responsive drive, comfortable,

I spent a few minutes searching Cars.com to make sure my recommendations could be found for close to your $26k budget. Here's the list I came up with-

2013-2015 Mazda CX-9 (own a 2012 CX-9 GT and I love it, lots of power, great handling, very nice interior)

2013-2015 Acura RDX or MDX- upscale inside and out, reliable, and powerful with strong Honda V6 engines

2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee (CPO only) - beautiful, quick acceleration with the standard V6, smooth and quiet

2013-2016 Volvo XC60 (CPO only)- Volvo makes the most comfortable seats in the world (seriously), solid as a bank vault (and even safer), high quality interior and more than sufficient power even with the base 3.2L engine.

The Buick Envision and Encore fit your utility but not a entry level cuv at your price point. The turbocharged versions offer plenty of pep for passing but will see 30 mpg at highways speeds. They'll offer a quiet and refined ride, so much so Fluffy wouldn't have any problem falling asleep in the back.