The Best Large Cars To Buy
While size isn’t everything, there’s no denying that driving a big, and usually luxurious, car is truly a liberating experience. You feel as though you own the road, and considering how much of it these land cruisers take up, that wouldn’t be an entirely inaccurate belief. Large vehicles have always been close to car shoppers in the USA, from pickup trucks synonymous with patriotic pride to enormous SUVs that haul post-nuclear families around to and from school and extracurricular activities. The best large cars can represent several ideals and appeal to very different consumers, but you can be sure they are all in demand for one reason.
Three generations and the dog
Regarding practicality, most buyers are interested in how many people you can fit inside a vehicle. True, cargo capacity does matter, but that’s only really a concern for family vacations, and most three-row SUVs boast a decent tow rating to make up for any lacking trunk space. On the other hand, you can’t compromise on seats. Many automakers have a three-row or two in their lineups; not every model is a full-size SUV.
That being said, the Kia Telluride is a large car, and it’s arguably the best three-row vehicle you can buy without breaking the bank. It is phenomenally spacious and seats eight in a certain degree of comfort. You can easily fit the kids, the grandparents, and even the family dog inside with space to spare. To top it all off, it’s one of the safest large cars money can buy, and you don’t need as much green as you may expect.
The Cadillac Escalade is definitely an appealing alternative, and it has the size to fit enough people. Unfortunately, it can easily approach the six-figure mark if you aren’t careful with the options, and it has many superfluous features that most family-minded shoppers won’t even care about.
Conscientious luxury
In the past, luxury large cars of the full-size persuasion have been seen as conspicuous consumption, both for their high initial MSRP and their cost of ownership with less than stellar fuel economy. However, now that electric motors are starting to replace the combustion engine, at least one of these drawbacks is falling by the wayside. The best electric luxury cars are still expensive compared to your average city runabout, but they no longer cost an arm and a leg to maintain.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi have something to offer in this area, with sedan, coupe, and crossover models. Their mileage may not be as good as you’d find from more mainstream economy brands, but it is a huge step up from a regular premium gasoline vehicle. Then there is the new kid on the block, the Lucid Air. It can exceed the six-figure mark if you want the best of the best, including massive performance credentials and a driving range that the most advanced Tesla can barely beat, but it is arguably the most impressive EV on the market.
If you want something more affordable but still comfortably luxurious, Genesis, the plucky underdog gunning for the Germans’ luxury crown, has already released its GV60 electric SUV with the promise of EV variants to the G80 and G90 large sedans. Mazda should not be overlooked, either. Though it has traditionally been one of the middle-tier brands, recent changes in the automaker’s philosophy have seen the level of luxury go up a notch, with prices increasing to match.
The bold and the beautiful
It’s no surprise that Americans love pickup trucks. After all, the Ford F-Series has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for several years. It remains a competent workhorse and a liveable daily driver, alongside close runners-up like the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado. However, with the rise in the popularity of EVs, we are seeing a new breed of high-tech trucks making their way to the market.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is an impressive vehicle, and Chevy has also announced its contender in the EV pickup segment. Meanwhile, Tesla, the kind of EV, has refused to be left out, although its space-age-looking Cybertruck may not be for everyone. Furthermore, the brand has had a questionable reputation for reliability, which you can’t compromise on regarding the most rugged vehicles on the road. Hummer has returned to the game with the new GMC Hummer EV, which may prove as popular as the old model, though you won’t stop refueling every five minutes. More adventure-focused brands like Jeep have also made inroads into the electric segment with the Wrangler 4xe, though it may take a bit more time for the off-road warriors to embrace this pivot in propulsion technology.