The $40,000 3-Row SUV Challenge

By David Thomas
March 9, 2015
725311941 1425918581033 jpg Cars.com photo by Evan Sears

Family haulers remain top sellers across the country, so we took seven of the best, set a price cap of $40,000, made sure that they achieved at least 19 mpg in combined EPA mileage ratings and put them through their paces. We brought in our own judges along with experts from USA Today and “MotorWeek” as well as a real-life family to evaluate them. Here’s what they found.

What’s the Best 3-Row SUV for $40,000?

What the Judges Said

Mileage Results

Photo Galleries

2014 Chevrolet Traverse | 2014 Dodge Durango | 2014 Honda Pilot | 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe | 2014 Mazda CX-9 | 2014 Nissan Pathfinder | 2014 Toyota Highlander

Car Seat Checks

2014 Chevrolet Traverse | 2014 Dodge Durango | 2014 Honda Pilot | 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe | 2014 Mazda CX-9 | 2014 Nissan Pathfinder | 2014 Toyota Highlander

Real-World Cargo Space

2014 Chevrolet Traverse | 2014 Dodge Durango | 2014 Honda Pilot | 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe | 2014 Mazda CX-9 | 2014 Nissan Pathfinder | 2014 Toyota Highlander
Managing Editor
David Thomas

Former managing editor David Thomas has a thing for wagons and owns a 2010 Subaru Outback and a 2005 Volkswagen Passat wagon.

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