Exterior

The Outlander Sport has a sleek look. There's a little overbite on the grille, and narrow headlights that make it look menacing. Any parent driving it would look sporty in the carpool lane.

Parental concerns are few in the Outlander Sport. The doors are easy to open for everyone except smaller kids. Young ones also might have difficulty climbing into the car, but older kids should be able to jump in without any problems. The liftgate is not too heavy or too high. It's just right, Goldilocks!

The cargo area is large enough for a grocery run, but not a double stroller. In the backseat, there's a pass-through to the cargo area, which is handy if you want your kids to bust into the Oreos before you get home from the grocery store. Be careful not to obscure the massive speakers back there with boring parent stuff, otherwise your groove will not be completely on.

The Outlander Sport has a 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. My all-wheel-drive test car gets an EPA-estimated 24/29 mpg city/highway; for better gas mileage, the front-wheel-drive model with a CVT gets 25/31 mpg. In addition, you can use regular unleaded gas in the Outlander Sport and avoid taking out a second mortgage to pay for it.