Japanese: more economical, relatively lower maintenance, but lack horse power and in terms of safety, I'm personally biased and won't drive a Japs car. I"m having a hard time recommending a 7 seater Japanese SUV, so, a mini van would be your only choice.
German: expensive and much more expensive to maintain, generally reliable, if you ask me to choose, Audi would be the only one I'd consider and in your case, you'd have to go to Q7, which exceeds your budget.
US: priced between the above two categories and the range is relatively large for you to choose from. Reliability largely improved over the years and reasonablly priced to maintain. Within your budget, I'd recommend Buick Enclave and Lincoln MKZ, or you could consider minivans like Town and Country, etc.
