This question didn’t come from my imagination—it’s based on a question that a friend of mine asked me recently when we were discussing different vehicles. She’s actually looking to get a compact SUV, but when we were talking about what’s out there as she’s been exploring different cars for sale, this question just sort of popped out. What she had noticed when considering different options and looking at lineups from various brands is that the full-size market seems simultaneously limited but also a bit overwhelming, depending on what you consider a full-size model. In fact, I can’t help but notice a lot of “Best of…” lists out there talk about “large SUVs” rather than get more specific, which is only sort of helpful when you’re trying to understand what’s available. So, let’s have a look at the full-size SUV segment and see if we can figure out what’s going on.
What Is a Full-Size SUV?
Here’s the first problem we’re going to run into: there’s no clear definition of what constitutes a “full-size SUV,” so we’re going to have to decide on what it means. In the US, several different government agencies classify vehicles into categories depending on what they need to keep track of. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency establishes different classes for vehicles for evaluating fuel economy, but those classes include compact, midsize, and large for passenger vehicles based on total interior volume. Trucks have their own categories, and SUVs are only classified as “small” or “standard.” On the other hand, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has five different categories for passenger cars, but a separate vehicle class just for SUVs in general.
So you can see those aren’t a lot of help when we’re trying to understand where full-size SUVs fit into the auto industry. Ultimately, the definition of what we’re talking about is going to be frustratingly nebulous. The few things we can pretty well agree on are that a full-size SUV is a large model, typically the biggest SUV that any particular brand offers, with three rows of seating inside. These SUVs are also usually built on a truck platform, which means they can handle some serious towing. I think that’s about the best definition we’re going to come up with—though we’ll see that it doesn’t hold up as well as I’d like.
What Full-Size SUVs Are Currently Available?
Looking at the lineups of different car companies, the list of full-size SUVs that are out there, including models that some brands label as “large” rather than full-size, is pretty limited. There’s the Chevy Tahoe and Chevy Suburban, the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and the Cadillac Escalade. Jeep comes in strong with the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, plus the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L models. You also have the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator, along with the Lexus LX and Nissan Armada. So, at most, we’ve got just 13 vehicles here that I’d classify as full-size SUVs.
Once we start looking closer at this selection, however, something becomes even more noteworthy: nearly half of these options are all from GM. As a company, GM has numerous brands under its umbrella, including Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac. So the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon models, and Escalade are all from GM. Jeep comes close with four different models, though I should mention the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are about the same size with different features inside; the L models are longer and give you more room inside to take advantage of. From there, Ford offers the Expedition and Navigator (Lincoln is a Ford brand), while the Lexus LX and Nissan Armada close out our selection.
So, two-thirds of all full-size SUVs out there come from two main companies, with just five companies overall making these kinds of vehicles. But I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of other large SUVs out there, many of which have three rows of seating inside, which I haven’t listed so far. There’s the rub: because we don’t have a clear industry definition of what a full-size SUV is, we have more models beyond the 13 I’ve mentioned so far that could easily be seen as full-size options—they’re certainly large SUVs. So what’s up with those?
Making Things Confusing: Three-Row SUVs
Things get tricky when we start talking about three-row SUVs in general because they include a lot of large models that I wouldn’t necessarily call “full-size.” This is where things like the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS come into play, where we find the Kia Sorento and Telluride, the Dodge Durango, Toyota Highlander, and the Honda Pilot. I could keep going because once you include three-row SUVs in general, we more than double the list of options out there, and you have dozens of different models to consider and choose from. Which is great, but trying to decide on what SUV category you’re looking at can be tricky.
Think of it this way: the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is a three-row SUV with a powerful engine that allows it to handle 5,000 lbs of towing. The Grand Highlander has more than 20 cu.ft. of rear cargo volume, almost 58 cu.ft. of cargo space behind the second row, and more than 97 cu.ft. of total cargo capacity behind the front seats; it also measures about 201 inches in length and 78 inches wide, so it’s not a small SUV by any means. Why wouldn’t we call it a full-size SUV?
For comparison, let’s look at the Chevy Suburban because that thing is a full-size monster. The 2024 Suburban has more than 41 cu.ft. of rear cargo space, nearly 94 cu.ft. of cargo volume behind the second row (almost as much as the total cargo space for the Grand Highlander), and more than 144 cu.ft. of total cargo volume behind the front seats. The Suburban is more than 225 inches in length—that’s two feet longer than the Grand Highlander—about 81 inches wide and can handle up to 8,300 lbs of towing. In fact, every full-size SUV I listed earlier has more than 8,000 lbs of maximum towing capacity available, while three-row SUVs rarely have that kind of capability.
So What’s Up With the Industry?
At one time, when someone mentioned an SUV, the model that people would typically picture was something large and (arguably) overbearing. A major part of SUVs coming to dominate the auto industry is the development of smaller options, including compact and subcompact models using a crossover design based on cars rather than trucks. While there’s still some demand for full-size SUVs built on a truck platform with massive room inside and lots of towing capacity, it’s not as high as other models like compact and midsize SUVs. Many of the three-row SUVs out there are similar in size to a midsize model or slightly larger rather than going as big as the full-size options. This has brought us to the point we’re at today, and one final question.
Are Full-Size SUVs Here to Stay?
I think we’ll continue to see full-size SUVs on the market, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see their numbers dwindle a bit. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are recent additions to the industry, after all, so it shows that manufacturers are still developing new full-size SUVs. The lack of diversity, however, does speak to a growing trend, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that number of 13 options shrink in the years to come. Right now, Chevy and GMC both offer two models each; I could see that being downsized to one each, creating three GM options across those brands and Cadillac. Ultimately, the auto industry isn’t that complicated, and car companies chase demand and where the money is. If drivers keep buying full-size SUVs, then GM, Ford, and others will keep making them; we’ll dictate what’s available by buying the vehicles we want.
