RE: Time to make the Wife happy...
My Dubai drive is a Chevy Epica. Brand new. Don't go there.
My wife drives a 2-door '04 BMW 316TI. Not right for kids (ours are chained to a tree in our backyard in Texas). Nice get around drive that little Bimmer is. Someone offered me an upgrade to their one year old 750 BMW (leaving the country) for my wife, but I told them I would have to upgrade my wife first. Now that would be expensive! ... but I digress.
You have got so many SUV-like choices here in Dubai, but I would tend to stay with the Toyotas and Nissans. You could, of course, go with the National SUV of the UAE: Porsche Cayenne.
Have fun!
Bedford