Can you help me not get a minivan?

In the past year I became a husband and a father, so my life has changed dramatically.

Having a little one is a big change. Drop all else and focus on the family.

When we found out my wife was pregnant, we looked for a bigger place and now that our little big guy is here, we’ve realized our 2005 Acura TSX isn’t big enough either. Neither of us can sit back comfortably because the car seat won’t fit safely if we do so. It’s also like fitting a jigsaw puzzle when trying to get the car seat in and out. Oh yeah, we have a dog too so after everyone’s in the car and we have all our baby stuff, the car is packed.

So it’s time for something different (maybe new, maybe not). My wife just wants to get it over with and buy a minivan, but being a car fanatic, I can’t let that happen. It’s going to be our only car for some time and minivans just aren’t in my vision.

So I’m asking my followers for suggestions. Here’s what we’re looking for:

1. Reliability & affordable maintenance
2. Ride Comfort (I like a sporty ride, but like to be comfortable too)
3. Good gas mileage (not a top priority)
4. For now price is not a concern, but anything above $35,000 is out of question. $0-25k is preferred.
5. She likes luxury, I like sporty.
6. We prefer a full-size car or wagon. Not the biggest fan of SUV’s unless they’re completely functional off roaders.
7. I want something with AWD.

And here are some of the cars in mind:

BMW E39 Touring, Dodge Magnum R/T AWD, Chrysler 300, Volkswagen CC, Ford Flex, Acura TSX Sport Wagon, Audi A6 Avant, Buick Lacrosse. I would love a nice E-Class wagon but I’ve heard they have plenty of reliability issues.

I also like the CTS Sport Wagon but it’s a bit expensive. If Buick ever comes out with the Regal wagon I wouldn’t think twice before buying one.

I am up for any suggestions as well as advice on the cars I’ve mentioned above.

As a car enthusiast, I never really cared about family cars and they’ve kind of slipped under my radar. 

Any help is appreciated since if I can’t come up with something good soon, we will most likely have a Honda Odyssey parked in our driveway before fall :(