Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families

These Vehicles Are the Top Competitors for the U.S. News Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families Award

Families are tough customers. They require enough space for everybody and their stuff, high levels of reliability and safety, the latest family-friendly technology, and a reasonable price tag. For luxury SUVs, a high-quality interior and luxury finishes are expected as well.

We’ve made the process of finding the right SUV for your family a little easier. You’ll find all of the top contenders for the U.S. News 2018 Best Luxury 2-Row SUVs for Families award in this slideshow. For each vehicle, we detail the features that matter the most to shoppers: safety, reliability, passenger and cargo space, and features that can make a family’s life easier.

We combined ratings from independent testing agencies, data from manufacturers, and reviews from professional automotive journalists to arrive at our scores. The vehicle with the highest composite score is this year’s Best 2-Row SUV for Families.

Keep in mind that we update our scores often as new expert reviews and data become available, so the scores in this slideshow may not match the scores in our rankings.

Read on to find out more about the contenders and the overall winner this year.

• Read the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Full Review
• See 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

4) 2018 Cadillac XT5

Base Price: $40,595

Overview (U.S. News Overall Score: 7.9/10): The 2018 Cadillac XT5 has one of the lowest starting prices in the class. It has a comfortable interior and lots of standard features, but it struggles to stand out in a tough category.

Safety (U.S. News Score 9.7/10): The XT5 received excellent safety scores from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but in this class, near-perfect safety scores are the norm rather than the exception.

Reliability (U.S. News Score 3.5/5): Reliability scores aren’t in for many 2018 models yet, but this XT5 is nearly identical to the outgoing 2017 model, which received 3.5 stars out of five from JD Power. That’s above average for new vehicles but average for luxury midsize SUVs.

• Read the 2018 Cadillac XT5 Full Review
• See 2018 Cadillac XT5 Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

4) 2018 Cadillac XT5

Passenger Space: Like others in this class, the Cadillac XT5 seats five. The rear seats slide and recline, and they offer a little more legroom than competitors, which growing teenagers will appreciate.

Cargo Volume (Max Cargo Volume: 63 cu ft): The XT5 has more cargo space with the rear seats folded down than almost all of its competitors. However, with the rear seats in place the cargo area is average for the class, with 30 cubic feet.

Family-Friendly Features: The XT5 has standard features for families that most of the competition does not, including USB ports for the rear seats, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Available features to make life with the XT5 a little easier include a hands-free liftgate and a rear seat entertainment system.

• Read the 2018 Cadillac XT5 Full Review
• See 2018 Cadillac XT5 Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

3) 2018 Lincoln MKX

Base Price: $39,035

Overview (U.S. News Overall Score: 8.2/10): The 2018 Lincoln MKX also has a very low starting price for the class, with a high-quality cabin and a long list of standard tech features. It’s not as sporty as some rivals, but its cushioned driving demeanor might appeal to families.

Safety (U.S. News Score 9.7/10): The MKX earned five out of five stars from the NHTSA and the highest possible rating in every category from the IIHS. While these scores are excellent, they are also in line with other SUVs in this category.

Reliability (U.S. News Score 3.5/5): The 2018 MKX has not received a reliability rating yet, but it received no major changes for this model year. Previous generations were rated 3.5 out of five, which is average for luxury midsize SUVs.

• Read the 2018 Lincoln MKX Full Review
• See 2018 Lincoln MKX Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

3) 2018 Lincoln MKX

Passenger Space: The Lincoln MKX has the most spacious second row in the class, with enough room for bulky car seats or lanky teens.

Cargo Volume (Max Cargo Volume: 68.8 cu ft): The MKX has more cargo space with the rear seats folded down than almost any other SUV in its class. With the second row in place, you’ll still find more than 37 cubic feet of room for groceries or gear.

Family-Friendly Features: A rearview camera and parking sensors are standard, which is typical for the class. Safety features such as lane keep assist and front automatic braking are available. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also standard, along with controls for keeping tabs on teen drivers.

• Read the 2018 Lincoln MKX Full Review
• See 2018 Lincoln MKX Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

2) 2018 Lexus RX

Base Price: $43,270

Overview (U.S. News Overall Score: 8.7/10): The 2018 Lexus RX has a lot of standard tech features for a relatively low starting price, earning it the U.S. News Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for the Money award. But its low-key luxury and comfortable ride weren’t enough to overcome its tight quarters for families.

Safety (U.S. News Score 9.3/10): While a 9.3 out of 10 is a good safety score, it is among the lowest in this particular class, where standards are high. It earned a score of four out of five from the NHTSA.

Reliability (U.S. News Score 4.0/5): Again, the 2018 rating isn’t in yet for the RX, but the 2017 model was nearly identical, and it earned a four out of five. That’s better than many in the class, and we expect the 2018 RX to uphold Lexus’s reputation for reliability.

• Read the 2018 Lexus RX 350 Full Review
• See 2018 Lexus RX 350 Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

2) 2018 Lexus RX

Passenger Space: Headroom and legroom in the 2018 RX are average for the class, but that’s still plenty of space for most passengers. The second row also slides and reclines, giving passengers a little more breathing room. 

Cargo Volume (Max Cargo Volume: 56.3 cu ft): The cargo space available in the RX is average for the class, which is still plenty for a family roadtrip’s worth of luggage.

Family-Friendly Features: Safety assistance technology that’s optional on many rivals is standard here, like lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control. Automatic emergency braking and a surround view camera are among the available features. You won’t find Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but a rear entertainment system is available.

• Read the 2018 Lexus RX 350 Full Review
• See 2018 Lexus RX 350 Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

1) 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE

Base Price: $52,200

Overview (U.S. News Overall Score: 8.3/10): The GLE has one of the nicest interiors in the class, loads of space, and a smooth ride. There are also lots of available safety and tech features to be added. This is not the first win for the GLE; it was also the Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families in 2016.

Safety (U.S. News Score 9.7/10): The 2018 GLE has not yet been fully evaluated by independent sources, but it received four out of five stars in the NHTSA’s rollover test. Standard safety equipment includes forward collision warning and driver drowsiness alerts, with lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking available.

Reliability (U.S. News Score 4.0/5): We’re still waiting for the 2018’s reliability scores, but this model hasn’t seen many changes in the past few years. Previous model years have received four out of five stars, which is better than average even for this competitive class.

• Read the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Full Review
• See 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

1) 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE

Passenger Space: Passengers have room to get comfy in both the front and back seats of the GLE. The second row in particular has as much headroom and legroom as any of the GLE’s competitors.

Cargo Volume (Max Cargo Volume: 80.3 cu ft): If one thing puts the GLE over the top for family friendliness, it would be the massive amount of cargo space. With the rear seats folded down it has 11.5 cubic feet more space than its nearest rival, the Lincoln MKX. (The GLE coupe, for the record, has an average amount of cargo space for the class.)

Family-Friendly Features: The GLE has a long list of available features, including rear seat entertainment, a hands-free liftgate, heated rear seats, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

• Read the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Full Review
• See 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Photos
• See Luxury Midsize SUVs Rankings

More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report

To see the other Best Cars for Families, check out our Best Cars for Families winners slideshow. Also, see how they stack up in our new car rankings.

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Best Luxury 2-Row SUV for Families

4) 2018 Cadillac XT5

3) 2018 Lincoln MKX

2) 2018 Lexus RX

1) 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE