We drove a $32,000 Subaru Forester that rivals the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Here are its coolest features.

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

Our 2019 Subaru Forester Sport test car.

• The Subaru Forester is all-new for 2019.
• The Forester is one of the world's best-selling compact crossover SUVs and competes against the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and the Nissan Rogue.
• The base Forester starts at $24,295, while the top-of-the-line Touring starts at $34,295. Our mid-grade Sport trim test car starts at $28,795. With options and fees, our Forester came to an as-tested price of $31,815.
• We were impressed with the Forester's solid feel, great cabin ergonomics, standard all-wheel-drive, and an impressive suite of safety technology.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Subaru Forester is one of the most popular offerings in what is arguably the most competitive segment in the US auto market.

Launched in 1998, the Subaru Forester was part of the initial wave of modern compact crossovers to reach the US market. Since then, the segment and SUVs, in general, have absolutely exploded in popularity. So much so that major automakers like Ford and General Motors have announced plans to ax the bulk of their passenger models.

Compact SUVs like the Forester accounted for roughly one out every five vehicles sold in the US last year.

For 2019, Subaru is back with a new fifth-generation Forester.

Recently, we spent a week with a 2019 Subaru Forester Sport in Crystal Black Silica.

Read more: We drove an all-new $32,000 Subaru Forester SUV to see if it could compete with Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. Here's the verdict.

"The 2019 Subaru Forester is one of the most complete and capable compact crossovers we've ever come across," we said in our review.

"It's solidly built with a well-designed and spacious interior," we said. "It's loaded with an impressive array of standard safety features and, of course, there's Subaru's tried and true all-wheel-drive system."

Our review also noted that the boxer engine could use some more power and the Forester's overall demeanor could do with an extra dose of refinement.

The base Forester starts at $24,295 while the top-of-the-line Touring starts at $34,295. Our mid-grade Sport trim test car starts at $28,795. With options and fees, our Forester came to an as-tested price of $31,815.

Here's a closer look at its coolest features: