Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling medium SUV in Australia, offering good resale value and envious fuel economy. If you need an enormous boot and a simple, functional family vehicle, RAV4 is hard to beat. But can you justify the price?

The Mitsubishi Outlander is an excellent-value seven-seat family vehicle with plenty of features and capability. It looks modern and tough, but you need to know if it’s going to be good enough compared with other medium SUVs.

If family is forcing you to shop for an SUV because it’s fashionable, the fast family performance sedan icon, now has a big boot. Long live the wagon - to hell with the status quo. Here’s what you need to know…

The Subaru Outback has a growling turbocharged engine, a five-seat SUV wagon body and lots of clever, practical equipment. For adventurous families, it will also tow, haul and drive beautifully - at a modest price.

The Kia K4 is a newer, bigger replacement for the old Cerato, but promises more. It offers value over an SUV, saving you thousands while offering extra space, features, reliability and comfort. But there is a fundamental problem with the K4…