Searching for a small reliable SUV—are CVTs really that scary?

Searching for an SUV in the range of $15-20k sale price.

Kinda shortlist I’ve come up with based on my early research is: Toyota RAV 4, Honda CRV, Subaru crosstrek, or the Mazda CX. (Happy to hear suggestions for similar cars as well).

I’m initially drawn to the Honda or Subaru because they have fantastic reliability ratings, but they both come equipped with CVTs. For anyone with experience, are these as bad to deal with as some people on this sub say? Will they just require a little extra maintenance or should I avoid any car with a CVT like the plague?