Plain Old Vanilla? KBB Says There Are No Winners In The Midsized SUV Segment

Last year, the Honda Pilot was declared to be the best midsize SUV. But there are so many all-new or significantly refreshed contenders that nobody can pick out a winner. The VW Atlas, Toyota Highlander, and Mazda CX-9 are all good at something.

We've seen time and time again that in highly-competitive segments, a clear winner can't be found. Ultimately, the buyers have different criteria and chose the one that best fits them. And reviewers have to respect that, offering at least some useful scraps of information onto which a decision can be latched.

"Midsize SUVs" are also becoming quite large. For example, the Volkswagen Atlas is a 3-row monster that's as big as any full-size SUV in Europe. That's the one KBB starts its comparison review with, probably because it's the newest and many people are curious.

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MDarringer - 8/29/2017 8:52:06 AM

-6 Boost

At best, these are appliances. At worst, they are the return of the station wagon without any semblance of style.

bnilhome - 8/29/2017 9:07:35 AM

+9 Boost

I have not driven the Atlas yet, but I have driven the Pilot and Highlander and both are nice. I also drove the CX-9 as I had read good things about it, but I came away quite disappointed with the ride as it was a bit jerky and hesitated during acceleration. The materials were nice inside though.

carfan78 - 8/29/2017 11:15:24 AM

+4 Boost

I agree with you regarding the CX-9...not what I expected.

jeffgall - 8/29/2017 10:10:03 AM

-1 Boost

If it were my money in the non-luxury midsize SUV segment, I'd have the Explorer, even if it is a bit dated. Checks a lot of boxes for a family - size, features, power, durability

MDarringer - 8/29/2017 10:25:43 PM

-1 Boost

I'd go with the Flex.

dstampfer - 8/29/2017 11:48:48 AM

0 Boost

End of last week had a Dodge Journey as a Hertz rental. Boy this vehicle is a POS. Crappy materials, base model stereo doesn't have Bluetooth, touchy non-linear accelerator, suspension is sloppy but at the same time is painful over uneven pavement. Probably bottom of the heap for mid-size segment.

vdiv - 8/29/2017 7:16:07 PM

0 Boost

Do they consider the XC90 ($44k) and the Discovery ($49k) to be in the "luxury" category? What about a Buick Envision/Enclave if GMC is in the mix? Because a well-equipped Explorer can surpass that price.

valhallakey - 8/30/2017 12:49:33 AM

0 Boost

We just rented a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport to drive from Colorado to NY for college. Was very surprised at how well put together the Santa Fe was. It certainly could have used more power and the handling was a slow, but over all nicely put together, good enough handling for the average person looking for a basic SUV. I would actually recommend it to those drivers looking for a well built appliance to get around in.