Safety

The two sets of Latch anchors in the Outlander Sport are simple to use. But the Outlander Sport has a problem that I'm seeing more often: The seat belt buckles are placed too close to the doors. This means the seat is too narrow for a booster seat base, causing it to slide over the buckle. In the Outlander Sport, my child had to hold the booster to one side while she hops back on it and tries to buckle up before the seat creeps over the buckle. This might be more annoying than floppy seat belt buckles.

A rear-facing infant-safety seat fit if the front passenger was willing to sacrifice a little legroom, and a forward-facing convertible seat fit easily in the Outlander Sport's backseat. To find out how the Outlander Sport performed in MotherProof.com's Car Seat Check, click here.

The Outlander Sport has numerous safety features. It has standard all-disc antilock brakes, front-wheel drive, an electronic stability system, traction control and seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag and side curtains for both rows.

Optional safety features include all-wheel drive and a backup camera, which is part of a $2,000 navigation package.