These Are The Greatest Minivans And three-Row SUVs, According To Consumer Reports – Jalopnik

Buying a brand new automobile prices a considerable amount of cash. According to CarEdge, which cites information from Cox Automotive, the common worth of a brand new automobile within the U.S. is round $48,699. If you are going to drop that form of cash on this economic system, it is smart to seize one of the best car you should purchase. However, selecting a brand new automobile will not be the straightforward feat that many consider it to be, because the sheer number of choices on sale right now is usually a little overwhelming. Thankfully, these of you who’re available in the market for a minivan or SUV for the household are in luck. 

Consumer Reports has made your job simpler by revealing one of the best three-row household SUVs and minivans obtainable, and never all of them price a ton of cash — until you need a totally loaded-trim stage, that’s. That being stated, it is vital to do not forget that, like all autos, the entries on this record do have their drawbacks. So, that you must perceive the professionals and cons of every earlier than you make the leap.

The Tundra-based Sequoia has rather a lot to supply. The i-FORCE MAX hybrid engine, particularly, has acquired reward from each drivers and reviewers for its stout energy output, and Consumer Reports famous as a lot. The engine is a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 that pairs with an electrical motor to provide a mixed 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. All that energy travels to the rear wheels or all 4 wheels, relying on mannequin choices, by way of a 10-speed computerized transmission. 

When Car and Driver examined a four-wheel drive 2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone mannequin, the automobile logged an incredible 0 to 60 mph time of 5.6 seconds and smashed the quarter mile in 14.3 seconds at 94 mph. Fuel economic system is spectacular, too — the 2023 Toyota Sequoia is able to getting as much as 24 mpg on the freeway and as much as 21 mpg within the metropolis. The Sequoia can also be among the finest SUVs for towing, with a max hauling capability starting from 8,980 to 9,520 kilos, relying on trim configurations. The 2025 Toyota Sequoia can seat seven or eight individuals, relying on the trim stage. 

Toyota claims one other spot on the record with the midsize Highlander Hybrid. It’s greater than $16,000 cheaper than the 2025 Sequoia, given its beginning MSRP of $46,020. In actuality, only a few consumers are prone to be torn between the Highlander and Sequoia, due to the truth that the 2 autos are in utterly totally different lessons. However, some could pitch the Highlander towards the Grand Highlander, which entered the fray in 2023 forward of the 2024 mannequin 12 months.

Compared with the Grand Highlander, the Highlander occupies a candy spot for compactness within the Toyota vary. It is shorter, narrower, and lighter than its bigger-brother, making it simpler to park and drive within the metropolis. Motivation for the hybrid mannequin is supplied by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that mixes with three electrical motors to ship 243 whole horsepower. 

That makes it much less highly effective than the nonhybrid Highlander, which has a 265-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine launched for the 2023 Highlander. However, the Highlander Hybrid greater than makes up for any horsepower deficiencies with beneficiant gas economic system of roughly 35 mpg. That’s some 11 mpg greater than the nonhybrid Highlander mannequin manages to supply. 

Based on the Toyota GA-Ok platform, the Lexus TX is twinned with the Toyota Grand Highlander, and it is completely a three-row SUV. Equipment is beneficiant, with a heated, power-adjustable steering wheel, heated and power-adjustable entrance seats, a hands-free energy liftgate, and 20-inch alloy wheels all coming customary on the TX. There’s additionally a 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12-speaker premium sound system, in addition to wi-fi Apple CarPlay and wi-fi Android Auto. 

On the protection entrance, the Lexus TX Hybrid has you coated, because the Japanese automaker presents the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 on each trim. It consists of pre-collision help with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise management, lane retaining help, and lane departure warning with steering help. You additionally get blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, parking help with computerized braking and rear pedestrian detection, and a complete vary of different useful options, irrespective of the TX trim stage you select. 

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is one other nice alternative for a household SUV, based on Consumer Reports. In truth, we known as the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe the crossover to finish all crossovers. Its powertrain setup consists of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine mated with a single electrical motor to supply 231 horsepower. All that energy makes its approach to the entrance wheels or all 4 — relying on trim choices — by way of a six-speed computerized transmission.

Front-drive variations common 36 mpg mixed, whereas fashions with all-wheel are good for as much as 34 mpg mixed. For context, the nonhybrid Santa Fe presents 24 mpg mixed at finest. But gas economic system is not the one factor the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid will get proper. It’s additionally one of the inexpensive choices on this record, with pricing for the base-spec 2026 Santa Fe Hybrid SE beginning at $36,150. That will get you a seven-seat midsize SUV with fabric inside, an influence driver’s seat, a telescopic steering wheel, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, in addition to wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

If you need one thing extra upmarket, you’ll be able to go for higher-end trims such because the Limited or Calligraphy. Both fashions seat six — though the Limited is out there with an non-compulsory seventh seat. These trims supply niceties comparable to heated and ventilated entrance seats, heated rear seats, reminiscence settings for the driving force’s seat, a heated steering wheel, second-row captain’s chairs, and, within the case of the range-topping Calligraphy, Nappa leather-based upholstery. The Limited trim begins at $45,450, whereas the Calligraphy begins at $48,450, not together with the freight charge.

The Kia Carnival Hybrid is one of the best minivan you should purchase, based on Consumer Reports. The Kia minivan has been round because the late ’90s. However, in 2025, the Kia Carnival was handled to a refresh that included a brand new hybrid powertrain. The hybrid setup pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with an electrical motor for a mixed 242 horsepower and a gas consumption fee of 33 mixed mpg. If you need extra oomph, the nonhybrid Carnival has a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 287 horsepower, however its common mixed gas economic system is a lowly 21 mpg.

No matter which Carnival Hybrid trim you select, you get 40.2 cubic ft of room with all seats up and a whopping 145.1 cubic ft of cargo area with the third and second rows folded down. The Kia Carnival Hybrid additionally has a beneficiant quantity of head and legroom for these within the third row. Models with no sunroof present 38.6 inches of headroom, whereas these that include the sunroof supply an honest 36.5 inches of headroom. Third-row legroom is 35.6 inches in all 4 trims.