Recommendations for small SUV

[prydey]

My folks are after a new car. They are mid to late 60's and currently have a 05 ba2 fairmont, which is getting a bit long in the tooth, and also a bit of an issue with them getting in and out. Mum does the bulk of the driving (Dad drives a semi, so is more than happy to not drive when he's not working) and its just the 2 of them. Something a bit higher off the ground is the way to go so they can just step in and out, rather than sit on the ground.

Criteria

Must be auto
Must be cheap to run (their current fairmont runs svi lpg system, so is pretty cheap)
Must be reliable
Budget of $20k tops drive away, but better closer to $15k.

Even as a ford fan, i've steered them clear of ecosport and kuga, due to the powershift gearbox.

I've also steered them clear of diesel due to DPF burn off criteria, although depending on manufacturer some may be ok. Most recommend 20min continuous driving at 80km/h + at least once a week for the dpf regen to occur. They live semi rural (greenbank for those in qld) so would come close to meeting this requirement but probably not every week.

suggestions so far is mazda cx-5, honda cr-v, nissan x-trail, rav 4 (although not a fan of the open out rear door instead of tailgate) etc etc, you get the picture.

i have little to no idea about any of these cars so hopefully people can give some feedback as to a good solid reliable car for the folks.

how reliable are these CVT style gearboxes?