Subaru's 2017 Forester is still one of the best crossover SUVs you can buy

My very first car was a 1998 Subaru Forester that my brother handed down to me.

It wasn't the sexiest car in the world, but it sure was reliable. I drove it from New York to North Carolina and back again for four years with 80,000 miles already logged, and it always got the job done.

So when the opportunity to try the newest Subaru Forester presented itself, I had to get behind the wheel and see if it still presented the same level of comfort, reliability, and driving ease as its nearly 20-year-old predecessor.

The Forester is arguably Subaru's most important car. The crossover was Subaru's best-selling vehicle in the US last year and still holds that title in 2016 so far.

As always with the Forester, the Subaru's main perk is that it's a practical and sturdy ride with all-wheel drive. But the 2017 model comes with some semi-autonomous features that take it to the next level. These kinds of steady improvements are important considering how competitive the crossover segment is, with players like the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4.

Here's what it's like to drive Subaru's latest Forester: