We promised you prices of less than $100,000, so here they are. The Ford’s $77,045 Platinum 4x4 base price rises to $84,495 thanks to its Stealth Performance package. The GMC Yukon Denali 4WD, at $86,195 to start, is the most expensive vehicle here and made even more pricier after the Denali Reserve package bumps the as-tested price to $99,115. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer Limited Reserve 4x4’s $82,755 swells to just $84,750 after the heavy-duty trailer/tow package. And after ProPilot Assist 2.1 and two-tone exterior paint, the Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve 4WD’s base price of $82,795 jumps to $89,100.
Welcome to My Rolling Home
You may configure all these SUVs with a second-row bench seat to increase passenger capacity to eight people, but our test vehicles came equipped with second-row captain’s chairs for seven-passenger seating. Each of the various outboard rear seats gets various combinations of their own cupholders, USB charging ports, and climate vents. Everything tested here was dressed in the nicest leathers available from their respective order books.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
To begin, all of our assembled drivers were impressed by the 2026 Nissan Armada’s cabin materials and soft and supportive seats. The Armada is a great place to sit, with the front seats providing plenty of lateral support and the second row feeling equally luxurious. In exchange for those comfortable seats, you must sacrifice the ability to fold them flat. The second row’s floor-mounted phone tray and cupholder combination might get in the way of people walking between the seats to get to the third row. No doubt owing to its shortest length, the Armada also felt like it had the most cramped interior, especially in the third row. There, knee room is compromised, and taller MotorTrend testers reported their heads touching the headliner in the normal seating position, lending to a claustrophobic feeling. At least there’s power recline.
From the driver’s seat, we felt like we were perched atop the car because of how high we could raise the seat. Of the four, the Armada also has the best physical climate controls, offering a wealth of clearly labeled hard buttons. We’re confident an owner will be able to adjust everything with minimal downward glances, given enough time to learn the layout. The panoramic screen sits well within the driver’s eyeline, and Nissan’s latest software and user interface is more responsive, easier to use, and more attractive than before.
Out of the Nissan and into the GMC Yukon Denali, we were disappointed by the featureless, hard, and thin seats that felt at odds with the vehicle’s high price tag. Third-row access is easy, and comfort is acceptable even for tall passengers, but their knees will rest slightly above their hips. However, there is a small pad beneath the window for elbows, and the leathers and stitching do extend to the third row, which isn’t always the case. Our drivers were split when it came to the cabin materials—some felt it looked cheap and tacky; others thought it was appropriate for the Denali trim. And even if the second-row media screens are great for entertainment, we worry about someone accidentally grasping them as a handhold to get in and out of the car.
We all agreed the large, vertical central screen wasn’t it. We appreciated the rubbery climate buttons at the bottom, but you still must move your eyes quite far from the road to use them. As with everything it touches, Super Cruise continues to impress, particularly in this application. It turns humdrum highway time into something you actually look forward to.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
The 2026 Ford Expedition started things off well by offering a fun surprise: a sliding center console that reveals room for bulkier items that would have otherwise ended up in a footwell somewhere. It also means second-row passengers can have their cupholders closer or farther away, though it comes at the expense of third-row access for the aisle walkers. We weren’t bothered by the plain, black interior, as the comfortable seats more than made up for it. The second-row chairs give off big La-Z-Boy energy. Third-row seating, with its flat floor, is also comfortable, but the inexplicably ceiling-mounted middle seat belt knocked some heads here and there. Also, where are people supposed to rest their elbows? In the cupholders?
Count us as fans of the unconventional dual-screen layout. All important information is up top, and you can customize both screens. A minor gripe: We noticed if the sun is exactly overhead, the driver’s information screen reflects a lovely image of your own knuckles on the oblong steering wheel right back at you. The touchpads on the steering wheel? We’re for them. They induce a pop-up menu on the screen, so the wheel remains less cluttered. BlueCruise, while still second to Super Cruise, is activated easily with a couple of button presses.
As for the split-tailgate trunk, I was the only tester who liked it. I think it offers an extra level of utility (especially relevant since we’ve learned the new BMW X5 won’t offer the feature). However, everyone else either had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude or thought the feature gave the rear a swollen-lip look.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Finally, into the cavernous 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Those big windows let in so much light and visibility, even for third-row passengers who usually suffer from obstructing C-pillars. If that isn’t enough, those passengers even get their own dedicated sunroof. Throw in power seats, power recline, a button to push the second-row seat forward with ease, and space for adults over long drives, and this is the best third row of the bunch. “The third-row experience overall is great even before considering the LWD model,” Buyer’s Guide director Zach Gale said. The trade-off is that trunk space is on the small side if the third row is upright.
