We are looking for a car to drive around town and long distance that has headroom, legroom and the ability to carry camping gear and a 100 pound dog!

How heavy a load do you need to tow? I'd suggest that you also take a look at the Subaru Forester, but for some reason it's only rated to tow 1,500 lbs., same as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, vs. 2,700 for the Outback. The Mazda CX-5 is also popular with our members, and is rated to tow 2,000 lbs.

I'm gonna suggest a car that I think you may like sans the fuel economy, and second the Mazda CX-5.

My first suggestion would be a Toyota 4runner. It's a rugged SUV that will have no problems with your needs, it can tow, and fit a large amount of gear as well as a 100# dog. The trade off will be the fuel economy which is laughable versus todays CUVs but for the versatility it seems by far worth it. As well as the back window able to go down. That's a cool feature. It has four wheel drive to get you to those difficult camping sites, and may even be able to take you to the deeper ones a subaru wouldn't be able to take you. The reliability is second to none, it is a Toyota.

The CX-5 is beautifully equipped and priced. It is a great vehicle built by Mazda and one that I would consider. It's a nice CUV that is capable on road and in light off roading. Don't plan on going very far off road though. It also won't have as much space in the cargo area but you may be able to live with that.

Finally, I just thought of this, there's the Jeep Renegade, or if you want something larger the Cherokee. The renegade is build off the Fiat 500X chassis, and is built in Italy. You'll prolly be able to get the 500X in AWD for much cheaper than the Jeep due to it's name so that may be a very viable option for you. It merely lacks in reliability, but I didn't search that as I just thought of it, sorry. The Jeep's are just as competant off-road as any other CUV if not better but their reliability is questionable and something to be wary of.

I have to suggest the Subaru Outback followed by the Toyota 4Runner as someone suggested before me. I don't see any other car serving all purposes that you need it to. The Outback, as you are already aware, is going to be the best bang for your buck all around in my opinion. The economy, the reliability, the power, the ablity to tow a small-medium sized load, the space, the safety, and never discount the AWD system that is so fantastic, yet simple. It's a great option, and I think exactly what you are looking for. The 4Runner is another great option, but it's an expensive one, even secondhand. Now, on that same front, if you needed to switch it up later, you too would realize the unprecedented resale value that the 4Runner carries. They are just such a high-demand vehicle, that they will always get higher dollar than anything else that it compares to in the used market. That being said, the Subaru Outback is right up there on the list when it comes to resale value itself, so you can't really go wrong with either one. If I may be so bold though, from reading your post, it sounds like you are almost decided on the Subaru without pulling the trigger. It seems as though you have all but made up your mind, but you are just wanting to make sure that you are not going to be missing out on something that you could have had instead. I have shared your position many times before. If this is the case, I can definitely say that I think you are safe in going with the Outback. It'll be like falling in love all over again.