et, the RVR is a useful, fuel efficient, affordable wagon, especially the GT version with all-wheel drive. It's quick to park, quiet at highway speeds and the 2.0-litre, 148-horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to the CVT transmission is fuel thrifty.

Unfortunately, without discounts it's no bargain. A comparably equipped Subaru XV Crosstrek Limited is $2,233 less than the RVR GT, while a CR-V LX is $2,440 less. A Rogue SV has a $3,300 price advantage. So a word to the wise: bargain like a fiend for an RVR, aiming to get all sales sweeteners possible.

If you win the negotiation, consider yourself well rewarded with an all-around city car that does many things well. The seats are among the better you'll find in this type of wagon, second-row room is average, but its road manners are good. The RVR is a quick and lively, with tight steering and strong braking. Safe? The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates it a top safety pick (the RVR is known as the Outlander Sport in the United States).

But what Mitsu gives in road manners and style, it takes away in cargo space. The RVR has just a bit more than half the hauling room of the Rogue and CR-V, for instance, two-thirds that of the Escape and less even than the similar XV Crosstrek.

I like the RVR, but if Mitsu wants to break through in a segment cluttered with big sellers, it needs to have more edge on its rivals than this