The Ranger is huge compared to the CUVs. Are you OK with that?

I honestly find nothing special with the Rav4. The Forester XT is definitely nice, but then that is if you are willing to live with the high fuel consumption on a daily basis.

How much is your budget exactly? Ever considered the Koreans? The Sorento CRDi is quite nice. You get the high ground clearance, lots of punch and good gas mileage too. Can't get any better than that.