Our kids are in their thirties, so that's first cars are ancient history. Our son's first was a 4X4 Ford Ranger with a stick. It was great because it felt like it was going to fall apart at about 50 mph. When he graduated from HS, he got a Tacoma, V6, stick, which he drove for another 250K miles. He's about to buy a new Ford truck, and it will be his first vehicle ever without a stick. Our daughter's was a 2002 Outback H6 VDC. Perfect car. Lad to an Outback XT, and now an Alltrack.
We have a number of younger nieces and nephews. All skiers. Two have first generation Highlanders, with the top level trim and the V6. They seem bulletproof, and they fit the bill. I would highly recommend an older one. One has a second generation Honda Pilot. She loves it and takes great care of it. That will get here through college and beyond. One of the guys has an Acura TSX sedan, with the V6 and six speed. That is perhaps more car than I'd put a new driver in. But it was a lot of car for the money and is super reliable. And with four studded snows, pretty decent in the winter. He wanted a V6 Accord coupe with a six-speed. Nope. Dad is too smart for that!
We have a neighbor who gave their son their Audi A6 2.7T a few years ago and he totaled it on the first night. Hit a tree with the REAR end, after a spin. Dry road. He claimed the mysterious "deer in the road". The car got away from him. I've seen this before with a few hand me downs to new drivers that were too much. We know another brand new driver who is now driving dad's old Audi S4 Avant. It's problematic, IMO. Another friend just bought a CooperS, JCW model, with some modifications for a 17 year old. They could not say no to the kid. They gave him a budget, but did not exercise veto power on the car. That car could be a problem.
Thumbs up on the Highlanders, Pilots, and based on some exposure Kia and Hyundai. Very reliable.