I just went through a pretty exhaustive search, and settled on the Acura RDX with the advance package. The car listed for $44k, much lower than the Lexus RX which I agree is ugly (looks like a vacuum cleaner). and similarly equipped German models. 2016 was a major redesign. This is their model loaded with every tech feature they offer. Big pluses are the cross traffic warning system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, and front and rear collision sensors. The car has a touch screen control system which was a big plus for my wife who dislikes the wheel or mouse like systems. There is also an Acura connect appl. where you can do searches for your Nav system on your smartphone and send it to the car, rather then having to go through the address entry process in the car. You can also do remote start, check tire pressure, blink the horn if you lose your car in a parking lot, and other things using your phone. You get about 15g of music storage on the hard drive, and very comfortable and supportive seating with both heated and cooled leather seats. The ride is firm but not harsh. The engine is a 6 cylinder 279 hp for which they recommend premium fuel. At highway speeds, the engine operates on 3 cylinders to obtain good highway mileage. The 10 jewel eye headlights are amazingly bright and kind of cool looking. And one fun feature are the paddle shifters which can be used in place of the normal automatic transmission. Finally, I trust Honda products to be very reliable and this car received the highest safety rating.
