20 Eight-Seater Minivans and SUVs to Haul around That Small Army You Call a Family

While it’s true there is an all-new ’Sclade coming out, it doesn’t get here till late this year. That means they’re dealing deals on the current Escalade. It comes in two sizes/models: the Escalade and Escalade ESV. Escalade is the same size as the Tahoe, and Escalade ESV is the size of a Suburban. It is still the king (or queen) of the after-school pickup line, with a 420-hp 6.2-liter V8 routed through the rear or all four wheels. Price may temper your interest, though, starting at $76,490. You could try the Suburban/Yukon alternative for thousands less.

Like the Escalade above, the Chevy Suburban and almost-identical GMC Yukon XL will be all-new, but only at the end of this year. Right now you can get deals on the 2020 models still on dealer lots. The Suburban version starts at $52,995 for the 355-hp 5.3-liter V8, or step up to the 6.2-liter V8 starting at $66,795. If you get the LS model you can even get seating for up to nine. There’s almost 122 cubic feet of cargo space, too. I recommend the rear-seat Blu-ray/DVD entertainment system, to keep all nine occupants happy. Beyond that there are 14 charging locations throughout. You won’t have to talk to anyone!

You can get the 2020 Ford Expedition in big and even bigger; the latter is called the Max. Three rows of wide seats mean it’ll hold the requisite eight people fairly comfortably, more so in the first two rows. The Expedition shares a lot of aluminum with the F-150 truck, but it still tips the scales at over 5,500 pounds in its Max configuration. But the body-on-frame chassis means it can tow over 9,000 pounds, despite having only one engine choice, a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. With a new 10-speed automatic that also means the Expedition gets up to 24 mpg highway. Prices start at $53,200.

You can get eight-passenger seating in all trim levels of the stylish new Telluride. There might still be lines at Kia dealerships for this shapely crossover utility vehicle, despite the fact that it’s been on the market for over a year. It’s powered by a 291-hp 3.8-liter V6 with efficient gasoline direct injection, good for 26 highway miles per gallon. With 262 lb-ft of torque the Telluride can also tow a stout 5,000 pounds.

Yes, the Hyundai Palisade is pretty close to the Kia Telluride, with the same 3.8-liter GDI V6 and the same seven- or eight-passenger seating available. You can decide which one looks better from the outside (cough-Kia-cough). Palisade can switch combustion cycles from Atkinson cycle to Otto cycle as needed for power or efficiency. As a result it gets 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque while returning 19/26/22 mpg. You can get front- or all-wheel drive, too. Pricing starts at $32,595.

The newish Ascent is Subaru’s largest vehicle ever, with seating for up to eight and the reassurance of AWD in every one sold. In fact, all Subarus except the sporty RWD BRZ come with “symetrical AWD,” a marketing term meant to show that power comes straight out of the middle of Subaru’s 2.4-liter flat-four and is distributed as needed to all four wheels. So put on the snow tires and fear no winter. $33,005 is the base price, but if you want to seat eight you’ll need $35,405 for the Premium trim level.

Among the eight-seater crossovers here the Honda Pilot offers a little more under the hood than some of its competitors with a 280-hp, 262-lb-ft 3.5-liter V6. With a curb weight of 4,036 pounds, that power suggests a better-than-average acceleration time in the class. Pilot got a midcycle facelift in 2018 and has been around in its current configuration since 2016, so it should be ready for an “all-new” revamp sooner rather than later. Nonetheless it’s one of the go-to models when buyers need to seat eight.

The fourth-generation Toyota Highlander just debuted a few months ago on a new unibody platform with a bigger profile outside and more room inside. There are drivetrains galore with I4 and V6 engines, as well as a hybrid option available in front- or all-wheel drive. And since screen size is the new door/cupholder count, you can get either the standard 8.3-inch infotainment screen or the wallpaper-sized 12.3 diagonal screen. Prices start at $35,720.

This is essentially Lexus’ version of the Toyota Land Cruiser, swaddled in more luxury (though the Land Cruiser is pretty darn luxurious) and given just enough additional power and torque so dealers can claim “you can feel the difference when you drive/tow/go off-road, which you won’t). Horsepower is 383 vs. 381 and torque is 403 lb-ft vs. 401. Is it worth it? At $92,775, only the F Sport LC 500h and the RC F Track Edition top it in price among fellow Lexi, and only by a few gs. But you do get the prestige of a Lexus, and the service of a Lexus dealership, though most Toyota dealerships are pretty solid experiences, too.

The mighty Sequoia rides on the sturdy platform of the Tundra pickup and is by far the brand’s biggest vehicle. It weighs 3 tons (5,965 pounds) so don’t buy it if you have weak concrete in your driveway. A trailer-towing 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque come from Toyota’s tried-and-true 5.7-liter V8. It’s over 17 feet long and almost 6 1/2 feet tall, so of course it seats eight. Prices start at $50,875 and top out in the upper 60s.

With this and the teeny Kicks, Nissan spans the width of the SUV spectrum. A recent redesign makes the Armada look a little like the QX80, so maybe you could shave the badges off your ’Mada and tell neighbors it’s an Infiniti. All of them share the same 5.6-liter V8, making 390 hp and 394 lb-ft, about par for the big-ute course, to mix a metaphor. Like many of its competitors, it weighs just under 3 tons, but it’s priced well below the Lexus LX, Toyota Land Cruiser or Cadillac ESV at $64,085 to start.

It’s true, the QX80 and the Nissan Armada do look alike. But the QX80 gets a few more luxury cues. For 2020, it gets revised ProPilot Assist steering and Sensory package content, new IT system technology and an optional 17-speaker Bose audio system. It’s powered by a 400-hp 5.6-liter V8 driving the rear or all four wheels, and comes in seven- or our requisite eight-passenger seating configurations.

The Land Cruiser name is almost as old as the Jeep, and they have all been off-road-capable in the extreme. Last year Toyota added the Heritage Edition to the Land Cruiser lineup, with some nice trim items to commemorate six decades of LC greatness. But the current Cruiser has been on the market since 2007, with a mild reskin in 2016, so maybe it’s starting to show its age. Plus, it is expensive, at $86,810 to start. So you pay for all that heritage, as well as your eight seats.

While you could argue for weeks about which huge, eight-seater SUV is best, consider instead the humble-but-efficient minivan, which also seats eight people. Honda refreshed its iconic Odyssey just two months ago with new headlights and a few interior features, including its patented CabinWatch rear-seat reminder system so you don’t forget to check for Junior before locking the car. With a standard 280-hp 3.5-liter V6, you will be able to haul up any mountain hillclimb with ease, or lay scratch in the Montesorri parking lot. Odyssey pricing starts at just $31,785 for a nicely appointed LX and tops out at just under $50K.

Even youthful AW staffer Jake Lingeman has come to appreciate minivans: “Truck-like utility, car-like ride, decent power and enough space to keep the kids from kicking your seat? It’s all I need.” Listen to Lingeman, folks. The Sienna seats eight, as does everything listed here, and offers a compelling rear-seat entertainment system with a ginormous flip-down screen, which is worth its weight in gold for anyone with feisty kids (better than Benadryl!). Though it’s been on the market for 10 years (!), with a 296-hp V6 underhood and 20 mpg combined, it’s still a worthy contender.

As long as we’re quoting Lingeman, the minivan he did buy for his family was this, the Chrysler Pacifica. He said it was quieter and the engine less raspy than the aging Sienna. The Pentastar V6 makes 287 hp and 262-lb-ft of torque to either the front or all four wheels. There’s even a hybrid drivetrain option, which Chrysler says gets 80 mpg-e with an electric range of 30 miles. Chrysler takes credit for inventing the minivan class way back in the ’80s, and it has been innovating ever since. Pacifica prices start at $34,045.

This is the third-generation Kia Sedona, introduced in 2015 as a 2016 model. It’ll seat eight if you get the second-row bench seat. It soldiers on with the same 276-hp 3.3-liter that Lingeman, apparently the AW minivan expert, said felt powerful. But remember, Lingeman bought the Chrysler. Pricing for Sedona starts at $28,720, but you can surpass 40 grand with this thing.

Yes, there is a way to stand out even in a minivan. No one—no one!—in your neighborhood of big SUVs and efficient minivan clones has a Mercedes Metris. Show the other soccer moms/dads that you are unique. The Metris started out as a commercial rig but was then converted to passenger use. Our only review comes from 2017, but everyone who drove it then liked it. Prices for this individuality start in the low- to mid-30s.

Yes, it is a behemoth, and yes, it was originally designed to haul cargo, not people. But you can now get a Mercedes Sprinter that seats 15—yes, 15—starting at just $42,990. You can even get a 4x4 version of that in case you own your own ski resort and want to get from the private jetway to your ski chalet no matter what the weather ... with 14 of your closest friends.

In case the Sprinter van is too refined, try a Nissan NV Passenger. With seating for up to 12, and removable second- and third-row seats for cargo, the NV Passenger is just the thing for a cult leader on the go. And starting at $36,110, there’s a budget almost any budding religion can afford.