As Janelle does not like the Prius (which I love), she will be the primary driver of whatever vehicle we get. As such, she wants a vehicle that has good ground clearance, sits her higher off the ground than a car, yet can still fit in our garage. She also wants either four wheel drive or all wheel drive to help with winter driving. My requirement, which has really been hammered home this trip, is that the vehicle be able to seat at least seven people (preferably in comfort). It would also be nice if the vehicle had some towing capacity and its interior could modify for different storing needs.
Regrettably, Janelle has an unnatural prejudice against minivans (for which I have an unnatural preference). As this is going to be primarily her car, that means minivans are probably out. We spent a little while today looking up different possibilities. Due to her sister's good experience with Volkswagen, Janelle is leaning in that direction (Atlas). However, we also read some good reviews about a Kia (Sorento) that fits the description and is more affordable. I've had good experience with Toyota (Highlander--which friends have had a problem with--or Sienna--yes, I know it's a minivan, but it has all wheel drive). Unfortunately, Janelle and I have already had a poor experience with the only dealership in Alaska to sell Volkswagen, Kia, or Toyota; so we've also been looking at Honda (Pilot) and Nissan (Pathfinder).
Have you noticed a lack of "American" vehicles on the list? Yeah, me too. The only dependable (i.e. won't start falling apart before the payments are finished) ones we've researched have been WAY out of our price range.