheap. Read Varela's conflicted critique below.

2013 Honda Crosstour Review

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Toyota Avalon

With its enormous backseat, comfy front seats and a trunk that’s double-stroller ready, the redesigned 2013 Toyota Avalon is ready for family duty, says Cars.com Family reviewer Carrie Kim. This five-seater has a smooth ride, but it also has plenty of power thanks to its 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The one downside Carrie found with this full-size sedan was its price: The Avalon starts at $31,885, but her test car cost a whopping $42,494.

2013 Toyota Avalon Family Review

2013 Toyota Sienna: Car Seat Check

Toyota's minivan was redesigned for 2011 and not much has changed since then. We tested a top-line version of the Sienna; the Limited has seats for seven on standard second-row captain's chairs and a third-row bench seat. Click here to read how a Sienna with a second-row bench seat handled child-safety seats. In both rows, there was plenty of room for our car seats and plenty of bells and whistles to keep both Mom and the kids happy.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 BMW X1

BMW's all-new X1 is a pint-sized crossover with a sophisticated interior and performance chops, says Cars.com Family reviewer Sara Lacey. This subcompact crossover can pull family duty. It worked well for Sara and her 8- and 10-year-olds, but families with kids in rear-facing child-safety seats will want to make sure the X1 has enough room in the backseat. The cargo area is small but functional, though a large jogging stroller could be a tough fit.

2013 BMW X1 Family Review

2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: First Drive

When it appeared in 2011 to counter rivals like the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid generally didn't fare too well in head-to-head matchups. Complaints of a lack of refinement in the hybrid powertrain and braking feel were cited, and the Sonata routinely under-delivered on the fuel economy front. Hyundai seems to have been listening, as these are exactly the areas the company focused on for the 2013 Sonata Hybrid, and the result is a top-notch, fully competitive hybrid sedan ready to take on the competitors.

Changes start with the powertrain: The same 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine remains, but it now makes slightly less power, 159 horsepower compared to the 2012 model's 166. This is made up for by a more powerful electric motor, rated at 35 kilowatts instead of the last model's 30. Net power thus drops from 206 in the 2012 model to 199 in the 2013, but this is the only trade-off for superior performance, fuel economy and cargo room. The 2013 Sonata Hybrid's lithium polymer battery has a higher capacity, but it's also lighter and better packaged, allowing the trunk's cargo room to grow from 10.7 to 12.1 cubic feet.

2013 Toyota RAV4 Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick Status

Toyota redesigned its compact crossover for 2013, and along with new exterior styling and more interior features, the RAV4 also got improved safety ratings for the new model year. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the RAV4 its Top Safety Pick award; the crossover earned "Good" ratings in the agency's moderate overlap front, side, rollover and rear crash tests. The biggest improvement for 2013 comes in roof strength. According to Kristin Nevels from the IIHS, "the new model's roof withstood a force equal to five times the SUV's weight. The previous generation RAV4, manufactured from 2006 to 2012, had a strength-to-weight ratio of 3.46, which equates to an acceptable rating," she said. 

The RAV4's main competitors, including the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5, are also Top Safety Picks. None of the 2013 vehicles in the small crossover class have earned the agency's new and best safety rating, the Top Safety Pick+ (plus) award.

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2013 Toyota Sienna Video

Resist all you will, but you just won't find this sort of family-friendly versatility and comfort in a crossover. Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger gives the 2013 Toyota Sienna high marks for its cushy seats, abundant passenger room, surprisingly peppy acceleration and class-leading maneuverability. That's in addition to lots of cool features, particularly a second-row retractable footrest that turns the seat into a veritable La-Z-Boy. Still, a noisy V-6 engine and difficult seat-removal process for maximizing cargo space are big annoyances.

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2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: First Drive

Behold the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe — wait a minute, you say, didn't we already see a review on a Hyundai Santa Fe? Yes, you did, but that was the Santa Fe Sport, this one is just plain old Santa Fe. Despite the shorter name, this is actually the larger version of the same vehicle. While the Santa Fe Sport is a short wheelbase, five-passenger model that matches up well against vehicles like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the larger six- and seven-passenger Santa Fe takes the fight to the bigger Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Nissan Pathfinder while undercutting most of them in price.

Confused yet? It helps to think of the Santa Fe lineup like Hyundai does: one model with three trim levels. The Sport trim level is meant for pre-family couples; it's short, seats five, has fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines and is less expensive. The midlevel Santa Fe GLS is a seven-passenger family model; it's longer, only comes with V-6 engine and can tow 5,000 pounds. Top of the line is the Santa Fe Limited, which sounds like a 1950s passenger train but is actually a luxurious six-passenger version of the crossover with captain's chairs instead of a second-row bench, a leather interior, 19-inch wheels and other niceties.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Lexus RX 450h

Parents are often in search of a little tranquility, and the 2013 Lexus RX 450h delivers it, says Cars.com Family reviewer Courtney Messenbaugh. Of course, silence is golden, so you'll have to pay a premium for this hybrid crossover, which starts at $47,205. The RX seats five, but it was a squeeze for Courtney to fit her three kids and their child-safety seats into the backseat.

2013 Lexus RX 450h Family Review