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Months in fleet: Three
Miles to date: 5260 milesinline_mediumwraptextright27791611/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1001_2010_subaru_outback_36r_limited1001_01_z+2010_subaru_outback_36R_limited+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

December auto sales provided some reason for hope going into 2010. The December total of 1,030,096 units sold was better than any other month in a grim 2009, save for August, which was fueled by the Cash-for-Clunkers program. December was also a considerable improvement over November - a 38% improvement, to be exact.inline_mediumwraptextright26530040/features/news/1001_2009_december_auto_sales_analysis1001_01_z+2009_subaru_forester_25XT+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Sometimes it's not a bad thing, if you're an automaker, to have a vehicle in your lineup that's nearly invisible. Since nobody has any preconceived notions about the car, you can try to reposition it. In the case of the slow-selling Outlander, Mitsubishi hopes to stretch its appeal beyond the Honda CR-V/Toyota RAV4 class to mix with crossovers like the Subaru Outback. This is a reach, but what does Mitsubishi have to lose?inline_mediumwraptextright27592747/reviews/driven/1002_2010_mitsubishi_outlander_gt1002_01_z+2010_mitsubishi_outlander_gT+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Family sedan buyers in search of extra pizzazz and performance face something of a paradox these days. On the one hand, it's not hard at all to find lots of power -- not when your average six-cylinder Toyota Camry pumps out 268 hp. At the same time though, "mid-size" cars have gotten bigger and heavier, the transmission choices have gotten fewer, and front wheel-drive has become even more dominant.inline_mediumwraptextright26386868/reviews/driven/0912_2010_subaru_legacy_25gt_vs_2010_ford_fusion_sport_awd0912_01_z+2010_subaru_legacy_25GT+2010_ford_fusion_sport_aWD.jpgTrue

The Tribeca is not aging well. It's loose and rattly and coarse and rough-riding. The boxer engine has sufficient power but doesn't sound great. The navigation system is positioned too far away from both the driver and the passenger. The interior is cramped for both front-seat and middle-seat passengers, not to mention the extremely cramped third-row seat. There is absolutely no driving joy to be had here, utility is severely compromised, and it's not pretty, so all you're left with are Subaru reliability and the benefits of standard all-wheel drive. These are nice things to have, but there are way too many other seven-passenger crossovers that have not only those attributes but also some performance, some crispness, some ride quality, and some visual pizzazz.inline_mediumwraptextright31486206/reviews/editors_notebook/0911_2010_subaru_tribeca_touring0911_17_z+2010_subaru_tribeca_touring+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Months in fleet: Two
Miles to date: 2788inline_mediumwraptextright26288537/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/0912_2010_subaru_outback_36r_limited_december_update0912_02_z+2010_subaru_outlook_36R_limited+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Subaru bills the 2.5GT as its "enthusiast" model, and although it's not quite as fun as a WRX, it is by far the most enjoyable Legacy I've sampled in many years. There's no discounting the power offered by the turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four, but mating it to a six-speed transmission is simply brilliant. Other midsize cars may offer manual transmissions, but they're only available on lower trim models that focus more on thrift than on thrust.inline_mediumwraptextright27444079/reviews/editors_notebook/0912_2010_subaru_legacy_25gt_limited0912_03_z+2010_subaru_legacy_25GT_limited+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue