What is the best 7-passenger SUV? Can't do a Minivan.

I've really enjoyed our LR3 and I'm considering the LR4. The maintenance costs are something to consider, but with my '07 I haven't had any maintenance problems to speak of. Admittedly though, $1,000 brake replacement made my jaw drop.

Just get a Toyota Hylander, the minivan of SUVs. I know they totally F'd up, but that will just make all their inventory super cheap.

We love our Acura MDX. Shopped around and compared it to the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Lexus RX, but the bang for the buck couldn't be beat. The interior isn't as nice as the Q7, it's not as powerful as the X5 but it was hands down better than the RX. It wasn't the best at anything, but in my opinion it was the most well-rounded.

BMW X5

My wife and I bought a 2010 Honda Pilot, and we could not be happier. Leather, sunroof, satellite radio...under $35K. It's not a big SUV, but we can comfortably fit 7 full grown humans. It is surprisingly agile, peppy, and I average about 25 mpg highway. Plus, when you lay down the middle and rear seats, you can haul a LOT of stuff.

Just as a reference, we also considered the Toyota Highlander, and it would have been almost $40K for the same options as the Pilot.

As a father of 3 kids, our Acura MDX is definitely sufficient enough for our needs. I just wish there was a little more room behind the 3rd row seat.

Mercedes GL or the Mazda CX-9

Both MotorTrend SUV of the Year winners...

According to Top Gear, the Volvo XC90 was the best all arounder.

I recommend the Buick Enclave. I have owned a Lexus GX 470, a RX 350 and recently a Cadillac Escalade. The Enclave drives the best by far, it handles like a car. I drove many SUVs before picking the Enclave. The interior space is far superior than the X5, Audi Q7, Escalade, MDX, or the GL, you can actually fit luggage behind the 3rd row. I recently had 4 adults and 2 children with luggage with everyone quite comfortable. The CXL has air conditioned/heated seats, rear seat entertainment, above average Nav system, and a great interior. It has excellent safety ratings and pretty good mileage. My wife has an Audi A8 which we love, but I genuinely prefer the Enclave over all the above. I do admit I am somewhat concerned about its longevity being a GM product, but if you aren't planning keeping it longer than 75,000 miles or so I wouldn't buy anything else.

Honestly, there are a lot of so-called 7 passenger SUV's out there, but the most bang for your buck is the Suburban. I trade every three years and am on my third Suburban. My wife has a smaller luxury "7 passenger" SUV and it doesn't even compare when loading up the family. A suburban isn't any more difficult to get around in, I'm sure the eco folks would bash the MPG, but it's really not that much less efficent, especially when compared to the additional room.

Why do you need a seven passenger SUV if you only have three kids?

Ford Flex or The Lincoln MKT
If at first you dont like the looks of the Flex, get past that get in and drive, If in your budget look at the Flex Limited with Ecoboost, it will blow your mind. The most Comfortable, tourqey, powerful 7 Passenger vehicle. I love it! Oh yeah, I work for Ford/Lincoln

Oh yeah and safety is standard with Ford, Your family is extremely safe.

Without a doubt, go with a Chevrolet. The Tahoe is a good choice for an SUV, however, it doesn't have as many seats as the Suburban. The Chevy Suburban comfortably seats six and reasonably comfortably eight even. My 1993 Suburban currently has 277,000 miles on and it's reliability is above reproach.

We have a LR Discovery and I, too have been in the market for a 7 passenger true 4×4 SUV. I was thinking of a LR3 but I have heard of too many horror stories.

I stumbled upon the 2010 Toyota 4Runner. The limited version is great. It is a true 4×4 with 4×4 low.

A few of the responses asked why you "need" a 7 passenger SUV. Try taking 4 kids with you and your wife and their hockey equipment with you on a trip in a New England winter. Try going skiing for the weekend when it just snowed a foot, you have 4 kids and their ski junk. Do I need it? No, but it is nice that I have choice to buy it if I want it.

The Tahoe is a great choice but my wife thinks they are too big.

In Summary...

2010 4Runner Limited
Tahoe
2010 Nissan Patrol (really wish they sold them in the US)

We have a Highlander hybrid and love it. Ours is an '06 and has collapsible 3rd row that we've never used, but starting in '08 the cars are bigger and roomier. Very nice.

I've owned the Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring since 2007. My lease is coming up and I'm going back to purchase a 2010 Grand Touring. In my opinion this is the best 'driver' 7 passenger vehicle on the road. It's no sports car but considering the package the CX-9 is really fun to drive. I'm continually amazed how easy it is to forget about the 10ft at my back when I'm behind the wheel. The interior is second-to-none and has plenty of room for a family of 5 + gear. Since I drive my car A LOT the driving experience is a huge consideration for me. I've taken several 1000+ mile road-trips in my CX-9 with the family without incident and everyone was able to stay comfortable throughout the trip. I recently looked closely at the Ford Flex after test-driving both versions (eco-boost and std v6) I determined the eco-boost was the only way to go. Coming from the CX-9 I felt the std. V6 was too lethargic to get the 4500+ lb Flex moving. Unfortunately, adding the eco-boost and everything else to get the same features as the fully loaded CX-9 I was looking at put me $6000+ above the CX-9. A fully loaded CX-9 Grand Touring is just under $40,000 list and can probably be bought around invoice ($36,500+). The Flex has a good interior space and I personally like the styling but the money dif killed the deal for me. Toyota...uh, no. Honda Pilot styling doesn't appeal to me but I've had a Honda in the past and I do appreciate the quality construction. Try checking out the new Kia Sorento. It has a third row and looks pretty nice. It's affordable and I think they have a really good warrenty. Good luck.

Suburban... no doubt. I think the best years are 02-05. VERY good quality in those years. You could buy one now in good condition for under $15k with 100,000 miles and it will run another 100K easily.

Typically, I wouldn't recommend an American car. The build quality is generally lacking in compaison to their Japanese and European counterparts. My recommend would be the Audi Q7. It's good looking, comfortable, but overall, offers one of the best diesel engine options available. Diesel cars get better mileage (the Q7 gets 17/25 - not bad for a car that size... pretty damn good actually). However, they offer no drawbacks. They may not be as quick, but it doesn't sound like that's a big priority for you. If the Audi is too expensive, VW offers the Toureg - virtually the same car, also with a diesel option.

I'd check out the Enclave/Acadia (depending on aesthetic preferences), Flex, and CX-9.

CX-9 is the best driving experience.

Flex is the most confortable.

Enclave/Acadia have the most interior space, and the option of eight seats.

You can check reliability and real-world fuel economy info here:

http://www.truedelta.com

I have three kids myself. The value of a third row: if someone wants to take a friend along, or grandparents are in town. Unfortunately, no three-row vehicle yet. Rented a Flex last year, and luggage for six fit behind the third row. Not easily, but it fit.