My friend is going to trade in their Isuzu Trooper and downsize to a compact SUV

something in the class of RAV4 and CR-V

heres a bit of background on them
He is in his mid 50's and this would be their family hauler
kids are grown up and about the same age as me

he has a F-150 truck for work as he owns a house renovation company
he has owned a few porsches b4 and plans to save up for a 911
so the less money he spends on this car, the more he can spend on his porsche, they would prefer to spend under 30k for a brand new SUV before trade in

to his wife, priorities are (in order):
1. it must be an SUV to give her a good view of the road
2. it must have awesome fuel efficiency
3. it has to be reliable and easy to maintain
4. prefers a lift gate as dont have to worry about parking too close to someone else

we went to the autoshow a few days ago
i tried to get them hooked onto the RAV4 V6 as i think that it is their best bet, its got power yet it is fuel efficient, it is also reliable
only draw back is they dont like is the tire on the back and the sideway opening rear hatch but i think they can live with it

she was taken in by CR-V but he and i thought that the RAV4 has a better stance and the V6 is a very good option (i raved on about the 3.5L V6 to them)

Here are a few cars on their list to be test driven (not in order)

what would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

at this moment, im recommending the RAV4 to them
but i need some research and data to back up my argument and convince them better

or if you have data and researches pointing towards hyundai or personal experience on any of the vehicles please do tell

Does the current RAV4 have a real rear bumper?

Woman-CR-V
Man-Rav-4
Since it sounds like its for HER, get her what she wants, the CR-V. Can't go wrong with either.

I'm actually not much help here. There are so many new entries in this field and I am just totally uninterested in it. Sorry.

Nissan Murano

Hyundai Santa Fe!!!

Rav4 is hard to beat.

The HUGE rear door is easy to beat

Might be a bit pricey, but it would be my choice too over a Rav 4 (the best one on that list, IMO)

I know it's a bit pricey but I am partial to the Acura RDX with
SH-AWD.

yeah RDX is over the price range, so is the Murano i think
but ill suggest the Murano

this SUV is for their whole family so if the kids want to go out they can borrow it

main purpose is just an outting car, grocery getter, trip goer...

the new CR-V is in its first year right?
should we be worried about its reliability?

btw if they end up getting the RAV4, i could get them a deal as i know the sales manager of a toyota dealership
or at least try

but yeah, i can see how that big rear door on the RAV4 is such a turn off for anyone

why not the infiniti fx

Mazda CX7 or CX9

Toyota Highlander, with the new RAV4 and a new model coming out in a couple of months im sure the dealers are pushing them.

Rav 4 over the CRV. Both have huge rear swing doors, but the CRV has always felt to be underpowered IMO. Both are very reliable. My aunt has a 97 CRV (first production year for them). Hers has been nothing but reliable however, it really could stand to have a V6. You really cant go wrong with wither one though.