Chuck, definitely get the Forester XT. The suckers pulls and you can easily put the STi sway bar on the rear for improved handling. I did on my Forester.
Plus the forester will beat the piss out of any other smaller SUv in terms of performance, gas mileage, handling, comfort and reliability. the Escape is a sad POS. typical cheap Ford. And GM's offerings in that segment are crappy too.
