Hi there. My name is Steven Lang. If you Google my name and add the word 'cars', you'll find out that I have lived the used car business for well over two decades now.
Here's a study I co-developed which has over 3 million vehicles in its database. Mechanics from Connecticut to California have been inspecting and providing data for our study since 2013.
https://www.dashboard-light.com/
I have two children in college right now, both with scholarships, ages 22 and 20. They don't have cars. The younger one lives off-campus and the other lives on-campus. Neither had any trouble getting transportation for job interviews, medical appointments, or even get togethers with friends or events that were located away from school.
I have owned a car dealership since 2003. If they needed a car or asked for one, they would already have it. As a dealer my only real costs would be for gas and insurance. But they don't want a car because they don't need one. Nearly all colleges and universities have vast transportation services these days and a lot of college organizations will also gladly furnish free transport when needed.
Unless your daughter attends a commuter school I seriously doubt she will need a car until she has a professional full-time job. Now onto your list.
"I am considering a Corolla Cross (CC) or RAV4, an HR-V, or a Crosstrek."
Congratulations! You have nailed the four most overpriced compact vehicles in today's car market! The HR-V experienced transmission issues in its prior generation. Toyota's quality and relaibility has dropped across the board, and Subaru is consistently at or below average when it comes to long-term quality.
The real elephant in the room though is your Fusion. It's the last reliable generation. The 2.5 Liter in particular is stellar. The transmission in yours will actually outlast the ones from the 2012 Toyota Camry with proper care. It's that good.
The EV market is going to be absolutely decimating the gas car market beginning around late 2024. You won't have any trouble finding a stickshift model that is new or late model. Mazda is particularly fantastic.
I would invest about $2000 into your Fusion. A nicer Infotainment system. New struts and tires. A professional detail, and a drain/fill on the transmission (if you have done this once or twice in the past) will all go a very long way towards making the Fusion fun to drive... again.
Good luck. Enjoy life. And as others here have already mentioned, new gas-powered cars are atrocious values right now. But that will change soon enough thanks to Uncle Sam's $7500 EV giveaway and all the major manufacturers building large armies of them in the very near future.