What’s the Best Family SUV? Subaru Ascent vs Volkswagen Atlas vs Kia Telluride

If you want a large SUV, with three rows and room for all of your stuff, you have tons of options. Some might say you have too many options. Luckily, we were able to get three relatively new entries to this segment together to see which is the best family SUV.

The three entries in question are the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas, the 2019 Subaru Ascent and the 2020 Kia Telluride. To figure out which one is the best, Roman and Tommy decided to compare the three vehicles using TFL’s favorite review method. We call it the SPRUCE-V. This acronym stands for Styling, Performance, Ride & Handling, Utility, Competition, Economy and Value (we ditched competition in this case).

Styling

We always like to say that styling is a personal choice. However, when you line three vehicles up next to each other, you have to pick a favorite. Frankly, the Ascent looks like a bloated Forrester. The Atlas has an interesting, boxy front end. Though, it is the Telluride that wins the styling comparison in Roman and Tommy’s book.

Volkswagen's 2017 Sales Rebound - 2018 Volkswagen Atlas

Drop us a comment down below and tell us what SUV of this bunch you like the best!

Performance

This matchup provides us with a really interesting mix of powertrain setups. The Subaru makes use of a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat four-cylinder that makes 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. That power goes to all-four wheels through a Subaru-special Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Atlas is packing a 3.6-liter narrow-angle naturally aspirated V6. It produces 276 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. However, this tester is front wheel drive. Though, AWD can be had on the Atlas. Last, but not least, the Telluride comes in with the biggest, most powerful engine of the bunch, a 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V6. In the Telluride, this engine produces 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.

To figure out which powertrain is fastest, Roman and Tommy performed a little 0-60 on each vehicle. If you want to see which vehicle came out on top, you’ll have to go watch the full video!

Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for the latest news, views & real-world reviews. Plus, even more 3-row SUV comparison.