I just bought a 2019 Outback, and intend to slap some better tires and possibly some other mods.

What would you have bought for going on National Forest and BLM roads in California, particularly the Sierra Nevada and Central Coast?

My wife and I are about to have our first kid, and wanted the following:

* More cargo space than my compact sedan and her mid sized sedan

* Ground clearance to handle forest roads to get to NF campsites and trailheads

* Good snow handling in the mountains

* Not abysmal gas mileage

* Taking the kid(s) to school when they're older

* Comfortable for long trips from Central California to Oregon and Arizona

What other vehicles would you personally have considered?

I'm posting this here because I trust the opinion of /out/ people over /o/ where everyone drives a POS or a BRZ...