Video: What's The Best Three-Row SUV for 2016?

The contenders are the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, Honda pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-9 and Nissan Pathfinder. The Pathfinder has a lot of potential. It's got some things going for it. It's very comfortable, seats are comfortable. Interior is very bright and airy. But on the downside of that comfortableness, gives it a really kind of roly poly flimsy feel on the road. And the CBT while it's much better than it used to be, it's still very droney when it comes to engine noise, still not a fan. The Pathfinder has been refreshed for 2017. However, they dipped it in a bucket of bland. It has a boring exterior, the inside is somehow even more boring looking and it just doesn't stand out from the crowd. The Pathfinder's dashboard is filled with buttons and knobs in the busy interface, wasn't that easy to use. The Hyundai Santa Fe doesn't feel quite as refined as some of the other ones in this group, but it does make up for it with a boatload of features for the price. For just over $43,000, the Santa Fe comes with adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. These are great safety features to help keep you safe on the road. <v Brian>Typical Hyundai with the Santa Fe, you get a lot of features for the money, but the material quality, maybe not the best. Ride quality, certainly not the best. And for me anyway, the seats by far, the least comfortable. <v Jennifer>In the Explorer, it's a multi-step process to fold the third row seats into the floor. You have to pull the straps in a certain sequence to get it to flip and tumble. The design of the Explorer's folding third row is different than the competition and it gives it a deeper cargo space when all seats are up. <v Brian>The new sync system really nails it. It took what had been a deal breaker and makes it potentially a deal maker. <v Jennifer>The Explorer only has USB ports in the first row. So that leaves the second and third row passengers fighting to get some time with that charger. <v Brian>The Durango is more truck like appearance and the macho brass monkey package that it had on it, clearly made it to three row with attitude in this group. One of the things I didn't like about the Durango is it feels large in the most truck like of the models we tested. The Durango's Uconnect touchscreen multimedia system remains one of the easier ones to use in this class. In the Dodge Durango, there's a great button in the multimedia system. And what it does, it allows you to fold down the third row head restraints while you're sitting in the front row. That's great because it really improves rear visibility. <v Brian>With its latest redesign, there's a lot to like about the CX-9. The interior materials, very nice. And as always, it has one of the best mix of ride and handling of the group. <v Mike>The CX-9's turbo four and tight chassis make it the driver's choice among these three rows, but it does so at the expense of some more cabin noise and kind of a busy ride. <v Brian>On the downside with the CX-9, the dash layout doesn't really work for me. It looks very awkward. Screen, kinda sticking up out of nowhere. Controller, hard to use. <v Mike>The CX-9 doesn't give you as many amenities for the money. There's a small sunroof, there's no vented front seats and it doesn't have Apple Car Play or Android auto. <v Brian>While the Sorento shares some mechanicals with its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Santa Fe, I think it may have beaten it in terms of a better ride and a quieter cabin. <v Jennifer>Longer road trips will be a breeze in the Sorento with its supportive comfortable front row seats, that are heated and cooled. Limited leg room and knee room made the Sorento's third row one of the least comfortable in our tests. <v Jennifer>In the Sorento, you'll need to pack light. There's only 11.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. The Acadia has pretty much all of the tech and safety features you could want, and probably one of the best ride qualities here. What I don't like about it is they've made it a lot smaller now, and so there's a lot less room, especially for cargo, and I feel like I'm paying just as much for a lot less. <v Mike>The new Acadia is about 600 pounds lighter and a little more than seven inches shorter in overall length. It finally gives GM a direct competitor to the market leaders in this segment. <v Jennifer>In the Acadia, there's a button that allows parents to lock out the rear climate controls. It's for those times when the kids can't stop pushing the buttons and they're driving you crazy. While leg room in the second row is plentiful in the Acadia, in the third row, it's really tight. So you better hope that the person in the second row is willing to share. I'm six feet tall, and I couldn't find a good spot for the Acadia steering wheel that didn't block the instrument panel. <v Brian>The Pilot wasn't necessarily the most fun to drive in this group, but it excels at what I think are the factors that probably will be most important to buyers in this segment. It has really smartly designed family features throughout the vehicle. It also has lots of space for people to spread out, lots of cargo room and you get a rear seat entertainment system at this price. <v Mike>I like that the pilot's second row seat moves out of the way easily just by pushing a button. In the pilot, there's a one touch button that allows the person in the third row to push it and slide the second row seats forward, creating an easy pathway out of the car. To see the complete results, go to cars.com.