I owned a 4 cylinder 4x4 toyota before being moved abroad. I liked the fact that it a manual transmission, was easy to see ahead in traffic as it was higher than most cars, got decent gas mileage, and allowed me to haul stuff when I needed. I didn't like that it was only a 2-3 person vehicle and it didn't have enough speed to make it "really" fun like the mustang.

Based the subaru owners on this boards constant recommendations, I've setup a couple of Outback test drives next week. One car that I like is the Outback XT but reading some of the posts, it seems that installing an empeg is not easily done. Is there an option (or lack of) that makes the install easier?

Other short list vehicles for test drive include the Magnum, Mustang, and Civic Hybrid. Any other recommendations?