Luxury SUVs are bourgeois decadence. If the proletariat must drive and carry many passengers or cargo, they do it in a station wagon. I would suggest a 1994-96 Buick Roadmaster wagon, or its sibling the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Both will comfortably seat seven with the rear-facing third row seating, get 25 mpg highway, and have a 260 horsepower small-block V8 made entirely of iron. For something more modestly sized, Volvo made quality station wagons for decades, and Subarus are pretty OK too. If you must have something more modern, I've heard good things about the Buick Regal TourX, which has AWD and a turbo four-cylinder, but less cargo space than the Roadmaster.
If you really think you need an SUV, I guess get a hybrid Honda or Toyota or something.
Luxury SUVs are bourgeois decadence. If the proletariat must drive and carry many passengers or cargo, they do it in a station wagon. I would suggest a 1994-96 Buick Roadmaster wagon, or its sibling the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Both will comfortably seat seven with the rear-facing third row seating, get 25 mpg highway, and have a 260 horsepower small-block V8 made entirely of iron. For something more modestly sized, Volvo made quality station wagons for decades, and Subarus are pretty OK too. If you must have something more modern, I've heard good things about the Buick Regal TourX, which has AWD and a turbo four-cylinder, but less cargo space than the Roadmaster.
If you really think you need an SUV, I guess get a hybrid Honda or Toyota or something.