Escape or RAVE4 AWD

For 15-year reliability, nothing else comes close to a Toyota or Honda. Definitely not a Ford, though they're okay up to 8-10 years.

I haven't tested the RAV4 since its suspension was softened for 2016. From 2013 to 2015 it rode very firmly.

You should also test the Honda CR-V. I'm not a fan of its styling, but it might ride better than the Toyota.

In both visibility is pretty good orward, not as good to the rear.

The Subaru Forester beats pretty much everything in outward visiblity, I but have less confidence in its long-term reliability.

We rented a 2017 Escape SE AWD to drive to another state to pick up a 2016 Buick Envision. The Escape got 32.5 mpg at 65 mph for the 6 hour trek. I like the throttle tip-in and the transmission was very smooth shifting with very responsive brakes. It had the softest, most comfortable headrests. But just about everything else I hated about it. The steering and the suspension were a mess and had me thinking what Lincoln does to the Escape to make a MKC. It was loud and bordered on tinnitus for our long drive. Skip the other ecomomy cuv's as they are just too loud and unrefined at $30,000.

The Buick Envsision is right at your $30,000 mark or higher and will be quieter than a Lexus RX and $10,000 less than a Lexus NX200T when similarly equipped.