hyundai santa fe or the newer tuscon. good gas mileage, big, but not huge, and a looooong warranty
just checked a couple things.
on the santa fe there are 2 engine choices, the 2.7 v6 or the 3.3v6
fwd-
3.3l 19 city, 24 hwy.
2.7l 21 city, 26 hwy.
it also has options for AWD with the following specs
2.7 21 city, 25 hwy.
3.3 19 city, 24 hwy
you should be able to get a pretty loaded model for 24ish. remove some of the options and take advantage of any rebates/special financing, it should get you close to what you want to spend.
ive said it here before, if youre looking for something simple and reliable, hyundai is coming up. i had an 03 elantra that was great to me, and just got rid of my integra for another one. my mom also just picked up an 07 elantra (the new style) last week and loves it.