just done some price comparisons, no taxes added.

Rav4 $24500 (great deals at the mo)
CRV 4WD $28090 - Still favorite - did I spell that right for canada?
Forrester S28200 OK
VW AWD $32000 Quite pricey
Audi A4 $42800 Too much for me. All show and to much dough!

Anymore suggestions?

Until you get into a dealer and start to negotiate, price comparisons are strictly "information only"... also make sure you are comparing the options you want too, Base subarus for example tend to be well optioned as is, so no need to go up market for AC, Auto, sunroof etc.

VW/ Audi are expensive imports here.

If you look at a 2011 CRV they are clearing the lots and there are deals to be had. Not so much for the new model.

Domestics will sell for a lot less, as will (to some extent) Hyundai. Mitsubushi though is the leader on price.RVR starts below $20k for 2WD. Santa Fe starts at $24k MSRP

I'd go with the Kia Sportage. My wife loves it and it's actually great to drive distances in. Pretty low running costs and a very long warranty.

Don't forget to add tax on top as a bare minimum

Good call. A friend has one and is happy too. The only downside is that its AWD may not be the most sophisticated, but most people wouldnt care. Ford Escape should be on the list too, especially for the outgoing model as dealers scramble to shift inventory.

When talking about vehicles I always note that the issue of "reliability" comes up. I have had a number of vehicles in England and Canada, some new, some not so new, some bloody old.

With the exception of a broken driveshaft on the old banger I was running shortly before we came to Canada, I have never had any form of reliability issue at all, neither has any member of my family, nor any of my friends, that I can recall.

Of course, we know nothing about torque, bhp or how to make our vehicles run "sweetly".

What are we doing wrong?

general rules of thumb:

Japanese cars run forever, but have crap interiors and bodywork
French cars suffer from electrical problems all the time and are made for girls
german cars are heavy, expensive and boring, but comfortable and usually reliable
convertibles are for hairdressers

bhp is how fast you hit the wall
torque is how much of the wall you take with you
FrontWheelDrive (FWD) =Understeer - you hit the wall with the front of the car
RearWheelDrive (RWD) = Oversteer - you hit the wall with the back of the car
AllWheelDrive (AWD/4WD) = you drive straight over the wall

making it run sweetly - if you can't fix it with a hammer, its an electrical problem.
If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct-tape

With a full on 4WD mode if needed

I've razzed it around off road and in the snow and it's actually pretty good.

I'm guessing you havent owned a Jeep.

Correct

I listed the cars I had owned some time ago and much piss taking resulted. Renault, Ford, BL, Austin/MG, Mitsubishi, Rover, Dodge, Chrysler, GMC and Mazda are what I've owned.

Put air in the tyres when necessary, get them serviced when necessary and wash them when the dirt gets so bad it dirties my jacket as I walk down the side of the car after parking it.

I know I am doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what it is

Yes (me?), I'm still loving the SX4. In fact, I was running around in a Dodge Avenger the last 24 hours and couldn't wait to get back home, back into the Suzuki (and get back in touch with the road).

To the OP:

Disadvantage-wise, the SX4 is a little small and probably over-priced for what you get (in Canada, compared to the States). However, I've not had any trouble with any weather conditions here, especially with studded snow tyres fitted over winter.

I'd recommend the MT6 AWD model (not sure what their current line-up is, though). These days I just leave it in AWD all the time, as the fuel economy hardly drops when I switch it off. The 4x4 can be locked too, if the conditions are bad enough. I also recommend looking at youtube videos of the vehicles you're thinking about, especially in snow and ice related conditions. Have a read through the comments on popular videos, to get a feel for who typically buys the vehicles and why.

Love this and am about to steal it

I think from a reliability POV it's hit and miss. My experience here has been pretty varied:

s/hand 100,000km+ GMC Sierra - never spent a cent on it
new F150 - several major warranty (mechanical) issues
s/hand low mileage 1yr old F150 - currently at dealership for front end rebuild warranty claim
new Mazda 3GT - no problems
new Golf GTI - no problems
new Subaru Forester - blown engine + turbo at 10,000kms. Half a dozen other warranty issues. Dealership took the car back off me
new Impreza WRXS - no problems
new Mercedes ML - one minor warranty claim

Since it happens so rarely I thought it necessary to post in agreement with AC.

I've only owned two cars in the last 30 years which had problems while I owned them. One was a Lada (more fool me for buying it) the other was a Daewoo rebranded as a Chevy (ditto). In both cases though I traded them in as soon as the warranty expired, so while a bit annoying, neither actually cost me too much.

new quad - front end rebuild .........................