Sorry in advance for the essay.

I am writing this with a heavy heart...my 2006 Outback, with 276k miles, blew its transmission. It's worth 4k and the quote to fix it is 4k, so I'm now in the market for a new car. My family has had generations of Subarus but I think I might be ready to switch it up. I've put so much time and money into this car over the years - first the transmission (multiple times with major issues), and then the head gaskets / burning through oil, and the electronics / burning out headlights every other month has really turned me off of Subarus. But, they are the perfect car for my lifestyle so I'm at a loss of what to look at next.

I'm pretty active in the outdoors, so I need a car that has room for a weeks worth of camping gear, coolers, etc. AWD or 4WD is a must. I also have a tall SO and tall friends, so a roomy interior would be nice. I have a dog (60 lbs) that usually goes in the trunk when it's not full, so I want something that is safe and roomy enough for him. My budget is ~$25K. I'm located in the Bay Area and I've been having some trouble finding affordable vehicles. If vehicles are affordable, there are a ton of buyers, so the market is super competitive and vehicles tend to move quickly. I'd prefer something newer but ultimately just want a good car, the most important thing is low mileage since I tend to put a ton of miles on a car in a year. I also don't care too much about tech features but it would be so nice to have backup cameras. I don't need a car this second (SO has a little commuter car that we use for getting around town) so if I need to increase this budget I can save until summer.

The biggest concern for me is long term reliability. I want to keep this vehicle until it dies. The problem is that I really use my cars. I like to go on roadtrips throughout the U.S. in the summer, and I like to explore and camp in the mountains. I don't do any extreme off-roading, but I do like to head to the Eastern Sierra and go camping at the end of a forest road. I spend a lot of time at elevation (~6,000 ft - 10,000 ft) so I like to have a car that is powerful enough to not struggle in the mountains. Most of the newer SUVs and crossovers that I've tried don't seem to have the ruggedness to hold up over time.

I've tried the Mazda CX-5, but it doesn't seem super hearty and it barely has enough room for the dog, I'd need a roof rack for sure to fit the gear and kayaks. I also looked at the CX-9 which is better, but again I'm not sure if it could take a beating.

I've also looked at the CRV but recent consumer reports show that it has major electronics issues, and the AWD doesn't seem ultra-capable. I've also looked at the RAV4 but again, it's reliability ratings aren't great based on consumer reports and a few forum searches.

For my budget, it seems like a lot of larger SUVs and trucks are out of the picture. I'd love a 4Runner, but I'd have to get a much older one or super high miles one in my budget.

Anyone have any recommendations for a hearty vehicle ready for some adventuring? Thanks for sticking with this to the end.

TL;DR: Need an offroad capable SUV under $25k.