Buying an 8-passenger SUV is like Dating
Searching for the perfect family car sometimes sounds like a dating profile: “Mom of five seeks reliable, hard-working vehicle for a long-term relationship. Must be good with kids.”
Sifting through all of the potential prospects can feel a little daunting. With so many options out there, how do you know which one to pick? Well, we’re here to make your life a little easier by rounding up some smile-inducing SUVs that are big enough to pile the whole family inside. And if big SUVs intimidate you, don’t worry — not everything on this list is as huge and hulking as you might think. (But you can still fit eight passengers inside, which is pretty impressive.)
In no particular order, here are some of our favorite 8-passenger SUVs that you and your family are sure to love.
Related: Luxury 3-row SUVs that are Perfect for the Pickup Lane or Neiman Marcus
Cadillac Escalade
Why You’ll Love It
The Escalade was redesigned in 2020, and after an extended Pandemic debut, it still feels fresh and new. From the moment you start it up and hear that amazing exhaust note – especially in the powerful 682 HP V edition –you know you’re about to have a special experience in this 8-passenger SUV. And then you realize that you’re surrounded by all the luxurious features on which Cadillac has built its stellar reputation. Supple, fragrant leather; automatic running boards that extend to assist you into the car; a panoramic sunroof that showers passengers with natural light; a wireless rear seat entertainment system; a refined and futuristic front seat multimedia system; “Hey Google” voice-activated assistance so you never have to lift a finger to get what you want.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
A multitude of space for your family and all their preferred gear is perfectly complemented by solid safety features like forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, and surround view cameras. The refined luxuries – leather interior with heated and vented massaging front seats and third-row seats that can be folded from the front seat – will make your time on the road in this 7- to 8-passenger vehicle a lot more pleasurable.
What It Costs
Base prices start at $80,795; the top of the line V model is priced at $155,365.
Related: Read More about the Cadillac Escalade V’s Posh Power Here
Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Series II
Why You’ll Love It
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Series II is the ultimate 8-passenger SUV family truckster. Jeep has created a substantial vehicle with a 226.7″ wheelbase (just a skinch shorter than the Escalade), powered by a new inline-6 paired with an 8-speed transmission that pumps out 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. There’s a great sound system, charging ports galore, a refrigerated cooler box in the front console, massaging front seats, and plentiful storage cubbies. Automatic ride height adjustment, power running boards, and power-folding seats allow for easy entry to the third row.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
It’s the screens. There are eight of them distributed throughout the cabin: from the digital rearview mirror to the passenger side that controls the two seat-back entertainment screens in the second row, both of which have games and Amazon Fire capabilities. Then, if you have the captain’s chairs with a center console, there is another seat/comfort screen on that for the second-row passengers to control their own comfort levels. True independence!
What it Costs
The Grand Wagoneer L begins at $88,640; the model we drove was $109,295.
Related: We are Simply Wild over the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L Series II
Toyota Grand Highlander
Why You’ll Love It
We’re fans of the regular Highlander, too, but if you’re going to go the Highlander route, why not go Grand? The Toyota Grand Highlander gives you more space for your people and your things, and it doesn’t cost all that much more than its non-grand counterpart. It’s large, spacious, tech-filled, and easy to drive. (Did you know that it’s smaller than the Sequoia but roomier on the inside? Mind-blowing.)
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
Even the lower-priced models come packed with several family-friendly features, such as voice-activated assistance, wireless phone charging, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Your family will love the easy-to-access third-row, seven USB ports, third-row air vents, and storage compartments for all their knick-knacks and doo-dads.
What It Costs
The Grand Highlander XLE starts at $43,320, and the top Platinum trim begins at $53,795. There’s also a hybrid version of the Grand Highlander, which ranges from $45,020 to $58,475.
Toyota Grand Highlander Luxury 3 Row SUV: Bigger, More Spacious and… More Powerful Hybrid!
Chevrolet Suburban
Why You’ll Love It
Is there any car that’s more quintessentially family-friendly than the Chevrolet Suburban, and its slightly smaller twin, the Tahoe? Forget fitting eight passengers — with the optional bench in the first row, you can pack in up to nine people. For the 2025 model, Chevy is upgrading the tech, starting with a more expansive multimedia screen and driver information display. As a bonus, the new display is part of a slimmed-down dash that increases visibility. And, of course, the Suburban won’t let you down if you have big trailering plans for those weekend family excursions since it has an 8,200-pound towing capacity.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
Can you say “class-leading cargo volume”? That alone should put the Suburban at or near the top of the list if you’re on the hunt for a good family SUV. Excellent head- and legroom, safety features galore, built-in WiFi, and an optional rear-seat entertainment package also help the Suburban make a good case for being the next SUV to grace your garage.
What It Costs
The base Suburban LS starts at $59,200, while the top-tier High Country begins at $79,400.
Chevrolet Suburban High Country Made Me Love It So Much I Miss It
Hyundai Palisade
Why You’ll Love It
Now we move into the not-so-big-but-still-pretty-spacious 8-passenger SUV category. Technically, the Hyundai Palisade is a midsize SUV, but it can still haul an impressive amount of people and things for its size. It can fit up to eight passengers if those third-row passengers are all small children, but you could squeeze in three adults if you absolutely had to.
The Hyundai Palisade’s biggest selling point is that it offers a whole lot of value at a shockingly affordable price point. You’ll love the super soft and comfy seats, the 291-horsepower V6 engine, and the host of driver-assistance features to give you peace of mind on the road.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
Three words: heated third row. There are very few SUVs out there that offer this option, much less at this price point. Add to that Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system and their “America’s Best Warranty,” and you’ll be wondering how you ever lived without this thing.
What It Costs
The base SE trim starts at $36,400, while the luxury-loaded Calligraphy Night starts at $53,600.
Why I Bought a Hyundai Palisade 3-Row SUV
Kia Telluride
Why You’ll Love It
Just like its Hyundai Palisade cousin, the Kia Telluride is a crowd-pleaser for one very big reason: value. How it manages to pack in so many luxuries and driver-assistance features into an 8-passenger SUV at such a relatively low cost is anyone’s guess, but we applaud Kia for pulling it off.
With seating for up to eight passengers, the Telluride is surprisingly roomy in that third row, which is another remarkable and inexplicable feat given that it’s much smaller than, say, a Suburban — and it gets better gas mileage, too. It also has a slight upper hand over the Palisade in terms of exterior styling.
Some affectionately refer to the Kia Telluride as “The Range Rover for the Middle Class.” That’s not a bad thing.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
The interior feels much more upscale than the price suggests. A large touch screen, excellent audio, a passenger intercom, and features like adaptive cruise control help this midsize SUV consistently rank near the top of the pack. It even keeps up with some of the bigger boys. Also, optional heated and ventilated second-row seats will make your kids feel like royalty — and that’s a feature many high-end luxury vehicles don’t even offer.
What It Costs:
The entry-level LX trim starts at just $35,990, which is almost eye-poppingly cheap. Even the range-topping SX Prestige X-Pro trim has a reasonable starting MSRP of $53,185.
2023 Kia Telluride Is Luxe, Loaded, and Affordable
Mazda CX-90
Why You’ll Love It
Mazda’s newest SUV is now its flagship, and it comes in a 6, 7, or 8-passenger configuration, each outfitted with lovely leather upholstery, fresh modern finishes, and more legroom and cargo space than ever. Mazda has worked hard to make sure everyone will be comfortable, and while we aren’t sure that the 8-passenger model is really ideal for 8 passengers on the regular, having all those seats when you need them is a true gift.
And you can pick your power: Gas, hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid electric, each with more power than the CX-9 it replaces.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
USB ports and cup holders at every seat. Theater-style seating so no one gets car sick. Slide and tilt center row seats that allow easy 3rd-row access. And a top-notch sound system so everyone can sing along and no one can tell that anyone is singing off-key.
What It Costs
The base model starts at about $39,000, and the top of the top-of-the-line model comes in at just under $60,000. Note that not all configurations – seating for 8 and/or PHEV – are available on all trims.
Lincoln Navigator
Why You’ll Love It
The Lincoln Navigator has all the bells and whistles a fancy car should, and that is exactly what makes it special. You’ll be enchanted at the start by the subdued elegance of the exterior paint choices and bejeweled grille, and then by the luscious interiors that complement them. You’ll find yourself ensconced in leather and surrounded by wood and other unique materials once you shut the doors. Then get ready to be swept away in a plethora of features: auto hold, massage in the front row seats, intelligent and adaptive cruise control, and a host of cameras and high-tech safety features.
Why Your Family Will Be Spoiled
If you all can agree on the same music, the out-of-this-world Revel sound system will please the entire crowd. You can bring all the kids – there are four sets of child passenger car seat anchors and 6 tethers. Bring all the toys, too – this big guy can tow up to 8,300 pounds. The heated and ventilated seats for the 2nd-row passengers provide a taste of the good life the front-row people enjoy. And if you really want to show your non-youthful passengers some love, you can opt for the massaging captain chairs in the second row.
What It Costs
The Lincoln Navigator Premiere base model starts at $82,765, and the top of the top-of-the-line Black Label L begins at $113,795. The L series on the Reserve and Black Label trims extend the vehicle length by 12″, providing your family with a additional and substantial amount of cargo space behind the third row.
You Don’t Need a Big Family to Enjoy an 8-passenger SUV
Beyond having a big family, there are so many reasons why any one of these 8-passenger SUVs might be the perfect choice for your next car purchase — so don’t fret if you don’t have kids!
Many people appreciate the extra spaciousness of large SUVs to haul around their cargo. Are you a camper? Biker? Frequent road-tripper? Your fortress of an SUV could double as a motorhome of sorts. There’s room enough to spare for all your gear and maybe even a blow-up mattress if you plan on doing a little overnighting somewhere.
There’s also safety to consider. In general, a larger car provides more protection in the event of a crash than a smaller one, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But really, what you buy and why you buy it is completely your business. If the only reason you wind up owning a big SUV is simply because you like it, then more power to you.
Bottom line: Buy a car, truck, or 8-passenger SUV you love that will support your lifestyle. And if you happen to choose one of the options on this list, we think you’ll be pretty happy.
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