dirt road traveler

Serious question.... are your issues with the Acura due to it's overall toughness and reliability or simply due to the fact that it likely had low profile tires which did not hold up well against rough roads? It sounds like you aren't doing hard core off roading, so a modern unibody SUV will do just fine, but just make sure you get something with a tall tire profile and research your tires to find something with a more aggressive tread for gravel surfaces. Any mid size SUV should work.

A Subaru Forester, with it's full time AWD setup and unibody construction will give you a nice blend of ride and handling.

The 4runner mentioned above is a tough SUV, but the body on frame construction will ride more roughly. It is an equal to the Grand Cherokee for off road prowess, while being more reliable. For something more comfortable, consider the Toyota Highlander.

"According to J.D. Power research, Forester buyers are older, more affluent, and more often female compared with Compact SUV segment averages. At an average age of 61 (vs. 56 for the segment), 55% of Forester owners are women (vs. 51%)."

You were not too far off on age of a Forester buyer. It has to be about tops in the segment as the Honda CR-V average buuing age is 60 uears old.

Did you need a big suv or would a smaller one work?

"According to J.D. Power research, Outback buyers are 60 years of age, on average, compared with the typical Midsize SUV buyer, who is 55 years old. In fact, 72% of Outback buyers are members of the Boomer (those born between 1946 and 1964) or Pre-Boomer (prior to 1946) generations, compared with 57% of Midsize SUV buyers. Gender splits 41% women for the Subaru, compared with 42% for Midsize SUVs, and an Outback buyer earns a median household income of $121,875, compared with the segment average of $111,964."