10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Subaru Outback, Crosstrek Tailgate Honda Ridgeline to the Top

Attention spectator sportsmen and women: Just in time for the fall football tailgating season, we’ve got the perfect pickup-truck pairing for all of your cooler- and charcoal-grill-hauling needs. As part of Cars.com’s 2019 Mid-Size Truck Challenge, an intensive weeklong multivehicle comparison test, we evaluated each of a quartet of contenders’ beds and tailgates on a 30-point scale, grading for measured cargo volume and tailgate features. All told, the 2019 Honda Ridgeline had the most to offer back there, besting mid-size model-year 2019 rivals including the Ford Ranger and GMC Canyon, as well as the 2020 Jeep Gladiator — and catapulting our tailgate test results to the No. 1 spot among our most popular news articles of the week.

Related: All the Pickup Truck News: Ram Power Wagon at Work, Beefed-Up Ford F-150 and Ranger, and More

The tailgate testing may have emerged as the most popular single portion of the Mid-Size Truck Challenge — besting our weekly roundup of Cars.com’s most read reviews and most watched videos, topped this time out by the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid and 2020 Subaru Outback, respectively — but it’s still just a singleportion. Not far behind, at No. 3, is the main Challenge story that tells the tale of our testing each of the four trucks in 19 different categories, some subjective and some based on empirical measurements.

“Because pickups are meant for work, the judges tested them both empty and with 1,000 pounds of payload,” Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder explains. “We also evaluated cargo boxes and provisions, ride, handling, fuel economy, front and backseat comfort and amenities, interior quality, safety and driver assistance features, user interface, multimedia and connectivity, child-safety seat fitment and value.”

In the end, it wasn’t just its rear end that managed to woo Cars.com judges: The Ridgeline was determined both to have the best tailgate and to be the best all-around mid-size pickup versus the Ranger, Canyon and Gladiator. How did the other three rank among one another? Follow the link below to find out.

Rounding out the top five were our full preview of the 2020 overhaul for the beloved Honda CR-V family SUV and its first-ever hybrid variant at No. 4, along with Cars.com reviewer Brian Wong’s comprehensive critique of the redesigned-for-2019 BMW 3 Series luxury sedan at No. 5.

There’s so much more car news to catch up on further down the list, so don’t slam on the brakes early. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. Ranger, Gladiator, Ridgeline, Canyon: Which Has the Best Bed and Tailgate?

2. Top 5 Reviews and Videos of the Week: 2020 Subaru Outback Overpowered by Crosstrek Hybrid

3. Ready for a Mid-Size Truck? We Ranked 4 of the Best

4. 2020 Honda CR-V: A Honda-First Hybrid Joins Best-Selling SUV’s Lineup

5. 2019 BMW 330i Review: Now More Machine Than Man

6. 2015-2018 Chevrolet Trax: Recall Alert

7. GM Workers Strike: What Car Shoppers Need to Know

8. 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Sport PHEV: 6 Things We Like and 3 We Don’t

9. 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan, Hybrid and Hatchback: Everything You Need to Know

10. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Review: Reaching Fuel Potential?

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.