Thank you all for your helpful responses, It looks like both the Ford Escape and Subaru Foresters are great recommended choices.
I am concerned about dealer maintenance costs, as they do tend to be more expensive than the "Tire Choice" type service shops. I would be interested in your experiences with both the local Ford and Subaru dealers for sales, and also for regular maintenance versus using the "Tire Choice" type shops.
Also if any of you have the 170hp Subarus, have you found them adequate for your needs. I will not be doing towing of UHauls any more, and don't expect to do many long trips each year, so I feel 170 hp should be OK for me.
It does look like the more powerful Subarus with the 250 hp engine do require premium gas, which I prefer not to use.
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