This car is perfect for a mother of 1 or 2. There is plenty of cargo space along with a roomy back seat that can fit at least two children's car seats. The backseats are close enough to the driver seat that one can easily pass something back to children (juice boxes, snacks, lovies, books). Even though it is a station wagon, It still feel like a roomy four door instead of an SUV. The SUVs have the kids too far back to be able to easily manage kids without having to turn around and reach 5 feet to grab something or hand something to the kids. The interior is plush but easy to clean when the inevitable spills happen. We have an automatic transmission, which I love. As a mom I am constantly trying to remain focused on driving with two little ones in the back who are chattering and asking for things all the time. The AC is great during this horrific summer. We also have a Subaru bike rack on the roof to transport my husband's bike when we pick him up for work or when we want to take bikes to Grandma and grandpa's house.

My Outback has been a great car for me. I've owned it for almost four years now, and I highly recommend it to anyone who will listen to me. With the AWD, I have never gotten stuck in snow, ice, mud, or sand. It's comfortable to ride in, and I have taken it on several long journeys. It gets decent gas mileage, I'm sure it's over 25 mpg. It has plenty of storage - we pack it to the ceiling with camping gear. The Outback comfortably seats five adults with plenty of room in the back for gear. If we ever need room for more gear we can use the built in roof rack to haul stuff, or bolt a Thule storage pod up there. Best of all, the Outback has the feeling of being a tank - very solid on smooth payment or off road. Maintenance has been reasonable - with nothing but oil changes and tire rotations so far. I chose the color of Arctic Silver (which has a slight metallic blue tint to it) for the exterior, black on black for the interior. It's a good looking car.