KELLEY BLUE BOOK NAMES 16 BEST FAMILY CARS OF 2016

KELLEY BLUE BOOK NAMES 16 BEST FAMILY CARS OF 2016

The vehicles deemed the 16 Best Family Cars of 2016 were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. After extensive testing and evaluation, with a keen focus on safety, comfort, convenience, spaciousness for both passengers and cargo, and fit of various rear-facing and forward-facing child safety car seats, the KBB.com expert editors recommend their choices for a diverse group of vehicles that best meet the needs of today’s modern families.

“For two weeks’ time we drove, lived-with, folded-down-seats-of, paired-phones-to and installed-baby-seats-in each and every one of the contenders,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “We loaded cargo, contorted ourselves into third rows, watched movies on rear-seat screens, toted rowing teams to marinas – in short, we did everything that you and your family might do with a vehicle day-to-day. And we did all this with a certain sense of what a family needs and wants, since many of our testers are simultaneously parents of kids ranging from mid-twenties to newborn. So this wasn’t just a cursory exercise, but instead it drew heavily upon our family-car experiences, needs and wants.”

kelley-blue-bookAfter extensively testing two dozen Best Family Cars finalists, the KBB.com editors decided upon a list of 16 vehicles that they feel are befitting the title Kelley Blue Book Best Family Cars of 2016. While 16 might seem like a high number, the goal is that these vehicles can be divided into logical subsets that will make each family’s new-car shopping much easier. The list contains three minivans, six sedans, three two-row crossover/SUVs and four three-row SUVs.

Kelley Blue Book’s 16 Best Family Cars of 2016

Vehicle Type Year Make Model Model’s Best Family Car Highlights
Sedan 2016 Honda Civic All-around great car, KBB.com’s Overall Best Buy of 2016, generous standard equipment, loads of safety features, cool new redesign.
Sedan 2016 Honda Accord Roomy, high-quality interior, added style and safety from recent refresh, solid drivetrain, good economy.
Sedan 2016 Kia Optima KBB.com’s Midsize Car Best Buy of 2016, stylish, feature-packed, family friendly.
Sedan 2016 Chevrolet Malibu All-new redesign, additional safety and efficiency, comfortable and accommodating interior makes it easy to stay connected.
Sedan 2016 Chevrolet Impala Roomy cabin and trunk, technologically sophisticated, contemporary looks, multiple drivetrain choices.
Sedan 2016 Hyundai Sonata Value pricing and class-leading warranty combined with solid resale value and refinement all can take on class leaders.
Two-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Honda HR-V All-new nameplate in hot segment, surprisingly roomy second row, great for a small family in the city.
Two-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Honda CR-V Versatile, enjoyable and practical, makes excellent use of space, one of the roomiest small SUVs available, enviable resale value.
Two-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Subaru Outback Outstanding room for both passengers and cargo, benefits of both wagon and SUV, excellent AWD and capable off-roading abilities provide peace of mind.
Minivan 2016 Kia Sedona Style and function, modern interior, impressive available safety features at affordable price, less bulky feel compared to other minivans.
Minivan 2016 Honda Odyssey Unparalleled combination of flexibility, seating, on-road dynamics and features, Wide Mode easily fits three car seats across second row.
Minivan 2016 Toyota Sienna Versatile, flexible, capable, only minivan to offer optional AWD, high resale value and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for minivans.
Three-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Nissan Pathfinder Available around-view monitor, no child seat hassle with EZ Flex & Glide system, pitch-perfect on the road.
Three-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Toyota Highlander Solid combination of comfort, quality, space and convenience features, unsurpassed level of powertrain choice.
Three-Row
Crossover/SUV
2016 Honda Pilot Totally redesigned, “the family-friendliest midsize SUV in existence,” sophisticated suite of available driving technologies, all-star accommodations.
Three-Row Crossover/SUV 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Truck-based SUV offers towing and off-roading capabilities, recent redesign, various connectivity features, carries up to nine people and gear.

In addition, all-new for the 2016 KBB.com Best Family Cars list, this year the editors took specific notes about how three different types of child safety car seats (a rear-facing infant seat, a convertible seat that can be installed either rear-facing or forward-facing, as well as a forward-facing booster seat) fit specifically into each of the vehicles on this year’s list. This section details helpful information for parents who have children of car-seat age (which typically is from birth through the elementary school years), including ease of installation, how leg room and passenger fit is affected in each vehicle when using various types of car seats, and more.

The KBB.com editors extensively tested 24 potential Best Family Cars contenders for 2016 over a two-week period. Runners-up for this year’s KBB.com Best Family Cars list included the 2016 Ford F-150, 2016 Ford Explorer, 2016 Hyundai Tucson, 2016 Kia Soul, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, 2016 Toyota Avalon and 2016 Toyota Camry.

 

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