I was just faced with a similar problem .
I needed something to haul my dogs..looked at crv, rav4, x3, impreza wagon, sequoia, grand cherokee and an escalde.
The escalade kept bubbling to the top. Yes it's going to be a gas hog, but it drove SOOO much nicer than all the above, and truly it looks better than the others.
YMMV
Good luck on your choice