The Best Full-Size SUVs for 2023
If you've got multiple passengers to move and heavy toys to haul, then these are your best options when it comes to big SUVs.
While automakers have been busy cramming plug-in-hybrid powertrains into more models—and planning for an electric future—the full-size SUV class continues on with largely traditional powertrains. The segment's most progressive engine is the hybrid powertrain that motivates the Toyota Sequoia. These heavy beasts need plenty of power to complement their heavy weight and hefty tow and payload ratings. These machines aren't for everyone, but those who need to haul a great number of people and their things, or haul heavy loads, over a wide variety of terrain will want to give these big machines a look.
1. Chevrolet Tahoe
- Base price: $56,095
- C/D rating: 8.5/10
Unless you need the extra space of the Suburban, the smaller Chevrolet Tahoe is likely the better full-size bow-tie-badged SUV for you. Size is relative in this segment, though, and the three-row Tahoe is still plenty big. Like the Suburban, the Tahoe is available with multiple powertrains and combines truck-like capability with surprisingly docile driving manners.
2. GMC Yukon and Yukon XL
- Base price: $59,295
- C/D rating: 8.5/10
If the Tahoe or Suburban is too déclassé for you, take a look at the Yukon or Yukon XL. Functionally the same, the GMCs offer a ritzier design along with attractive option packages. Our favorite is the SLT trim, which includes 20-inch wheels, heated and ventilated leather seats, and a power rear liftgate. The blingy Denali, meanwhile, brings Escalade-like levels of luxury sans the Cadillac badge. As with the Chevrolets, the Yukon and extended-wheelbase Yukon XL is available with two different V-8s or a diesel-powered straight-six.
3. Chevrolet Suburban
- Base price: $58,795
- C/D rating: 8.5/10
The Chevrolet Suburban is as synonymous with people-moving as yellow school buses. No surprise, it's among the best full-size SUVs out there. As the bigger brother to the smaller Tahoe, though, the Suburban may strike some as a bit too large for their needs. Still, the Suburban drives smaller than it actually is. Two gas-fed V-8s and a diesel-powered straight-six are available and offer buyers an array of performance potential. Power-hungry consumers will want to spring for one of the two V-8s, while efficiency-minded ones will appreciate the diesel's lengthy driving range and plentiful low-end torque. Like its Ford competition, the Suburban's price can quickly enter near-Escalade territory if you go too heavy on the options.
4. Jeep Wagoneer and Wagoneer L
- Base price: $60,995
- C/D rating: 8/10
For 2023, the Jeep Wagoneer adds a long-wheelbase L model to the line, as well as an available 420-hp twin-turbocharged inline-six engine. A 392-hp 5.7-liter V-8 remains the SUV's standard engine. Regardless of powertrain, the Wagoneer is classic Americana: it's unapologetically big and cushy. While these qualities favor the Jeep on the open road, the SUV feels especially unwieldy when asked to perform any sort of task that tests its lateral dynamic qualities.
5. Ford Expedition and Expedition Max
- Base price: $56,970
- C/D rating: 7.5/10
If the spacious 2023 Ford Expedition Max (along with the standard Expedition) wants to succeed at dethroning GM from its title as king of the full-size SUV heap, it needs to up its game. The Fords are certainly big—and drive like it. According to the EPA, the full-size Ford's twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 is more fuel-efficient than the V-8s that power its Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep, and Nissan competitors. That said, the Expedition's fuel economy proved disappointing in our real-world testing. Unlike others in this class, the entry-level Expedition offers just two rows of seating. Move up the trim ladder, and this SUV's price creeps into Lincoln Navigator territory.
6. Nissan Armada
- Base price: $52,095
- C/D rating: 7.5/10
Following an update for 2022, the Nissan Armada enters 2023 largely unchanged. Like last year, a tried-and-true 400-hp 5.6-liter V-8 powers this big box. If you're looking for a car-like driving experience, though, then this is not the full-size SUV for you. The Armada drives like the old-school body-on-frame SUV it is. That said, its reasonably affordable price, long list of standard features, and 8500-pound maximum towing capacity work together to make the Armada a full-size SUV worth considering. That said, there are better options out there.
7. Toyota Sequoia
- Base price: $59,960
- C/D rating: 7.5/10
Toyota's Sequoia full-size SUV gets a redesign for 2023, more than a decade after the prior generation model was first introduced. With a standard 437-hp gasoline-electric powertrain, the Sequoia is the first full-size SUV to fully embrace hybrid power. Unfortunately, the new Sequoia is more compelling on paper than in practice. With a cramped third-row seat and a maximum EPA combined fuel economy rating of 22 mpg, the new Sequoia is neither a great people mover nor a notable fuel miser. That said, the Sequoia's fuel economy is still impressive relative to its competitors, even if it's not the full-size SUV equivalent of the brand's Prius hybrid.
The Best Full-Size SUVs for 2023, Ranked
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- GMC Yukon and Yukon XL
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Jeep Wagoneer and Wagoneer L
- Ford Expedition and Expedition Max
- Nissan Armada
- Toyota Sequoia
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