 I had considered the '09 Outback and Honda FIT before i eventually came upon the ET SE A/T. The legroom for the backseat is amazing, and the cargo room is unmatched when the seats are folded down.  As far as safety features go, the ET is top-notch. It was airbags all around, ABS, ESC, and maximum braking when the pedal is suddenly depressed. The Honda FIT is roughly the same price, and doesn't come with ESC.  This car has more passenger room than some of the compact and midsized SUVs on the market. The suspension is spring quite hard, so you can feel every imperfection on the road.