I need your opinions regarding this dilemma:

Due to us having a newborn baby, I believe we need to have a car in cases of emergency and for the comfort of the baby. That said, I cannot take in a new car due to monthly cashflow constraints and relative value for money (i have a finance background kaya kuripot hehehe) hence I am looking at the used car market.

Usage would be mostly city driving with out of town or province visits at 2 times a month. At around 500k budget, I'm looking at either 2014 or 2015 Mirage G4 or 2009 2010 Subaru Forester. I know it's not an apple to apple comparison but the rationale for these are as follows:

For Mirage G4:

Fuel efficient (compared to Vios and other subcompacts)
Cheap to maintain
Few years used (less wear and tear)

Concern:

Safety of car in case of accident (especially rear seat occupants)
Space constraints (baby stuffs)
Shocks seem too stiff

For Forester:

Safety (6 airbags, AWD, bigger chassis than G4)
More space
I like its looks (classic) and the moonroof hehehe

Concern:

Cost to maintain
Insurance cost being an older car and a Subaru


I am not sure whether the 3 years difference in model date is substantial in terms of reliability between the 2 vehicles or does the safety and reliability record of Subaru negate this?

I could also look at Tucson 2009-2011 but I read a lot of concerns regarding its reliability. Rav4 is out of the question as 500k budget would get me a 2007-2008 model, which I believe is not worth it. CRV has almost the same maintenance as Forester, I'd rather go with the latter. I'm not sure with the reliability and cost to maintain of american cars hence did not look at ford or chevy. CX-5 seems sweet but I can't find any at 500k price points.

I hope you can provide me with your inputs to help me frame my thoughts on this