2023 Large 7-Seat SUV Comparison: Big Family Cars Tested

There’s an old aphorism in boxing: a good big’un always beats a good little’un.

I'm looking at Nissan’s new Pathfinder as it rolls into the rail yard at Healesville and I’m wondering whether this seven-seat behemoth, the catalyst for this comparison, might have starched the opposition at the opening bell. It’s vast.

It lumbers into position next to Hyundai’s Santa Fe hybrid and it looks like a mismatch. Fortunately, the Korean can whistle up its big brother as backup: the equally huge Palisade.

Indeed, look at the footprints of the vehicles assembled for this test and it’s clear the Pathfinder and Palisade are, to squeeze the pips out of the pugilistic metaphor, the true heavyweights.

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The cruiserweight Toyota Kluger GXL hybrid is next up, followed by the super-middleweight Kia Sorento GT-Line diesel, Santa Fe Highlander hybrid, and the recently facelifted Mazda CX-8, here in range-topping Asaki LE all-wheel-drive diesel guise.

The Pathfinder’s in Ti spec which, since Nissan quietly deleted the ST and ST-L variants, now represents entry-level in Australia. That’s $71,490 before on-roads and before you start ticking options boxes.

The other contenders cluster in a constellation of pricing about this point, ranging from the Sorento at $65,070 up to the Palisade at $79,900.

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Wait, where's our current Car of the Year, the all-conquering Ford Everest?

Yes, it’s a seven-seater, but it offers a different focus to these vehicles. With its ladder-frame chassis and ‘proper’ off-road ability, it’s more Prado than Kluger in its approach.

Skoda’s Kodiaq is also a viable contender, but it leans more towards a 5+2 than a true seven-seater, and we’ll probably wait for the new version to arrive before revisiting a vehicle that’s a very well-known and well-respected quantity.

What are we looking for here?

Safety, space, comfort and practicality are clearly the key priorities when judging these vehicles, but we’re also looking for a winner that delivers excellent value and isn't a chore to drive.

Despite all of the vehicles here featuring all-wheel drive, there’s no specific off-road element to the test. Dirt roads and soft shoulders are typically the extent of what these vehicles will be subjected to, so we’ll dispense with the distraction of departure angles and diff details.

As the newest entrant to the segment, the Pathfinder is naturally expected to pose a few challenges that the established contenders might find difficult to level with. With its sheer size, it’d doubtless win any pre-fight stare-down. Can it keep its guard up when things get really serious? That’s what we’re here to discover and there’s nowhere to hide. Seconds out...

JUMP AHEAD

Australia's best large SUVs, ranked!

6. Nissan Pathfinder Ti AWD (7/10)
5. Mazda CX-8 Asaki LE diesel AWD (7.5/10)
4. Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid AWD (8/10)
3. Hyundai Palisade diesel AWD 🥉 (8/10)
2. Toyota Kluger GXL hybrid 🥈(8.5/10
1. Kia Sorento GT-Line diesel 🥇 (8.5/10)

FAQs

• Which large SUV has the best back seat & is best for family duties?
• Which large SUV has the best boot?

COUNTDOWN

Here's the rundown on our six contenders and how they placed, ranked from sixth to first, least compelling to best buy.

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6️⃣ Nissan Pathfinder Ti AWD

7.0/10: In targeting America, Pathfinder doesn’t quite land a bullseye in Australia

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🖊️ Dylan Campbell

Handsome is rarely used to describe the styling of a new SUV, especially when SUV styling is rapidly converging to the same egg-shaped endpoint. But it’s a word that comes to mind for Nissan’s new Pathfinder.

Designed by Ken Lee in the USA, the Pathfinder utilises many classic automotive design principles: a short front overhang, as much length as possible between the front wheel and base of the windscreen, wide and flat tail-lights to exaggerate the sense of width. Above the rear wheels there are even chiselled haunches – almost GT-R-ish, and not very SUV-ish at all.

Inside our $71,490 Ti test car, it’s just as smart. Soft leather, exposed stitching and glossy piano black trims – is this the same company that did the Pulsar? Surely not.

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If space is what you’re looking for, guide yourself to the Pathfinder.

A car designed for Americans is always going to be cavernous (especially around the hip point).

The equipment list is equally supersized, especially on our Pathfinder Ti. There’s a head-up display, heated front and outboard rear seats, 10 airbags (include curtains for third-row passengers), 13-speaker Bose sound, electric tailgate, inbuilt rear window shades, impressive rear air-conditioning controls…

Lots, basically, with only a few oddities such as a manually adjustable passenger seat, non-rain sensing wipers and a comparatively small 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display (missing out on the gorgeous 12.3-inch centre screen of the X-Trail). Disappointing, as $71K is not cheap.

Luckily, our rear-seat guinea pigs reported the Nissan to be among the most spacious for third-row seating – and, to be sure, the Pathfinder is the only eight-seater-capable vehicle of our bunch. The rail-mounted, sliding second row is also clever – as is the generous, near-90-degree-opening rear doors. When open, they may as well not be there at all.

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The Pathfinder is also surprisingly fast.

During our dynamic testing up a winding road, this tester found himself able to keep up with every vehicle in front, driven by Alex Inwood – with the sole exception of the Pathfinder, whose slender LED tail-lights slowly disappeared up the road.

When it was my turn to jump in, it wasn’t hard to see why – its 255-profile Kumho tyres are wide, and 202kW from its punchy 3.5-litre petrol V6 is pretty good. If you needed an SUV that was hillclimb capable, you might just take the Pathfinder.

It’s a pity, then, that it loses marks in several areas. In the urban environment, the Pathfinder was nice enough to drive, but the ride quality drew the ire of the test team, as did road noise, which contributed to it being ranked lowest of all the large SUVs we tested.

While space in all rows is generous, the boot – nice and wide with minimal wheelarch intrusion – ranks lowly among rivals with its 554-litre capacity. That’s despite ranking well for amenity, with a 12-volt outlet, two lights and a generously sized underfloor wet storage compartment. The Pathfinder was one of just two cars on test with a space-saver spare wheel.

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There’s an elephant attempting to hide behind a tiny lampshade in the room: fuel economy.

Claimed combined (91RON) fuel use of 10.5 litres per 100km is nearly twice that of a hybrid Toyota Kluger. That’s despite a fancy new nine-speed automatic. A Pathfinder e-Power can’t come soon enough it seems.

Servicing costs are also more than double some rivals. Services are required every 12 months or 15,000km – at an average of $701 a service. A Kluger hybrid over the same period is $265 a service. Nissan’s five-year warranty also doesn’t match the seven years of its South Korean counterparts.

In many ways, the Pathfinder is a perfectly capable, smartly styled, enjoyable vehicle with all the space a family could need – a very large family, it must be said. Its impressive 2.7-tonne towing capacity also merits a mention. But in other areas – fuel economy especially – a trailblazer the Pathfinder is sadly not...

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5️⃣ Mazda CX-8 Asaki LE Diesel AWD

7.5/10: Turn on, tune in, zone out

🖊️ Andy Enright

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There's a certain zen quality to the Mazda CX-8 Asaki LE. Unhurried, even. Settle behind the best set of clocks in the auto industry, take in the acres of Nappa leather, perfect contrast stitching and restrained metal contrast details and it feels a haven of tranquility.

Your drive will be uninterrupted by unwanted chimes, distracting and unnecessary warnings on the dash or uninvited tugs at the steering wheel. The recently refreshed CX-8’s ride quality has been softened juuust to the point beyond which body control loses its fidelity and no further.

The diesel engine, while not the most hushed example of its ilk under load, nevertheless has the ability to deliver a healthy surge of torque. Indeed, the numbers indicate that, in terms of torque-to-weight, the Mazda’s 2.2-litre turbo-diesel delivers the best return of this particular bunch.

That’s the good news. There are, however, caveats to consider.

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Think of the CX-8 as a long-wheelbase CX-5 and you’re not too far off the mark

Despite the joint-smallest footprint of all the cars on test here, it has the longest wheelbase, which hints at an unusual combo of dimensions and a certain narrowness. And so it proves inside, its utility not aided by some particular idiosyncrasies.

Second-row passengers sit high, with taller occupants making intimate acquaintance with the headlining. The second-row captain’s chairs of this Asaki LE model look great but are agonisingly slow to motor forward to allow access to the third row.

Slow to return, too, and they don’t return to their original position, requiring not only the ignition to be on but two separate actions to first slide them into their prior place and recline the squab to its original position. The rear seats are best left for those under 170cm with foot space compromised by the middle seat’s narrow rails.

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Click the above photo for more views in this set

The luggage bay measures 209 litres with all seats in place, 742L in four-seat guise and 1727L two-up.

The latter two figures are, respectively, a 304 and 289L improvement over CX-5.

There’s also a handy 33L underfloor compartment and, if you keep digging, you’ll eventually strike a space-saver spare.

The non-touchscreen infotainment is an outlier. Despite this facelifted model getting a larger 10.25-inch screen, it requires a dealer retrofit (available from July 2023) to unlock any Android Auto functionality, wireless or otherwise.

Apple Carplay operates as seamlessly as you can reasonably expect for a screen that loses all pinch, zoom and swipe functionality. Using a fiddly dial to get a small cursor to settle on a given field or icon is cumbersome and would appear to undo much of the inherent safety benefit of the Mazda Connect interface.

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The 140kW diesel engine contributes to the lowest power-to-weight figure of all assembled.

The six-speed automatic transmission exacerbates that issue by frequently defaulting to too high a gear when ambling along, dropping the revs below 1500rpm at which point it issues a fairly agricultural clatter for a second or two before realising the error of its ways and downshifting.

The steering feels well-oiled and accurate and the brake pedal engages smoothly without the corrupting effect of re-gen which can afflict hybrid rivals.

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Despite these flaws, the CX-8 has much to commend it.

It returned the joint best fuel figures of any vehicle on test, the adaptive LED headlights on this range-topper are excellent, the 273-watt Bose stereo is adequately punchy and the latest styling tweaks sharpen and modernise the exterior.

Servicing remains every 12 months / 10,000km, and there’s a five-year capped-price deal available. Likewise, the warranty covers you for five years.

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If you have an eye for quality and are looking for a relaxing family SUV where the rearmost row will be used occasionally and your kids aren’t too big, the CX-8 earns recommendation.

You may have looked at a CX-5 and found luggage space a bit mean or, alternatively, been disillusioned by the constant driver-assist interference from, particularly, the Korean contenders.

The CX-8 is your oasis of calm. And for many buyers, that will be more than enough.

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4️⃣ Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander Hybrid

8.0/10: Comfort and refinement to take your mind off the underwhelming efficiency

🖊️ John Law

The facelifted fourth-gen Hyundai Santa Fe is genuinely luxurious in top-spec Highlander trim. First glance suggests plush trim and appointments to rival a Lexus RX, let alone a mid-spec Nissan Pathfinder.

Lashings of ‘Camel’ Nappa leather ($295) cover the heated, ventilated, and 14-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat (and eight-way passenger) as well as the expansive dashboard. If you want baller-on-a-budget, the Santa Fe is our pick.

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Click the above photo for more views in this set

Where rivals are going touchscreen-mad, the Santa Fe’s centre stack is almost entirely button-driven.

Hyundai’s subdued graphics display well on the 10.25-inch touchscreen, though Apple CarPlay/Android Auto requires a cable.

A 12.3-inch digital driver’s display incorporates blind-spot cameras to aid vision, and there’s a full suite of safety features including AEB, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist.

Hyundai’s unconventionally vertical wireless charging pad is clever as your smartphone never slides or rattles around. Like in an Ioniq 5 EV there’s useful storage for bags, tissue boxes, or cameras below the centre console with easy access to a 12-volt socket – incidental storage is generally excellent.

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Being the shortest SUV on test, the Santa Fe’s third row, like the Kia Sorento, is a little compromised.

The second row provides ample legroom, however the panoramic sunroof did crimp headroom for our tallest 193cm tester. For most adults, though, it’s adequately accommodating. Second-row slide and tilt means you can balance cargo/third-row space with second-row comfort, and available captain’s chairs are nice to have.

There is a separate climate zone in the second row, two USB-C charge points in the seat backs, and integrated sunshades for the windows. However, the Santa Fe loses points for its lack of child-seat provisions in the third row.

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Then there’s the Santa Fe’s boot: in this company, 130 litres with all three rows up is paltry.

Fold the third row using the pull strings and this expands to between 571L and 782L, depending on the rear seat’s position.

Folding the second row flat is easy, taking no more than a tap of an electric button from the boot. The Santa Fe hybrid’s battery is located under the driver’s seat, meaning no loss of cargo space and allowing Hyundai to retain the full-size spare. But, the Santa Fe loses the under-floor storage for the cargo blind that the Sorento and Palisade both get.

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We have the Santa Fe hybrid on test as a point of difference from the diesel Sorento and Palisades.

According to Hyundai, buyers in this segment are overwhelmingly (73 percent) interested in a petrol AWD vehicle, and were previously only really served by the Kluger hybrid. Hyundai’s hybrid supply is stronger than Kia’s, so it makes sense to include this against the oil-burning Sorento.

The serene Santa Fe has excellent road noise insulation, right up there with the larger Palisade, though its 1.6-litre petrol engine is more refined and introduces less in-cabin NVH than the bigger car’s diesel.

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Hyundai has tailored the Santa Fe’s driving experience towards its intended buyer set, meaning it isn’t the most dynamic here

Although agreeably swift and smooth in its operation, we noted two issues with the Santa Fe’s powertrain.

Firstly, the light and soft brake pedal was difficult to modulate smoothly and, on our country-biased test loop, the hybrid consumed more fuel (9.4L/100km) than the diesel SUVs (7.9-8.6L/100km).

Hyundai has tailored the Santa Fe’s driving experience towards its intended buyer set, meaning it isn’t the most dynamic here. When hustled, the Hyundai doesn’t key into the tarmac like the surprisingly sharp Nissan Pathfinder, instead its body rolls and pitches. The ESC is quite intrusive, too, grabbing the front brakes mid-corner when it judges you’ve gone too far.

The Santa Fe has the heaviest steering here which, although less dynamic, actually suits the way a tall 1983kg SUV wants to be driven.

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Treat the Santa Fe gently and it flows down the road with compliant suspension (equal best with Kluger for comfort) and consistent grip from its 235/55 R19 Continental Premium Contact 6 tyres.

Short service intervals (10,000km), underwhelming efficiency and a compromised interior mean there are better SUVs for family duties on test, but if comfort and refinement are what you’re chasing, then the plush Santa Fe hybrid delivers.

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🥉 Hyundai Palisade

8/10: Korea brings the big guns to bear.

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🖊️ Andy Enright

Want a genuinely big and buff diesel family seven-seater? Well, I’m here to let you know that your search just got a whole lot easier. Buy a Hyundai Palisade Highlander CRDi. You can thank me later.

Neither the Pathfinder, the Kluger nor the outgoing Mazda CX-9 drink from the black pump, and the other diesel contenders here are more compact than the Hyundai, both the Mazda CX-8 and Kia Sorento having a footprint that’s around eight percent smaller. As we know, in this market, size matters.

Updated for MY2023, the Palisade belatedly scores a full five ANCAP stars thanks to the fitment of a centre airbag and an upgrade to the autonomous emergency braking system.

The Highlander specification is the range-topper, commanding another $10K over the Elite but adding features such as a 10-inch head-up display, quilted Nappa leather seats that are heated and ventilated in the front two rows, dual sunroofs, a suede headlining, rain-sensing wipers, rear window blinds, model-specific rear lights and a front end with a lot more chrome.

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The cabin ergonomics are fundamentally sound, with a well-judged distribution of touchscreen functions and physical buttons

It feels faintly American in its scale and glitziness, but unlike most vehicles targeted at the US market, there's a reassuring depth of quality to the Palisade’s cabin that elevates it above the usual pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap feel of a Costco branch on wheels.

The centre touchscreen received an update for this model year, increasing in size from 10.25 inches to 12.3 inches. A long press on the voice prompt button allows you to easily take command of the wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Whereas CarPlay goes wall-to-wall on the screen, Android Auto occupies the left two-thirds of the available real estate.

The cabin ergonomics are fundamentally sound, with a well-judged distribution of touchscreen functions and physical buttons. Like most current Hyundai and Kia products, the distracting (and frequently incorrect) speed limit warnings and intrusive lane-keep assist may well have you delving elbow-deep into on-screen menus before every journey to disable them, a process often impeded by rear-view cameras or phone mirroring booting. These really need to be a permanently user-selectable feature.

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Accommodation is good, with captain’s chairs in the second row with decent head and legroom, and neat USB-C access from the shoulders of the front seats.

Even with the dual pane sunroof, there's ample room for six-footers in the second row, although the third row feels pinched for headroom.

Roof-level air vents help keep that big volume adequately cooled and there are some practical touches such as second-row seat folding from the boot, as well as top tethers on the outermost rear row seats, although kids will be better protected in the middle row.

Ride quality is good over coarse surfaces, helped by a quality multi-link rear end, although the occasional thud enters the cabin on sharp lateral road imperfections. The steering is slowish but body control is fairly good for such a large car. The 2.2-litre diesel can be a touch sibilant when worked hard, but it’s never agricultural or uncouth.

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The Palisade shows how to build a big seven-seater without succumbing to many of the compromises that afflict the Pathfinder

A suite of drive modes that includes Snow, Mud, Sand, Eco, Sport, Comfort and Custom are easily accessed from the central rotary controller, and while the push-button gear selector can take a little time to get used to, in practice it works without great issue and there are wheel-mounted shift paddles if you prefer to marshal the ratios yourself.

The 245/50 R20 Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport AS tyres signal the limits of grip clearly, aren’t particularly noisy and deliver a modicum of off-road ability.

The boot measures 311 litres with all seats occupied and 704 litres with the second row folded. The parcel shelf stows nicely under the boot floor with the jack and there’s a full-sized spare beneath the vehicle which is a welcome fitment.

Above all, the Palisade shows how to build a big seven-seater without succumbing to many of the compromises that afflict the Pathfinder. Running costs are manageable, comfort and interior sophistication are a cut above and it feels a slicker, more desirable product. Third overall but first among the truly big ’uns is a more than respectable result for the refreshed Palisade.

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🥈 Toyota Kluger GXL Hybrid

8.5/10: Forget frills – it’s function and frugality to the fore

🖊️ Dylan Campbell

You can almost imagine the very first meeting Toyota had when starting development of its new Kluger.

A room full of engineers in crisp, light blue shirts gathering quietly and given a list of numerical targets: it must accommodate seven people, achieve a five-star crash rating, tick a long list of equipment boxes and use less than 6.0 litres per 100km. Most crucial of all, it can’t cost a dollar more to build – and maintain – than strictly stipulated.

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If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and humanity wanted to present an example of a car, it’d probably be a Kluger

At the very end of this process, a designer was hired to quickly jazz up the engineers’ work – and decide where to put the chrome inside – and off to the showroom it went.

To be sure, then, the Toyota Kluger is an excellent vehicle. If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and humanity wanted to present an example of a car, it’d probably be a Kluger.

Everything works the way it should. Inside, there’s a 12.3-inch central touchscreen (below which is a surprisingly handy and cavernous shelf), more USB ports than you’ve got cords and a synthetic leather which feels nice enough.

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That’s even if, despite the $67,140 price, you miss out on some equipment of other, cheaper rivals, such as built-in rear window blinds, a sunroof, full digital instrument cluster and head-up display. For this, you have to stump up another $12K for the (admittedly noticeably nicer) hybrid Grande. Even then, you still miss out, inexplicably, on wireless phone charging.

In the urban environment, though, you’ll be grateful for the GXL’s chubby 18-inch wheels and 60-profile tyres which bless this Kluger with a lovely ride quality that evades the Grande and its 20-inch wheels.

At low speeds, the hybrid Kluger moves silently and smoothly using its triple electric motors exactly like an electric vehicle. Around town, it’s a delightfully easy car to drive.

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It might be easy to tease it, too, for being built merely not to ever disappoint, but it does show real ambition and innovation in one important area: fuel economy.

Thanks to those electric motors, Toyota claims 5.6L/100km of 95RON on the ADR combined cycle, but away from the lab, owners can still expect to get low sixes. For a two-tonne vehicle with this much capability to use the same amount of fuel as a small, gutless car from the 2000s, is remarkable.

It’s cheap to service, too – just $265 every 12 months or 15,000km. A five-year warranty extends to seven years for the engine and driveline, and 10 years for the hybrid battery. Pretty good.

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During our testing, the Kluger had a mixed reception when it came to its handling.

While its 184kW is merely okay, this road-tester found the Kluger’s handling one of the best of the bunch, surprisingly fluid and predictable to the point that the basis for a hot, GR Kluger absolutely exists.

“They should have Kluger racing,” grinned editor Enright as we returned to the top of our dynamic loop. Moments earlier, Enright’s heavily body-rolling Kluger loomed large in my rear vision mirror despite my best efforts to shake him. Irrelevant consumer advice, but punting the Kluger was almost fun.

Back in the real world, while space abounded for second- and third-row passengers – this is a proper seven-seater – the Kluger lost points for its boot. It’s big enough for just about everything a family could throw at it, and in GXL guise boasts an electric tailgate and full-size spare.

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However, its 552-litre capacity is oddly less than that of a smaller RAV4 – betraying some sub-par packaging.

The Kluger’s 60/40 split-fold also lacks the amenity of a 40/20/40 ski-port set-up and in the boot itself, there’s a notable dearth of amenity – no 12-volt outlet nor rear-mounted levers for popping the second row.

These are all relatively minor things, however. The Kluger just doesn’t do much wrong – and costs hardly anything to run. And if we were able to award doing 500,000 kilometres expending only consumables – as could have been a numerical target given to the engineers – it might just be the best large, seven-seat SUV around today.

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🥇 Kia Sorento GT-Line

8.5/10: Come for the neat design and fine dynamics, stay for the best-in-class warranty.

🖊️ John Law

We’ve driven our fair share of Sorentos since this car’s launch in August 2020, but there’s one encounter that stands out to me.

On one occasion, between the bursts of Canon shutter, a Sorento owner pulled up in his Sport Plus diesel. He leapt out of the driver’s seat and ran over to admire ‘our’ GT-Line and enthusiastically discuss spec intricacies – the sort of thing that happens when you own a low-volume bespoke sports car, not a seven-seat SUV.

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This generation of Sorento was a revelation for Kia, from its chiselled exterior to its retro-futuristic cabin with vertically arranged controls and twin 10.25- and 12.3-inch screens that look crisp and contemporary.

Its knurled HVAC controls, art-deco air vent designs and glowing fish scale door trims are properly cool.

There’s substance, too, with clever incidental storage solutions such as pop-out cup-holders, a multi-layered phone tray, two USB ports (though only USB-A), and a very deep central bin. The heated and ventilated quilted nappa leather-appointed seats are firm and supportive.

Even with a black headliner, the Sorento’s generous sunroof gives you the option of flooding the cabin with light. That glass pane doesn’t kill headroom in the second row (with sliding bench and tilting backrest) with ample space for adults, a separate climate zone, and clever USB points in the front seat’s shells.

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The Sorento’s third row is not a place for taller adults on long trips – mostly because the cushions could do with some extra rake – but it’s nearly as good as the Kluger for those under 175cm. You get chrome-bezeled air vents with fan control and two more USB-A points.

The Kia’s packaging is masterful, managing to cram all this space into the second-shortest body here (4810mm). Along with the Pathfinder, the Sorento is the only other vehicle with Isofix and top tether points in the third row.

The excellence continues in the boot with electrically-actuated second-row fold and slide buttons. The 179L/608L boot may be down in litres, but it claws back points with a 12V socket and a perfect under-floor storage space for the cargo blind. It also features a full-size spare slung beneath the body.

On the technical ride-and-handling road, the Sorento immediately identifies itself as the most dynamic. Its fast 2.5-turn lock-lock steering is light and direct (almost too pointy for its 1909kg weight) and encourages the driver. None of these SUVs is dynamic nirvana, but the Sorento gets closest with a secure chassis and limited body roll.

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The Sorento works its equal-widest on-test 255/45 R20 Continental Premium Contact tyres well to reveal deceptively high limits.

However, its big wheels do come at a cost. In GT-Line trim, the Sorento has the firmest ride on test and, although never knobbly or unpleasant, it can be busy and noisier than the plush Hyundai Santa Fe. We also noticed a creaky centre console.

Our Sorento had the 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder that’s tractable and hooked up to a responsive eight-speed dual-clutch. It’s a bit more vocal than the $4000 dearer hybrid, but the mid-range punch is excellent. There are three drive modes: Smart, Sport and Eco, all of which tweak throttle, gearbox and steering calibration.

Safety features are all present and accounted for, and, although the lane-keep assist could do with further refinement, the Sorento thankfully misses out on the Palisade’s incessant beeping speed-limit chime.

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🤔 Two 8.5 results, but only one winner?

At the end of a thorough testing week, we couldn’t split the Sorento and Kluger’s star ratings – either may be ideal, depending on what you’re after. If it’s super-low running costs and a comfortable seven-seat bus, then the Kluger is your winner.

The Sorento, on the other hand, is a vehicle the testers agreed we’d be proud to own. This seven-seater’s elevated aesthetic and fine driving qualities just make you feel good. The fact that the Sorento is the cheapest to buy and has the best warranty of this group seals the deal.

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For more news and reviews on all of the models tested here, simply click on the desired model below.

FAQs for Large SUVs in Australia

We've given you the full rundown above, but here are some common questions broken out for those in a hurry for the key details.

• Which has the best back seat & is best for family duties?
• Which has the best boot?
• Which is the best to drive?

Which large SUV has the best back seat & is best for family duties?

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Kia Sorento GT-Line

Score: 4/5

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Nissan Pathfinder Ti

Score: 4/5

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Hyundai Palisade Elite

Score: 4/5

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Toyota Kluger GXL

Score: 3.5/5

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Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander

Score: 3/5

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Mazda CX-8 Asaki LE

Score: 3/5

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Which large SUV has the best boot?

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6. Toyota Kluger GXL Hybrid

None of our contenders have a boot you’d call “small”, but would you believe the Kluger’s boot is smaller than its baby brother RAV4?

At 552 litres (third row folded), it’s also the most compact space of our six contenders, and lacks utility and goodies.

There’s no 12-volt outlet, no buttons to fold down the second row from the back of the car, and just one measly light. The electric tailgate is also the slowest to open and close of all our cars. Fortunately, there’s an underfloor wet bin and you get a full-size spare, but we expected more.

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5. Nissan Pathfinder Ti AWD

It might pip the Kluger by two litres with its 554-litre capacity, but it’s a mystery why the big Pathfinder’s boot isn’t bigger.

The Toyota has to package a hybrid battery and full-size spare, but the Pathfinder is petrol-only and – tut tut – is one of only two cars here with a space-saver.

Where the Pathfinder crushes the Kluger is in amenity, offering a 12-volt outlet, two boot interior lights, an electric tailgate (that takes just five seconds to open, one of the quickest of our lot) and the largest underfloor wet storage area of the field. The boot floor itself and boot aperture is also nice and wide – your mates will be wanting to borrow it for IKEA runs.

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4. Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Hybrid

If you stood back and guessed which car had the smallest boot of our bunch, you’d say the Santa Fe.

On paper, however, it’s not too bad – indeed, bigger than Kluger and Pathfinder – vehicles from larger segments. There’s plenty of amenity, too. There’s boot-situated buttons to fold down the second row, a 12-volt outlet and a tiny wet storage box.

Somewhat annoyingly, Hyundai has stored the car’s 12-volt battery in the underfloor boot area, eating up space where you’d normally stash away the blind. At 130 litres, the Santa Fe also has the smallest boot with all three rows upright – by a fair margin.

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3. Kia Sorento GT-Line diesel

At 616 litres the Sorento’s boot is one of the biggest here, despite the car's slightly smaller exterior dimensions (points to the engineers for packaging).

In the luggage compartment there’s a 12-volt outlet, an underfloor wet storage bin, boot-situated buttons to fold down the second row and, at just five seconds, the equal-quickest opening and closing electric tailgate of our lot.

It’s a pity, then, the tailgate itself doesn’t go higher – anybody taller than about 170cm might have to duck slightly. This is not a problem with any of our other cars. Points back the Sorento’s way for having a full-size spare wheel – and a truly gargantuan (claimed) 2011 litres capacity with both rear rows folded flat.

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2. Mazda CX-8 Asaki LE diesel AWD

Hit the button on the CX-8’s electric tailgate and you’re greeted with an almost Buddhist temple’s worth of room.

At 775 litres, the CX-8 claims – on paper at least – the biggest everyday luggage compartment of our bunch. There’s a good amount of amenity including two outboard wet storage bins, an additional underfloor storage bin, a 12-volt outlet and two lights (for those scared of the dark).

The electric tailgate is also quick at just six seconds, although the CX-8 loses points for being one of just two cars here with a space-saver spare. Also, the boot aperture itself is on the tighter side, meaning wide items might not fit.

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1. Hyundai Palisade diesel AWD

When it comes to combining sheer space with amenity, the Palisade wins. Easily. With the third row folded down, there’s 704 litres of boot space – but we swear it looks even bigger.

With the third row up, there’s still a useful 311 litres, more than enough for the weekly shop. Hyundai doesn’t provide a capacity figure for when both rear rows are folded flat, but imagine a small van, basically (there’s almost an echo).

For goodies, there’s a 12-volt outlet, underfloor wet storage compartment and boot-mounted buttons to fold down the second row. If you’ve got lots of stuff to move around, the Palisade is your ride.

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