I have a Honda Odyssey and I LOVE it. I know, I know...it's a minivan. I also tried to get by with a small SUV for a while since we only have one child. But we also have two big dogs and my husband is in a band and has lots of gear. He's also into home improvement projects and we don't have a truck.
I'll tell you what, as dorky as it is to have a minivan, I've never been so satisfied with a vehicle in my life. Our van already has more than 100k miles on it and the people at the shop say that we'll get 200k or more out of it before it's all done. The doors are on automatic sliders, so when I have arms full of groceries and my daughter, I can just hit a button and she can climb in on her own side. When we go on road trips (which we do two or three times a year) we have room for all of our luggage and can still fit the three of us comfortably. You can find many of these vehicles used (we did) and they still have a ton of life left in them. Mine has heated seats and we bought DVD players for long road trips. Plus, it handles and has the gas mileage of a car.
And, we no longer have to worry about borrowing a truck when we go to the hardware store to buy big items. We transported a full sized couch inside that van one time!
I know, it's a minivan, but I'm telling you, if you're anything like my family, once you get one, you won't go back. At least until we're empty nesters and my husband stops being a rock star. :)
Good luck!
Hilary