Best Luxury 3-Row SUVs of 2023 | Top Luxury SUVs with Third Row

Characteristics of 3-Row Luxury SUVs

Since 7-seat luxury SUVs are a very specific breed, there are certain characteristics that they just can't do without. The best luxury SUVs with 3rd-row seating should check most of these boxes while trying to minimize some of the negatives:

Size: While a car doesn’t have to be enormous in order to support 3 rows of seats, the best luxury SUVs in this classification are usually on the larger side. Some even offer extended-length bodies to accommodate all those seats and people better. However, such dimensions can make these cars unwieldy, especially around tight city streets.
Practicality: More seats mean more passenger space, or so you’d think. Not every model has the cabin volume to seat seven adults comfortably, but the top luxury SUVs with 3 rows do. This often comes at the cost of cargo capacity, but some exceptions manage to provide the best of both worlds.
Power: To move so many people and their stuff, a certain amount of power is required. These large and capacious SUVs may have the kind of specs you’d find in some sports cars, but they definitely aren’t made for such a life. As luxury vehicles, they use this abundance of power to get their passengers from point A to point B as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
Price: You pay for what you get, and these cars give a lot. That’s not to say you can’t find some reasonably priced options, but if you want the best, then you have to be willing to spend. When you add the fact that most are motivated by high-displacement engines that need to burn a lot of fuel to move so much weight, you know not to expect the best gas mileage. As such, the cost of ownership can be high.

What to Consider When Buying a Luxury SUV With 3rd-Row Seating

As with any type of car, you have to take the good with the bad. And while the best 7-seat luxury SUVs have a lot going for them, they do come with some drawbacks:

Pros

Able to seat up to seven passengers - sometimes eight at a squeeze
Loads of cargo space with the seats folded down
Plenty of power to get where you’re going quickly
Imposing style, both inside and out
Long list of standard features is part of the package
Many premium brands in the segment to add to your status

Cons

Not many supply enough space for adults in the back row
Cargo capacity is compromised with all seats up
Extremely expensive to buy and run
Generally large and ponderous

FAQs

What is the best 3-row luxury SUV?

One of the top-rated SUVs with three rows of seating comes to us from one of the USA’s homegrown brands. The Cadillac Escalade is available in standard or extended body guise, with the latter presenting almost unbeatable levels of passenger and cargo space. It is packed with cutting-edge technology, too, and the high quality of the interior harks back to the heyday of Caddy’s legacy.

Are there any affordable 3-row luxury SUVs?

There is no such thing as a truly cheap luxury SUV with seating across three rows, but that doesn’t mean they are all unreasonably priced. Both the Volvo XC90 and Genesis GV80 come in around the $50,000 mark. The Lincoln Aviator is similarly priced, and the Acura MDX is actually a smidge cheaper.

Is there enough space in the 3rd-row of luxury SUVs to seat adults?

Most SUVs with three rows of seats are not overly spacious in the back. When you compare luxury SUVs with a third row to less opulent models, you may find that the manufacturers have tried to maximize comfort by equipping captain’s chairs in the second row and limiting the rear bench to two seats instead of three. Regardless of whether your three-row SUV is of the premium sort or not, it’s safest to keep the rear-most seats for kids.

Best Luxury SUVs With 3 Rows of 2023