2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2019 Subaru Forester

Technically, the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is listed as a midsize SUV, but this is a stretch. Now entering its fourth generation, the Santa Fe fits somewhere between a compact SUV like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, or Nissan Rogue and a midsize like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, or Nissan Pathfinder.

This vehicle actually replaces the 2-row Santa Fe Sport. The previous Santa Fe was a 3-row version, and it is still available, largely unchanged, but now named the Santa Fe XL. It will most likely be phased out of production, as Hyundai has a true 3-row midsize called the Palisade arriving this summer for the 2020 model year.

But back to the car at hand: The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a true quality crossover. While it's technically large enough to compete against midsize SUVs, it shines as a great value when cross-shopped against other compact crossovers.

Consumers are hungry for all-weather capability, plenty of space for passengers, and plenty of space for the gear that comes with those passengers. Crossovers can offer all of this, while also providing solid fuel economy. So, it makes sense that crossovers of different sizes and price ranges are dominating the new car market. Nearly every automaker out there today offers at least one, if not multiple crossovers, in their showrooms.

But while this is a new trend for some brands, Subaru has been offering multiple vehicles that fit the crossover formula for decades.

In particular, the Subaru Forester has been around since 1997. When it arrived, the Forester provided standard all-wheel drive, reasonable fuel economy, plenty of cargo space, and an affordable base price. It was not the first vehicle to come standard with all-wheel drive—that would be the AMC Eagle of the 1970s. But the AMC brand is no more, and the '97 Forester offered all these attributes while also being incredibly reliable, and thus set the blueprint for the modern crossover craze.

The modern compact SUV market includes popular vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, and more. With all these rivals, can the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester once again set the curve in this segment?