My wife (33) and I (36) - expecting first baby in August chose the CX5. We had narrowed our search to it, the CRV and the Forester - I would have liked to see the new Escape but couldn't/didn't want to wait. We were looking for Fuel efficiency, practicality and comfort. I'm average height, average weight and I couldn't find a comfortable seating position in the CRV, it got better in the leather 8-way power seat but we didn't want to spend the extra money. I had confidence that the Forester would be a great, safe, reliable vehicle but the styling is dated, the 4spd auto is of another era and the fuel efficiency is OK but no where near the Mazda. We chose the CX5 because it's the most fuel efficient, has nearly as much room as the CRV, the seats are supportive and comfortable and in my opinion, it's design style, in and out is the most appealing.