Kelley Blue Book Names 16 Best Family Cars Of 2016

KBB.com Editors Conduct Extensive Real-World Tests, Determine Vehicles that Best Fit Various Family Needs; All-New Car Seat Section Details How Rear-Facing & Forward-Facing Child Seats Fit in Each Winning Car

News provided by

Kelley Blue Book

Feb 04, 2016, 05:00 ET

Families come in all shapes, sizes and compositions these days, and we hear the word diversity a lot, which is why we at KBB.com have put together this incisive look at the Best Family Cars of 2016.

After extensively testing two dozen Best Family Cars finalists, the KBB.com editors decided upon a list of 16 vehicles that they feel best fit the title of Kelley Blue Book Best Family Cars of 2016.

KBB.com 16 Best Family Car: The totally redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot is the family-friendliest mid-size SUV in existence. It was also named KBB.com’s Best Buy for 2016 in the mid-size SUV category.

KBB.com 16 Best Family Car: Several of KBB.com’s editors agreed that if we could only recommend one car to a majority of buyers, the 2016 Subaru Outback could satisfy the needs of an impressive many.

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7748351-kelley-blue-book-best-family-cars-2016/

"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."

After 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.

For more information about Kelley Blue Book's 16 Best Family Cars of 2016 winners and for additional details about this year's runners-up, please visit http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/best-family-cars-2016/.

To discuss this topic or any other automotive-related information with a Kelley Blue Book analyst on-camera via the company's on-site studio, please contact a member of the Public Relations team to book an interview.

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource^®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book^® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book