A Subaru Forester seems the most obvious option. The 2014+ is more fuel efficient than the 2009-2013, but might not be available with the features you want for $24,000. For strong acceleration you'll want the turbo, which means used previous generation at this price. The turbo is oddly also the best choice for reliability--some owners of the non-turbo 2011-2013 report problems with oil leaks and oil consumption.
You might also check whether a 2014 Jeep Cherokee with the features you want can be purchased for $24k. Possibly, since the 2015s are out. With the Jeep you'll want the V6. Reliability in our survey has been okay (if not great) so far--but they're still young. Visibility isn't as good as in the Subaru.
An Xterra is an ancient, fairly crude vehicle. A Toyota 4Runner would be a much better choice, though as with the Xterra one I'd only suggest if you'll do some real off-roading. And it doesn't sound like this is a top priority. Reliability is outstanding, but $24,000 probably won't get you a recent model year.
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