SUVs With The Most Legroom
If you've got a family and want to buy an SUV, you better consider how much space you'll need for all those kids and soccer balls.
Legroom is an important thing to consider when buying a car for the family, especially when it’s going to be you piloting the car all the way to the mountains on a skiing trip, with screaming children kicking your seat the whole time. There are so many different kinds of SUVs to choose from, and the difference between a large size SUV and the more modest compact in terms of what leg room they have to offer is mere inches.
Those precious inches, however, can stand between your child’s feet and empty threats to turn the car around. All of these SUVs are top of the list for best SUVs to buy according to USNews, so safety, fuel efficiency, and overall quality has already been taken care of. In other words, this is just to help you decide which SUV to buy based on leg room (in inches).
Top three full-size SUVs with the most legroom:
| Make/Model | Front Row | Second Row | Third Row |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Suburban | 45.3 | 39.7 | 34.5 |
| GMC Yukon | 45.3 | 39 | 24.8 |
| Lincoln Navigator | 43 | 39.1 | 37.7 |
Top three mid-size SUVs with the most legroom:
| Make/Model | Front Row | Second Row | Third Row |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Pilot | 40.9 | 38.4 | 31.9 |
| Toyota Highlander | 44.2 | 38.4 | 27.7 |
| Ford Edge | 42.6 | 40.6 | N/A |
Top three compact SUVs with the most legroom:
| Make/Model | Front Row | Second Row | Third Row |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CRV | 41.3 | 40.4 | N/A |
| GMC Terrain | 41.2 | 39.9 | N/A |
| Mazda CX-5 | 41 | 39.6 | N/A |
Surprisingly Lincoln, as the sole luxury brand on this list, has the least amount of front legroom in its class of full-size SUVs. However, it tries to make up for the deficit by offering more third-row legroom than others in its class, which is where the Yukon takes an especially big hit. Unsurprisingly the Suburban has some of the most overall leg room.
Getting into smaller size SUVs you can see the difference seems minimal, only a few inches difference. Keep in mind though that kids grow, and they do it quickly, so consider if you plan on keeping whatever SUV you decide on for the next decade or two, it might be best to stick to something bigger. If you don’t have kids or are retired, smaller two-row SUVs are probably a better bet. The Ford Edge, for instance, as a midsize SUV has plenty of room and doesn’t waste any of it with another row of seats.
Compact SUVs are pretty evenly matched, so it really depends on how much you want to spend at that point. Remember all of these SUVs are on the top of their respective lists, so you can’t really go wrong no matter which one you choose.
Brian GrabianowskiAvid Formula 1 fan and motorcyclist, I enjoy chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and long rides to the beach.