I, too, am intrigued my this model and in Subarus in general. For me it comes down to the size and shape of the car. I have twins and a 55 lb. dog. Because of the slope of the rear area, most crossovers frustrate me. Even if the floor is good sized, the roof pinches off tons of space. If I put in some drawers and my dog's crate on top, I can't shut the hatch, and there's no room in the corners of the cargo area. I'm not doing a Romney and putting the dog on the roof! And with twins--even if you're a light packer--you need all the space you can get. I guess that's why I like Honda's Pilot if I were to go the crossover route.
I can talk myself into giving up a truck frame, lots of ground clearance, and two-speed transfer case because 90 to 99 percent of the time I don't need them. But I do need the interior space on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
Of course my answer would be different if it were just me and my wife; space wouldn't be such an issue.
If the space is good enough for you, I say go for it. I like the looks, the gas mileage, and Subaru's all-wheel drive, which I think puts it above almost all other crossovers. Search YouTube for Subarus off-roadng.
