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Best 3rd row SUVs of 2022

If you plan on using a vehicle's third row a lot, let us at least make the suggestion that a minivan would be a smarter bet than anything you're going to see on this list of best three-row SUVs. Their third rows are bigger, more comfortable and easier to get to. The kids will definitely be happier. Here are our two top choices.  OK, now that that's out of the way, we totally get why minivans are totally depressing and that if the kids want to be happier, they can buy their own darn vehicle. You're buying, you're driving, you're being seen in it and you'd rather have a three-row SUV. Fair enough. Luckily, there are more choices than ever and they're really good. The best do a particularly good job of being family friendly without looking like a drab transportation appliance, although really, you can't go wrong with any of the mainstream three-row SUVs. Now, some of the luxury choices are a bit suspect, including those that are otherwise very appealing but have cramped third-row seats (the Genesis GV80 comes to mind). We're focusing on three-row SUVs here, so having a usable third row is a must.   In this list, we have broken things down into four sub-categories: Best Three-Row Crossover |  Best Full-size Three-Row SUV Best Luxury Three-Row SUV |  Best Flagship Luxury Three-Row SUV Note that we define crossovers as SUVs since most buyers use the terms interchangeably, but acknowledge that "crossover" is literally a vehicle with a car-like unibody structure as opposed to the truck-like, body-on-frame construction that traditionally has defined "SUV." In other words, we consider all crossovers SUVs, but not all SUVs are crossovers (specifically those in the full-size segment and some in the flagship luxury segment). Best Three-Row Crossover SUVs of 2024 2024 Honda Pilot Why it stands out: Exceptional storage and cargo space; unique second-row functionality; refined ride; versatile and capable TrailSport; advanced AWDCould be better: Subpar acceleration with lackadaisical transmission and engine response; so-so driver assistance tech Read our full 2024 Honda Pilot Review The Honda Pilot was completely redesigned for 2023. It maintains its predecessor's family friendly packaging and overall focus, but it has injected a welcome sense of style (especially in the TrailSport pictured above) that makes it stand out much better from the big crossover crowd.

2016 Chevy Malibu gets premium looks, hybrid model

The Chevrolet Malibu was once an automotive icon, but its modern reputation is one for underachievement. A new 2016 model seeks to restore the storied nameplate with improved styling, more interior room and a new hybrid version. It debuts Wednesday at the New York Auto Show. Put simply, "the goal was to put Chevrolet back in the midsize car segment," said John Cafaro, the brand's executive director of car design. In a crowded arena with 2.2 million sales up for grabs annually, Chevy has not been a player. Last year, the brand sold 188,519 Malibus, a six-percent decline from 2013, and fewer than half the number of Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords sold. Despite awards from J.D. Power and Associates and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Chevy knew the Malibu needed a big change. New Skin, Lighter Bones The redesign has been in the works for at least three years. Although the Malibu is still based on GM's Epsilon 2 platform, the underpinnings are more derivative of the Impala than the outgoing model. The body structure makes greater use of high-strength steel, which helps reduce weight by 300 pounds. Size is more Impala-like as well, with 2.3 inches more overall length and a 3.6-inch wheelbase stretch contributing to greater interior space. A new skin covers the Malibu's lighter bones, and design language from the Impala gives its sibling sedan a fresher, more upscale appearance. To execute this premium appearance, Chevy turned to 25-year-old designer Jaymer Starbody, a four-year General Motors veteran and graduate from Detroit's College for Creative Studies. He described the new Malibu as having a "wheel-oriented" design, and the car looks poised to pounce from certain angles. Though the 2016 Malibu is the same width as before, designers stretched the creases and angles in the sheetmetal to create a flatter, sleeker appearance. The hood and cowl are lower, and the Malibu's face sparkles with LED running lamps on the top trim levels. Inside, the roomier cabin has a new center stack, satin chrome accents on the interior panel and a console storage area designed for mobile devices. Chevy MyLink with a seven-inch color touchscreen is standard on lower trims, and the top model upgrades to an eight-inch screen. Perforated leather seats and ambient lighting are also available options. The cabin was designed to look high-tech, but still remain easy to use, according to Chevy interior design director Crystal Windham.

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.