There’s this strange thing that happens sometimes when people have kids, especially more than one: They feel like they have to go out and buy the biggest vehicle possible to transport the kids and all of their gear. It’s a natural feeling to have, as you suddenly find yourself overrun with everything from strollers to diaper bags to the huge (but very safe) car seats.
That said, buying a minivan or full-size SUV isn’t a requirement to comfortably live life with kids. The newest crop of two-row crossovers delivers more than enough room for two car seats and often a cavernous degree of cargo space in back. Two of the newest, the Chevy Blazer and Honda Passport, are resurrections of previously-dead nameplates within their respective brands. Both are less rugged than before but bring a level of fun and around-town convenience that a giant three-row can’t.
Here’s a closer look at a few of the newest two-row crossovers:
Chevrolet Blazer
This isn’t the almost-truck K5 Blazer many of us bounced around in as kids. This also isn’t a raised hotrod, though the look and interior do a great Camaro impression. After a several-year hiatus, Chevy has resurrected the Blazer name for this new thing – a crossover, and the result is mostly impressive.
With an interior transposed from the Camaro and up to 308 horsepower from an available V6 engine, the new Blazer has been tuned much more for pounding pavement than clawing up a mountain pass.
Honda Passport
Back in the early 1990’s, Honda and a now long-lost (in America) Isuzu Motors, entered into a partnership to share vehicles and one of the resulting products was the Honda Passport, a rear- or four-wheel drive SUV. The deal was nixed in the early 2000s to make room for the new Honda Pilot, but after nearly 20 years the Passport is back.
The new Passport takes many of its cues from the wildly successful Pilot, and rides on the same platform with an identical wheelbase and engine. The Passport is six inches shorter than the Pilot, however, which makes it faster and more agile than the larger family-hauler. It’s also more than just the sum of its parts, because even though it looks awfully similar to the Pilot on paper, the Passport is its own thing entirely.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The most capable SUV on our list from an off-road perspective, Jeep’s Grand Cherokee is also the oldest. Now in its fourth generation, the Grand Cherokee is available with several engine and trim combinations, with everything from a tame V6 to the outrageous supercharged V8 made famous by the Dodge Hellcat cars.
Jeep’s two-row mainstay has become more luxurious and refined over the years, as most Jeeps have (even the Wrangler), but it remains a beacon of practicality and will serve most families well. Front passengers in the Grand Cherokee are treated with wide, comfortably-padded seats and an intuitive dash setup that includes FCA’s excellent Uconnect infotainment system.
Even though there are only two rows of seats here, many will find that the Grand Cherokee is wide enough for three car seats. Generous rear legroom for adults translates to an easy time fitting large child seats in the back and an even easier time loading and unloading the kids on a daily basis.
Ford Edge
The Edge is Ford’s “middle child” SUV, slotting between the smaller Escape and larger Explorer in the lineup. The last major redesign took place nearly five years ago, which means the Edge is due up for an overhaul soon. Even so, Ford has introduced a new Edge ST model for 2019, which includes larger wheels, performance upgrades, and software tweaks to get more power out of the EcoBoost V6.
The Edge (not the guy from U2) has also been fitted with Ford’s great infotainment system, Sync 3, and a bevy of active safety features. Known as Ford Co-Pilot360, the safety group includes auto high beams, blind spot monitors, lane-keep assist, pre-collision alerts with automatic emergency braking and a rearview camera with washer.
Inside, the Edge’s interior finishes have been updated slightly over the years but have aged well. Generous legroom front and back make it an ideal road trip vehicle for families, and the gently sloping roofline helps retain headroom for rear seat passengers.
Two-row crossovers won’t fit the bill for every family, obviously, as there are times when the clan has just outgrown even the best that the segment has to offer. For everyone else, this latest crop of vehicles offers a surprising level of usable space and utility that can (mostly) satisfy even the most demanding families.
