On this episode of Talking Cars, we discuss our recent evaluation of popular rugged SUV trims, sometimes called "soft roader" SUVs—including the Subaru Forester Wilderness, Honda Passport TrailSport, Toyota RAV4 Woodland, Ford Explorer Tremor, and more—to see whether they add real capability or mostly rugged styling. Plus, we answer a viewer's question about whether roof crossbars hurt fuel economy on SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 Prime.

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SHOW NOTES

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00:00 Intro

00:16 Soft Roaders Explained

00:47 What Makes an SUV a "Soft Roader"

01:44 Why CR Doesn't Do Formal Off-Road Ratings

03:56 Building and Driving the Off-Road Evaluation Course

04:56 Vehicles Evaluated

06:13 On-Road Compromises

10:26 Off-Road Impressions

12:44 The Big Role Tires Play

16:28 Should You Buy an Off-Road Trim?

20:06 Can You Add All-Terrain Tires Yourself?

21:14 Should CR Fully Test These Off-Road Trims?

21:58 Audience Question: Do Roof Crossbars Hurt Fuel Economy?

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