Husband and wife in mid fifties, cargo space, road trips, safety, economy, perks

If you are willing to switch to a sedan, the VW Passat can fit some one 6'1" in the front seat, and someone 6'1" behind them, 3 car seats across the back row and about 6 bodies in the trunk. The 1.8T engine gives you both great fuel economy and performancce. For even better fuel economy, the TDI diesel cannot be beat. I have a diesel Gold and can boast 52mpg on a trip from Cape Cod to the Philly area.

For an SUV, look into the Mazda CX-5. Large front seat space and great fuel economy for an AWD vehicle. Plenty of hatch trunk space and small enough to park on a city street without too much issue. There are additional Tech safety features you can opt for, but at any level it's a great vehicle.

You can get those three features on many cars lately. But the CX-5 suggested above doesn't offer memory.

Any other needs or wants, to help narrow the field? Do you need something as large as the Acadia, or is that much larger than you need? Is all-wheel drive a requirement?

The 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport or Santa Fe (depending on whether you need two or three rows of seats) could be a good bet. Within GM, the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain have been reliable from 2011 on.