A leap ahead: the Forester becomes our top-rated small SUV.(Product/service evaluation)

The redesigned Subaru Forester not only bested the other small SUVs in this month's test, its turbocharged and nonturbocharged versions also leap-frogged over the six- and four-cylinder versions of the Toyota RAV4. It's now our top-rated small SUV.

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Subaru gave the second-generation Forester a more modern SUV look, but its real changes are found beneath its skin. Drawbacks with the original Forester, itself a capable and well-rounded vehicle, have been rectified. The rear seat is much roomier, the cabin is quieter, and standard safety gear now includes electronic stability control and curtain air bags.

In addition to the Foresters, we tested the new Nissan Rogue, as well as the four-cylinder Mitsubishi Outlander (we tested the V6 in May 2007). We also included two old-school SUVs. We pitted the Kia Sorento against the redesigned Jeep Liberty.

Only the Foresters and Outlander earn recommendations in our Ratings. For the Foresters, we predict above-average reliability based on the performance of past Subarus. The Outlander had outstanding reliability in its first year of redesign. The Rogue is too new for us to have reliability data, and the Sorento's below-average reliability keeps us from recommending it.

The Jeep Liberty scored badly in our testing, even lower than its predecessor. It scores far too low to be recommended; we also don't have reliability data for the redesign yet.

Prices for the vehicles in our group range from $22,040 for the Forester 2.5X to $28,860 for the Forester 2.5XT Limited. Each vehicle has standard ESC and curtain air bags. ESC has been shown to reduce the chances of crashes and potential rollovers in SUVs, and curtain air bags reduce the potential for injury.