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The redesigned Subaru Forester outranked the new Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex and Infiniti EX, as well as the redesigned Nissan Murano, Infiniti FX and seven other finalists, to be named 2009 “SUV of the Year” by the editors of Motor Trend magazine.

The Japanese automaker Subaru, whose sales are strongest in the snow-belt states of the Northeast and Northwest because all of its vehicles have all-wheel drive, won the competition primarily because of the four-cylinder Forester’s fuel economy and value pricing, the magazine said.

The Forester the magazine tested has EPA ratings of 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway, although Motor Trend said the vehicle achieved just 16 mpg during the magazine’s evaluation for the award. The base Forester is rated at 20 city/27 highway with the five-speed manual gearbox, and 20/26 with the optional four-speed automatic.

“It’s the right vehicle for the times,” Motor Trend said on its Web site in a story about the choice of the compact Forester, whose main competitors are the similarly sized Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

The five-passenger Forester is one of a crop of small, relatively fuel-efficient crossover SUVs that have become more popular as gasoline prices have soared. Others in the class include the Saturn Vue, Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Mitsubishi Outlander and Jeep Patriot.

Although the magazine said that it was more than fuel economy that led to the choice of the Forester, other factors mentioned included its starting price of just over $20,000 and the overall value that its pricing and fuel economy bring.

But it doesn’t compete in the same class as the larger crossovers such as the 2009 Chevy Traverse, built at the General Motors plant in Tennessee, and the also-new 2009 Ford Flex, both of which received high praise from Motor Trend.

The Traverse was characterized as “most likely to succeed” of the vehicles tested.

In their report, the magazine’s editors said, “Chevy’s new three-row crossover proves among the more pleasant surprises in this year’s contest.” They praised the vehicle’s exterior styling and its “sweet, strong direct-injection V-6” engine.

The Traverse, with room for up to eight people, starts just above $28,000, and has EPA ratings of 17 city/24 highway, but Motor Trend said that its “lead-footed” testers averaged just 12.1 mpg while testing the vehicle.

The magazine said the Flex “edges tantalizingly close to a vehicle segment that has been regarded as toxic by Detroit automakers since Jimmy Carter left the White House —the full-size wagon.”

Ford’s all-new seven-passenger crossover, the Flex is a direct competitor to the Traverse. Prices range from $28,295 (plus freight) for the base front-drive SE model to $36,555 for the top-of-the-line Limited all-wheel-drive version.

Under the hood is a 3.5-liter V-6 engine rated at 262 horsepower and 248 foot-pounds of torque. This engine already is used in the Edge and several other Ford products.

EPA ratings for the Flex are the same as for the Traverse – 17 miles per gallon city/24 highway for the front-drive model. But the magazine said it achieved just 14.9 mpg during the awards testing.

Other finalists included the redesigned Honda Pilot, as well as the BMW X6, Lexus LX 570, Toyota Sequoia, Kia Borrego, Dodge Journey and Volkswagen Tiguan.

The magazine also had praise for the Infiniti EX, a premium compact crossover introduced last year by Nissan’s luxury brand.

“The EX is a marvel to guide down a curvy road, delivering the most driver-focused experience of the group,” Motor Trend said.

The magazine wasn’t as kind to Nissan’s reworked Murano, calling it “lackadaisical” and “lackluster.”

“If everyone in the Ice Cream Shoppe is ordering fudge peanut ripple marshmallow mango royale and you’re ordering vanilla, that new Murano parked outside probably belongs to you,” Motor Trend said.

As for the FX, the magazine complained that the V-8 model had “too many missed targets” to make it a solid contender, although there was praise for the 390-horsepower engine.

The cruelest review was given to the full-size Toyota Sequoia, a traditional truck-based SUV that was redesigned last year.

Underscoring Motor Trend’s focus on fuel economy as the primary consideration in choosing this year’s winner, the magazine said:

“The giant, gas-guzzling Toyota Sequoia, built off the Tundra pickup chassis, is absolute proof that, just like the guys in Motown, the guys in Nagoya (Japan, Toyota’s headquarters) never saw $4 a gallon gas coming, either.”

Testing of the vehicles is detailed in the Motor Trend issue that goes on sale this week. The articles can be viewed online now at www.motortrend.com.

The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at 210-250-3236; chambers@ star-telegram.com.