Five of the Most Popular Three-Row SUVs (2024)

by AutoGuide.com Staff (IC: employee)

Honda, as a brand, remains one of the top-selling automotive manufacturers in the United States, and it does so with a huge following due to its reputation for quality. The Pilot is Honda’s flagship SUV and comes with a third row of seating.

These SUVs have an excellent resale value and come loaded with features and options that separate them from the pack. Six trim levels are offered for the Pilot, with one of the newest being the Trailsport – the most rugged version to date. All Pilots are powered by a 285-hp V-6 engine that runs through a 10-speed automatic transmission with shift-by-wire and paddle shifters to give you control of your shifting when you need it.

The Pilot usesHonda’s legendary i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system to actively switch power to the wheels according to how much traction they are getting, making it very stable in poor road conditions. It also gets a top safety pick for crash ratings, meaning you and your family will have that added peace of mind when driving, knowing that if something were to happen, you’re in one of the safest SUVs on the road.

The Hyundai Santa Fe recently received a complete makeover, which includes a more aggressive look along with the return of the third row seating, which helps with its resurgence in popularity.

The Santa Fe is powered by a 2.5-liter inline four cylinder turbo-charged engine that produces 277 horsepower. A hybrid version is also available. The Santa Fe uses an 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and comes in either front-wheel drive or HTRAC all-wheel drive. Five different trim levels are available and the base model features an MSRP of $33,950.

The third row seats are compact and fold flat into the rear cargo area. Safety ratings for the Santa Fe are good, although it wasn’t scored as high as the Honda Pilot. The warranty on the Santa Fe is one of the big selling points for all Hyundai vehicles. It comes with a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty, with a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the drivetrain. Hyundai also throws in 5 years of 24/7 roadside assistance coverage.

The Kia Telluride is very popular, alongside its twin, the Hyundai Palisade. Both are powered by a 291-horsepower 3.8-liter six-cylinder motor with an eight-speed automatic transmission and optional all-wheel drive. Both come with standard third-row seating that is more spacious than other models in the lines.

Although sales are pretty close between the two versions, the Telluride gets the nod as the better-selling option, with most consumers liking the more rugged appearance of the Telluride over the more rounded appearance of the Palisade’s front end. The Telluride also comes in more color options. It is also worth noting that if you took the combined sales of both models, the shared platform easily tops the sales figures for third-row vehicles.

Like other Kia/Hyundai vehicles, these models come with a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty on the vehicles, with a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the drivetrain, and 5 years of 24/7 roadside assistance coverage. Safety ratings are among the best on the road, too, with both models getting 5 out of 5 stars during crash tests.

Subaru likes to position itself as a different kind of car company, and its vehicles have long held a reputation as extremely reliable and very safe, often being at the top of the safety ratings. Subaru’s biggest model, the Ascent, gives you a spacious third-row seating area and a lot of value for your money, while top safety ratings show it to be one of the safest options available.

Every variant of the Ascent uses Subaru’s 2.4-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder Boxer motor that produces 260 horsepower. The engine is mated to a linear CVT transmission for seamless shifting. Each Ascent model boasts independent suspension and an active, symmetrical all-wheel drive system with traction control and hill-descent.

Among the safety features are lane departure warning, eyesight-assisted cruise control, auto-dimming headlights, and much more. Two seating options are available depending upon trim level, with the option being two middle-row captain’s seats or a second-row bench seat. Subaru backs the Ascent with a 3-year, 36,000-mile new-car warranty, a 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty and a 5-year rust protection warranty.

The Mazda CX-90 will likely shock you with how nice of a vehicle it is, and that is definitely why it sells well for the brand. It is Mazda’s largest SUV model with a very comfortable third-row seating area and a cabin that fits a lot of different people very well.

It is powered by Mazda’s 280-horsepower, e-SKYACTIV-G 3.3L turbo, inline six-cylinder motor that is quite a bit of fun to drive. It uses a rear-biased, i-ACTIV all-wheel drive system with pavement and off-road drive modes. The result is a very sporty feel when on the road while at the same time giving you a secure grip for added safety and traction. The transmission is an 8-speed automatic.

On the safety side, Mazda's i-Activsense safety features, including traction control and a wide range of airbags keep you safe in the event of an accident. This helped get it a 5-star safety rating for crashes. The list of luxury-inspired features is far too long to list here, but rest assured, this is a third-row SUV with a ton of class and safety, all while being quite affordable.