Best 3-Row SUV for Families: 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is the 2018 Best 3-Row SUV for Families, and when you step inside, it’s not hard to see why. The Traverse can seat up to eight, and all seats are comfortable, including the third row. Even though it’s roomy, the Traverse is no chore to drive, with car-like handling and good maneuverability.
It not only has more family-friendly features than other 3-row SUVs; it has more family friendly features than almost every other car on the market. Highlights include USB ports throughout all three rows of seating, in-car Wi-Fi, a rear-seat entertainment system, and a hands-free liftgate.
Accident avoidance features on the Traverse include a 360-degree camera system, automatic braking, lane keeping assist, pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. The safety features don’t stop there, however. The Traverse also features a rear-seat reminder to prevent infants from being left behind, and teen driver controls to make sure new drivers develop good habits and stay safe.
Best 2-Row SUV for Families: 2018 Ford Edge
Most SUVs are roomy, but the 2018 Ford Edge has space where it matters for families. Its backseat is one of the biggest in the class, and its cargo space is excellent.
The Edge also has plenty of features – including heated rear seats, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a hands-free liftgate – that make driving the family around a little more enjoyable. As an added bonus for families with new drivers, the Edge has Ford’s MyKey system, which allows parents to set limits on teen drivers. It also has safety features like front automatic braking and lane keeping assist that can help prevent an accident, no matter who is driving.
Best Compact SUV for Families: 2018 Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V has won the Best Compact SUV for Families award for six of the past seven years. The CR-V’s formula of excellent space for passengers and cargo, coupled with excellent reliability and safety scores, make it an easy SUV to recommend for families.
Still, the CR-V isn’t just about getting the basics of safety, space, and reliability right. It also has some enjoyable extras like Apple CarPlay, a hands-free liftgate, and rear USB ports.
Best Large SUV for Families: 2018 Ford Expedition
The Ford Expedition has been getting rave reviews since the 2018 model debuted, and those reviews helped land it the Best Large SUV for Families award.
The Expedition goes above and beyond what most automotive journalists are looking for, with an incredible list of family-friendly features. It has USB ports in all three rows for everyone’s devices, Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 360-degree rearview camera, and a rear-seat entertainment system.
All three rows of the Expedition are adult friendly, and the third row is easy to get to, as the second row moves out of the way, even when there’s a car seat installed.
Best Minivan for Families: 2018 Honda Odyssey
We’ll just start by saying that every minivan on the market has the passenger and cargo space that most families need. The Honda Odyssey, however, outdoes them all with family-friendly features other minivans can only dream about.
The seats in the second row of the Odyssey not only slide back and forth, but also side to side – so families can configure them in whatever way works for them. The Odyssey also has available features like a vacuum, a cooler, and a cabin camera system that puts what’s happening in the backseat on the infotainment screen, making it easy to play referee or checking on sleepyheads. Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, as well as a rear-seat entertainment system with a monster viewing screen, are the icing on the cake.
Best Midsize Car for Families: 2018 Toyota Camry
Fresh off a redesign, the Toyota Camry sedan wins the Best Midsize Car for Families award. It’s the first win for the Camry and shows how a well-executed redesign can take an iconic automotive name and make it fresh.
The Camry not only has excellent crash test scores, but its revamped interior has more backseat and trunk space. Toyota’s suite of active safety features, like automatic braking and lane keeping assist, are standard on the Camry – you have to pay extra for similar features on other midsize cars. The Camry also has an around-view camera that makes it easy to park safely, even when there are little ones running around.
Best Large Car for Families: 2018 Kia Cadenza
Though the school pickup line has turned into an SUV meetup in recent years, plenty of large cars can handle family duty – and none do it quite as well as the 2018 Kia Cadenza sedan, the 2018 Best Large Car for Families.
The Cadenza has an upscale cabin that has both the space for car seats and the kind of finishes that won’t embarrass you when taking clients out to lunch. It also has features – like a surround-view camera, rear sunshades, a hands-free trunk, and heated rear seats – that you typically find on SUVs or luxury cars. Teen driver controls and tracking via a smartphone app make the Cadenza a wise choice for families with older kids.
Best Luxury 3-Row SUV for Families: 2018 BMW X5
If you want to share some driving thrills with the entire carpool, the BMW X5, the Best Luxury 3-Row SUV for Families, is the SUV to do it in.
In addition to handling and power that live up to the BMW name, the X5 packs in plenty of safety and tech features. The X5 has front auto braking with pedestrian detection and a 360-degree rearview camera. It also has rear sunshades, tri-zone climate control, and heated rear seats to keep everyone comfortable. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Wi-Fi and available rear-seat entertainment keep everyone occupied.
Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE
For the second year in a row, the Mercedes-Benz GLE is the Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families. Though it isn’t as athletic as other luxury SUVs, the GLE is adept at handling whatever families throw at it.
With excellent cargo and passenger space, as well as features like rear-seat entertainment, heated rear seats, an automatic liftgate, Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto capability, the GLE keeps everyone comfortable and connected.
The GLE also gets a rating of “Good” for its LATCH connectors, meaning that installing car seats is easier in the GLE than in many competitors.
Best Luxury Compact SUV for Families: 2018 Audi Q5
The Audi Q5 wins the Best Compact SUV for Families Award for the third time. The Q5 has top-notch crash test scores, as well as LATCH connectors that make installing car seats easier, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Q5 also has a ton of active safety features, like pedestrian detection, automatic braking, and lane keeping assist. All-wheel drive is standard.
Tech features like Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto are great for entertaining passengers and staying connected, while features like rear sunshades, heated rear seats, and tri-zone climate control make the Q5 a comfortable place to spend time in – even if you didn’t get shotgun.
Best Luxury Midsize Car for Families: 2018 Audi A6
Show up at soccer practice in the Audi A6, the Best Luxury Midsize Car for Families, and everyone will think your kids ride around in an Uber Black. The A6 has one of the roomiest back seats in the class, and while the kids are stretched out back there, they can enjoy heated rear seats and sunshades. The A6 also features an around-view camera, front auto braking, and lane keeping assist. On top of all that, the A6 is a blast to drive, putting a smile on your face as it coddles your passengers.
The A6’s “Good” rating from the IIHS for its LATCH connectors means putting car seats into the A6 is a snap.
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U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Cars for Families
Just because a vehicle is marketed as a family car or SUV doesn’t mean it’s actually a good choice for your family. At U.S. News, we’ve tested plenty of “family SUVs” that didn’t have a place to stash fruit snacks or juice boxes, lacked rear seat space, or had terrible crash test scores and non-existent active safety features. Our Best Cars for Families awards highlight the cars, SUVs, and, yes, minivans that have what it takes to make family life easier and more pleasant.
Within each class, the winner has the best combination of passenger and cargo space, safety ratings, predicted reliability, and family-friendly features. The family-friendly features we looked at include high-tech things like in-car Wi-Fi and teen driver controls, as well as simple fixes like rear sunshades – because we know what it’s like to drive for two hours with a toddler who has the sun in their eyes. The award winners all go the extra mile to make life on the road together more fun, no matter what stage of family life you’re in.
Check out the winners on the following slides to find the right vehicle for your family.