14 SUVs With The Most Spacious Third Rows – Jalopnik

There’s an episode of the Eighties TV present “That’s Incredible” through which a yogi folded his six-foot body into an absurdly tiny field. For the common grownup, the third rows of some SUVs are paying homage to that historical actuality present sensationalism. However, some producers do not really hate the third-row passengers, so they provide SUVs with usable legroom again there. We’ve rounded up a few of the most spacious fashions under.

Given the variations in seat design, you would possibly marvel simply how they measure legroom. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) supplies a set of requirements for measurements utilizing an H-Point Machine, or HPM. The “H-point” is the situation of a driver or passenger’s hip joint in a automotive seat, and all measurements are based mostly on that. There’s an archived copy of the SAE’s really helpful practices for measuring car dimensions utilizing an HPM, and, effectively, it is sophisticated. Hyundai affords a much less complicated clarification of legroom on its web site.

Compliance with the usual is voluntary, so that you’d ideally have your potential third-row passengers take a “test seating.” Still, the measurements under make an excellent start line for automotive buyers who want room for six to eight passengers. The common third-row legroom within the business is 32 inches, so we have set a decrease restrict of 33 inches, guaranteeing that all the fashions in our listing are above common. If two automobiles are tied, the tiebreaker goes to the SUV with extra cargo room behind the third row.

The BMW X7 is likely one of the sportiest fashions on our listing, providing agility and velocity befitting an SUV from the corporate that birthed the tagline, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” However, whereas the X7 remains to be technically a full-size SUV, you pay for its sporty nature with a 3rd row that is the smallest in our rankings at 33.3 inches, simply barely making the minimize for this listing. It does not provide a lot in the way in which of cargo room behind that seat to compensate, both, with solely 12.8 cubic toes of area when the seat is upright. The 2026 X7’s beginning worth is $86,700.

For that premium worth, you get an expensive SUV that is loaded with options like heated seats and a power-adjustable steering wheel. The inside additionally options loads of intelligent storage cubbies. An influence-operated second row of seats supplies entry to the third row, and with the third row folded flat, cargo capability will increase immensely. Power comes from a variety of engines, together with a turbocharged 375 horsepower inline-six, a 523 hp 4.4-liter V8 discovered within the M60i model, and a bonkers 631 hp Alpina-tuned V8 within the XB7.

The Land Rover Discovery combines conventional British luxurious with critical off-road chops. The third row affords 33.5 inches of legroom and 6.07 cubic toes of cargo quantity within the very again. Hopefully, you and your six passengers aren’t taking way more than a few duffel baggage in your adventures within the Kalahari. On the plus facet, a reviewer for J.D. Power described the third-row seats as “roomier than they seem,” with enough foot area however compromised knee room.

The Discover’s tall cabin does provide loads of headroom, although. This cabin is luxuriously appointed, with all of the comforts you’ll anticipate from a premium British car. Its trip and dealing with are undoubtedly geared extra towards driving on rugged trails reasonably than excessive efficiency on pavement. That stated, it is no slouch, with a alternative of a 296 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a 355 hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder, each turbocharged. The base Discover S mannequin checks in at only a hair over $60,000, rising to $83,500 for the top-of-the-line Tempest Edition.

The Dodge Durango has soldiered on for a few years, sporting the identical fundamental design since 2011. In truth, the next-generation Durango might not debut till 2029. On the plus facet, meaning Dodge had loads of time to refine the mannequin. Its third row affords 33.5 inches of legroom, just like the Discovery, however with 17.2 cubic toes of area behind that row, it edges out that Land Rover providing. The 2026 Durango lineup was initially meant to be solely V8-powered, however Dodge backtracked and introduced that the 295 hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 can be accessible for buy.

The different engine choices are a 360 hp 5.7-liter V8, a 475 hp 6.4-liter V8, and the supercharged 710 hp 6.2-liter V8 discovered within the Durango Hellcat. The latter engine brings this sizable beast of an SUV from zero to 60 mph in solely 3.4 seconds. The Hellcat mannequin additionally affords the Jailbreak customization program, permitting you to select from a virtually infinite variety of inside and exterior configurations — simply in case a 3.4-second 0-60 time is not distinctive sufficient for you. Still, we’ll give Dodge tons of props for infusing a lot pleasure into such an previous mannequin.

It might be arduous to maintain monitor of the wild profusion of SUVs supplied by Toyota, and that is not helped when two fashions have practically related names. The Grand Highlander is a more recent mannequin than the long-serving Highlander, with the previous having first arrived in 2024. This “Grand” people-mover affords 33.5 inches of third-row legroom with a beneficiant 20.6 cubic toes of cargo area behind it, with the latter quantity being among the many greatest in its section. Its cargo area places it forward of the Discovery and the Durango of their three-way tie of third-row legroom.

When the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was introduced, we famous that Toyota boasted its capacity to accommodate grownup passengers within the third row together with seven items of baggage within the cargo space. That makes for one piece of baggage for every passenger. Not too shabby — at the very least, for a brief journey. At a beginning worth of $41,360, the Grand Highlander is well-equipped with options like three-zone automated local weather management and an non-obligatory panoramic glass roof. Gas-only and hybrid energy trains can be found.

The Sequoia is well neglected, because it lurks amongst Toyota’s extra widespread and better-known SUV fashions. As an instance, Toyota bought simply over 26,000 Sequoias in 2024, which is not very spectacular when in comparison with greater than 475,000 RAV4s. Still, the stately Sequoia affords way more area than its smaller sibling, together with third-row seating with 33.7 inches of legroom and 11.5 cubic toes of cargo quantity behind that row. At a beginning worth of $64,025, it is amongst Toyota’s extra premium choices. It’s large, it is comfy, and it may tow 9,500 kilos.

Every Sequoia is powered by Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX Twin-Turbo V6 Hybrid drive prepare. This gutsy engine delivers 437 hp and a really substantial 583 pound-feet of torque, and it boasts a freeway mileage ranking of as much as 24 mpg. Its Panoramic View Monitor makes maneuvering with a trailer simpler, and non-obligatory power-extending working boards make it simpler to get out and in. Technology features a 10-inch head-up show, Qi wi-fi charging, and accessible 120V retailers. The Sequoia got here in second in our listing of vehicles more than likely to rack up 250,000 miles.

Volkswagen pitches the Atlas as a “family SUV.” That might sound redundant, provided that SUVs on the whole are just about definitionally household vehicles in 2025. But the Atlas affords households a bit of further: 33.7 inches of third-row legroom and an honest 20.6 cubic toes of cargo area in again. At a comparatively inexpensive beginning worth of $39,310, it affords a few of the greatest worth on this listing. It’s a flexible midsize seven-passenger SUV able to towing 5,000 kilos. It’s not probably the most thrilling car on our listing, but it surely’s an excellent workhorse for a giant household.

The Atlas is powered by a turbocharged 269 hp 2.0-liter inline-four, so you will not beat a Durango Hellcat in a stoplight race. On the plus facet, front-wheel drive fashions get 27 mpg on the freeway, with AWD fashions solely dropping by one mpg. Its passenger cabin affords quite a few storage bins, and the SUV itself has an honest focus of tech options. Those options embody an non-obligatory new-for-2026 HomeLink mirror for connecting to sensible units.

The Lucid Gravity might win over some consumers to the realm of all-electric SUVs, though they’d need to be pretty rich to abdomen its beginning worth of $79,900. The Gravity affords 33.9 inches of third-row legroom with 21.3 cubic toes of cargo area behind it. If that is not sufficient for all of your stuff, it additionally has a “frunk” (or entrance trunk) the place the engine can be in an internal-combustion automotive, providing an extra 8.1 cubic toes of area. Between all that passenger and cargo area, the Gravity affords numerous utility.

It’s additionally quick. Like, actually, actually quick. Even in its base Touring version, it affords 560 hp and a 4.0-second 0-60 time. Step as much as the Grand Touring trim (with a base worth of $94,900), and also you get 828 hp and a 3.4-second 0-60 time — or a reality-warping 3.2 seconds in accordance with a Motor Trend comparability take a look at. The journal’s assessment of the Gravity famous some tough edges, which is likely to be anticipated from a small firm that bought its first fashions in 2021. Still, in our first drive of a 2025 Lucid Gravity, we personally discovered it to be sensible.

The Mercedes-Benz GLS swaddles three rows of occupants within the consolation that one would anticipate from a car with the three-pointed star on its grille. The passengers within the very again row can get pleasure from 34.6 inches of legroom, whereas the area behind them holds 17.4 cubic toes of baggage or different cargo. At a beginning worth of $90,250, it is simply as dear as you’d anticipate a giant Benz to be. Yet, regardless of its luxurious focus, the GLS is not too shabby of a performer.

Credit this efficiency to a variety of clean, highly effective engines. The GLS 450 comes with a turbocharged 375 hp six-cylinder, whereas GLS 580 affords a twin-turbocharged 510 hp V8. Buyers with 150 Gs to buy with can get an AMG GLS 63, full with a biturbo 603-hp V8 from Mercedes’ AMG efficiency division. This engine can scoot the 6,118-pound GLS from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds. There’s a GLS 600 from the Mercedes-Maybach ultra-luxury sub-brand, too, however that mannequin eliminates the third-row seat solely.

We’re giving the Chevy Tahoe and the GMC Yukon a shared itemizing, since they’re primarily the identical car. GMC’s model is extra upmarket, with extra customary options on the base trim degree, but it surely has an identical dimensions. (Note that the extended-length Yukon XL is likewise a clone of the bigger Chevy Suburban, which we have listed additional down our listing.) Both the Tahoe and the Yukon provide 34.9 inches of third-row legroom and 25.5 cubic toes of area behind the third seat. Which one you favor largely comes right down to aesthetic and have preferences.

The Tahoe begins at $65,995 whereas the Yukon begins at $69,200. At larger pricing tiers, the distinction grows. The Tahoe’s high High Country trim raises that value as much as $85,995, and the ritziest Yukon — the Denali Ultimate — hits a minimal of $103,300. The more money will get a Yukon Denali Ultimate purchaser extra high-end options that are not customary on the Tahoe, akin to 24-inch “selective machined” wheels in comparison with the Tahoe’s High Country’s customary 22-inch wheels. The Denali Ultimate additionally consists of expertise like Night Vision, which shows a thermal picture that will help you see pedestrians or animals within the highway.

You might argue that the Cadillac Escalade also needs to have been grouped with the Tahoe and the Yukon, since this third member of the GM full-size household has an identical third-row legroom and cargo area at 34.9 inches and 25.5 cubic toes, respectively. However, the Escalade has a distinctly luxury-oriented mission, mirrored in its considerably larger base worth of $91,100; we predict buyers can be unlikely to cross-shop the Caddy in opposition to its cheaper cousins. (We’ll additionally point out the extended-length Escalade ESV right here, which affords 36.7 inches of third-row legroom and 41.5 cubic toes of area behind there.)

The Caddy’s mannequin vary extends to the $168,000 V Series, which comes with a supercharged 682 hp 6.2-liter V8. Even common Escalades include a 420 hp 6.2-liter V8 that is good for a tow ranking of as much as 8,100 kilos. For 2026, there’s additionally the three-row electrical Escalade IQL. Both two-wheel drive and AWD can be found throughout the vary, aside from the V Series and IQL, which include customary AWD. Features like GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving tech are additionally customary on all trim ranges of the Escalade.

Land Rover’s large luxurious SUV, the Range Rover, affords a three-row mannequin with a beneficiant 35.8 inches of third-row legroom. However, that comes at a steep value within the type of diminished rear cargo area, coming in at solely 8.7 cubic toes. Seven occupants can be hard-pressed to deliver all their baggage on a visit — until just a few of them do not thoughts holding it on their laps. Still, the Range Rover affords sybaritic luxurious on the three-row long-wheelbase mannequin’s $120,700 base worth. Four-wheel drive is customary, after all; it is a Range Rover, in any case.

We ought to observe that Range Rover is kind of a sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover, and it presently consists of 4 fashions. The just-plain Range Rover is the top-of-the-line flagship mannequin that we’re inspecting right here. Yes, it is complicated. Anyway, this Range Rover affords a lineup of gasoline and hybrid drive trains ranging between 395 and 606 hp. Its adjustable air suspension delivers a cloud-like trip on pavement whereas nonetheless offering main off-road cred.

Offering 36.5 inches of legroom within the rear-most seat with 21.6 cubic toes of cargo area simply aft of it, the rolling big referred to as the Ford Expedition can take the entire household (and all of the household’s baggage) to the lake for the weekend. If your loved ones consists of compulsive over-packers, there is a long-wheelbase Expedition Max with the identical legroom however 36.1 cubic toes of cargo area. Add in a 9,600-pound tow ranking, seating for as much as eight folks, and ControlTrac Four Wheel Drive, and the Expedition lives as much as its title.

Ford’s web site refers back to the Expedition’s engine as merely the three.5-liter EcoBoost V6. Sounds boring, proper? Like one thing you’ll have present in a Taurus 20 years in the past. But the high-output model is a twin-turbo port-and-direct-injected 440 hp V6 that generates 510 lb-ft of torque. It will get the job performed, even on this 5,900-pound truck. For 2026, the redesigned Expedition affords some new inside options and a break up tailgate that drew combined opinions from critics. That mannequin 12 months’s costs begin at $62,400, whereas the top-of-the-line King Ranch trim begins at $84,060. The off-road-focused Tremor version affords Rock Crawl mode and all-terrain tires.

Jeep refreshed the Wagoneer for 2026, which resulted within the firm dropping the bottom mannequin and retaining the Grand Wagoneer at a diminished worth. In truth, the bottom Grand Wagoneer is now priced decrease than the bottom model was. The Grand Wagoneer affords 36.6 inches of third-row legroom and 27.9 cubic toes of cargo area. Like the Expedition, it is available in a long-wheelbase model, which Jeep calls the Grand Wagoneer L. That mannequin’s third-row seat affords the identical legroom, however there is a whopping 42.6 cubic toes of cargo area behind it.

For 2026, the Grand Wagoneer’s customary engine is the Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six, a 3.0-liter unit that pumps out 420 hp and 468 lb-ft of torque. This provides the SUV 10,000 kilos of towing capability. Prices begin at $63,240 for a regular-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer and $66,240 for a Grand Wagoneer L. The high trim degree, Summit Reserve, simply barely cracks the hundred grand mark with its base worth. Four-wheel drive is customary on all however the base trim degree.

The Chevy Suburban and its GMC Yukon XL twin are the reigning kings of the third-row legroom, with 36.7 inches in each fashions. Both mega-utes provide a really beneficiant 41.5 cubic toes of cargo area behind their final rows, too, which is healthier than any of their opponents besides the Grand Wagoneer L. The 2026 Suburban begins at $63,400, whereas its extra luxurious GMC counterpart opens the bidding at $72,200. As with the Tahoe and the non-extra-large Yukon, the value hole widens as you go as much as larger trim ranges.

Both SUVs provide the identical alternative of three engines. The base energy plant is a 355 hp 5.3-liter V8, and the gutsier alternative is a 420 hp 6.2-liter V8. For those that need higher gasoline effectivity, a 305 hp 3.0-liter diesel inline-six is obtainable. The fashions provide non-obligatory adjustable suspensions that may present simpler entry for passengers and higher clearance for off-road obstacles. Towing capability is 8,300 kilos for the Suburban and eight,400 kilos for the Yukon XL. Each car can seat as much as 9 passengers if outfitted with entrance bench seats. And this is a enjoyable truth: the Suburban has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Yukon XL should be jealous.