U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2017 Best Cars for Families

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2017 Best Cars for Families. U.S. News selected 18 vehicles that boast a winning combination of top safety ratings and family-friendly features. The full list of winners is available at https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/Best-Cars-for-Families/.

Honda Motor Company garnered four wins, more than any other single brand, for the third year in a row. Honda's subcompact HR-V and compact CR-V offer the most cargo and seating space in their respective classes. The Honda Pilot boasts good cargo and passenger space for its class, as well as great crash test scores and accident-avoidance technologies like forward automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. The Honda Odyssey minivan won for the seventh consecutive year.

Two of General Motors' brands, Chevrolet and Cadillac, each won three categories, due in large part to features that make life easier and safer for families. GM winners can be equipped with a Wi-Fi hot spot and Apple CarPlay, and the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Tahoe and Chevy Malibu come with Teen Driver controls. Parents of infants and toddlers can benefit from GM's Rear Seat Reminder, available in the Chevy Malibu and Tahoe, as well as the Cadillac Escalade. The system alerts the driver to check the back seat before exiting the vehicle if the rear door was opened prior to departure, which could prevent an infant or toddler from being forgotten in the back seat.

"Whether it's a built-in vacuum, a flashlight, a cooler or in-car Wi-Fi, automakers are finding new ways to effectively equip vehicles for the demands of family life," said Jamie Page Deaton, managing editor of U.S. News & World Report's Best Cars rankings and a member of the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury. "The 18 Best Cars for Families are the best of what the auto industry offers for all types of families."

Parents of teenagers can take advantage of relatively new technology from a few brands like Hyundai, Ford and Chevy to set speed and audio volume restrictions when an inexperienced driver is behind the wheel and receive report cards on a teen's driving habits or text updates about their young driver's whereabouts.

"All of the features included in our award scoring have either been shown to reduce accidents or make family life easier for our editors when they've tested cars," said Page Deaton. "We cut through the marketing fluff to focus only on features that can really help families."

For the full set of winners and finalists, visit https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/Best-Cars-for-Families/.

The award methodology combines professional automotive reviews, safety and reliability ratings, seating and cargo volume and the availability of family-friendly features. Within each of the 18 automotive categories, the vehicle with the highest composite score is named the Best Car for Families in that category.

Of the 18 Best Cars for Families winners, the Kia Soul, Honda CR-V and Honda HR-V are also winners of the 2017 Best Cars for the Money awards due to their combination of excellent quality and long-term value. Since 2007, U.S. News Best Cars, the automotive channel of U.S. News & World Report, has published rankings of the majority of new vehicles sold in America. Each year, U.S. News publishes the Best Cars awards, including Best Vehicle Brands, Best Cars for the Money and Best Cars for Families. U.S. News Best Cars had over 45 million unique visitors over the past year, with over 65 percent of visitors actively shopping for a car. Eighty percent of active shoppers reported that the U.S. News Best Cars site influenced their car purchasing decision.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Real Estate, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 30 million people visit www.usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

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