Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases information on everything from “top colleges” to “most livable cities.” Somewhere in between those topics, rankings for “best cars” are published online for readers all over the world.
In this particular segment of the 2016 Best Cars series, we will be looking at what manufacturers and which models ranked highest for families.
Minivans: This year, the Honda Odyssey championed the best family minivan, beating out other competitors like the Toyota Sienna and Kia Sedona. Scoring an 8.9 out of 10, the Odyssey seats between 7-8 people, gets about 28 HWY MPG, and has a whopping 248 HP engine.
SUVs: There are 11 different categories for SUVs, including subcompact SUVs, hybrid SUVs, large SUVs, and many others. However, there were a few within this superlative that stood out. When it came to luxury compact SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class with its 8.5/10 rating really made a good impression. With an ability to seat 5 people and accompanied with a 21-22 city and 28 HWY MPG estimate, this car would make an excellent family vehicle. If luxury vehicles aren’t your style, or you were expecting better seating, the GMC Yukon won in its category of large SUVs. This car can seat between 7-9 people comfortably, making it perfect for a large family or a family that tends to carpool.
Cars: When it comes to a standard, family car, there were 9 vehicles that took first place in 9 different categories. If you’re interested in hybrid cars, the Lexus GS Hybrid beat out the Ford C-Mac Hybrid and Toyota Avalon Hybrid for 2016. Seating 5 people, this Lexus gets up to 34 MPG and has a 338 HP engine. However, it was noted that the infotainment controller was difficult to use. When it came to midsize cars, the Chevrolet Malibu was a crowd pleaser. Beating out the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata, th Malibu gets nearly 40 HWY MPG. Be careful, however, because this model tends to have larger blind spots than other vehicles in its division.