The Car Mom 2023 Car of the Year
It was an exciting year for a family SUV market! I’ve been sitting on this idea for some time — The Car Mom Car of the Year!
After years of touring, writing, and showcasing these vehicles, I feel confident in sharing what I think is the best redesign that hit the market in 2023.
Since cars are typically the second largest purchase we make in our lifetimes and are not replaced frequently, I take the opinions I give out very seriously. The four vehicles we’ve selected for the 2023 Car of the Year award I stand behind confidently. Each one has its unique features, meaning there’s something to love about each one!
If you’re new here - welcome! I’m Kelly Stumpe, the Car Mom and as a CPST, mom of three, and car lover. I review cars for families and in 2024, my focus is helping families like yours find the best car that fits their needs and budget.
2023 Car of the Year Category Breakdown
Before I mention the Car Mom specific categories breakdown, I want to make it clear that there are MANY factors and things to consider when purchasing a car. If you' bought a car in 2023 that isn’t on this list, and you love it, I’m SO happy for you!
But I get asked constantly….
“Kelly, what car do you recommend?!”
In an effort to answer that question the best way I know how, I’m here to share the top redesigns in 2023 that got my attention for it’s family friendly features.
These categories are core essentials to every vehicle I tour and break down, so they form the basis for the 2023 Car Mom Car of the Year. Before looking further into one of these vehicles over another, make sure your priorities center focus on your needs before mine.
Our categories to judge the vehicles are the following:
Comfort
Safety
Technology
Car seat capabilities
Value
We are not judging the cars against each other, but instead judging each on the same set of criteria. Although these are all 2023/2024 models, the essence of what makes each of these vehicles great can be found in earlier versions as well.
Now that the categories are broken down, we are excited to announce that our top 4 finalists for the 2023 Car Mom Car of the Year are:
2024 Volkswagen Atlas
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
2024 Lexus TX
2023 Honda Pilot
2023 Car of the Year Rubric
If you’re looking to see the Car of the Year finalists summarized, here is a view of which vehicle qualifies into which category:
Vehicle Overview:
Toyota Grand Highlander
The Toyota Grand Highlander has been anticipated for YEARS! And we finally got an extended version of the Highlander and extended it was! The new Grand Highlander offers some great space in all 3 rows plus excellent trunk space! Toyota took their great hybrid technology and offered it in the Grand Highlander making it only one of the few Hybrid 3 row SUVS. With the Toyota reliability, value and space the Grand Highlander is sure to be a TOP seller in the mid size market.
Honda Pilot
This overhaul redesign is SO exciting! I’m happy to see the Pilot went for a more boxy, sporty look, which also made the Pilot larger in the trunk and third row. The interior has some great convenience features, my favorite being the removable middle seat with storage in the trunk. This offers great car seat flexibility and makes the Pilot a GREAT 3 across candidate. Finally, the Pilot not only has great crash prevention tech, it's also received the highest award from the IIHS as a top safety pick +.
Lexus TX
Such a needed segment for Lexus and they did it RIGHT! I love the looks of this car as well as the different trims and included PHEV option. It really feels like there is something for everyone! Starting at $55k for a luxury car is a good value and although the trims can vary by thousands of dollars the base to the highest end still offer great safety and tech features.
The car has great trunk space and good 2nd and 3rd row seats. I appreciate the fact they only opted for 2 seats in the third row. Many brands don't like this because they cannot “market” the car as an 8 passenger. Most of the time, only 2 seats in the third row provide a much more comfortable and car seat friendly seat friendly experience. No one likes to squeeze 3! Plus, full LATCH in the 3rd row really stands out.
Volkswagen Atlas
The Volkswagen Atlas has been a favorite of mine for years for its large cabin and car seat friendliness. That being said, I felt it fell a little short in the technology department until the latest redesign knocked it out of the park! Not only did Volkswagen completely rework the trim levels making even the base a GREAT value they also added the tech to compete with luxury cars including things like ambient lighting and heads up display. Also, NEW for 2024 the Atlas finally was award the IIHS top safety pick+.
Comfort:
Toyota Grand Highlander
When it comes down to the drive itself, it’s one of my favorites on the market. I'm not the biggest performance girl out there, but this vehicle drives great- it's very powerful. I feel like I have no problem merging or accelerating on the highway, but it's also still nice to zip around town when you have hybrid kind of technology. Although this isn’t necessarily an interior comfort feature, as someone who has driven my children in it, I felt very safe and comfortable.
With the obvious size difference in the old Highlander versus the new Highlander, you’re getting a lot more space. That being said, leg room in the passenger side is just okay. We're not met with 17 different materials and contrast stitching on the interior, but it still looks good and feels nice.
Honda Pilot
When it comes to interior design Honda is claiming the Pilot is “Class-leading overall passenger space” this is a bold claim- especially to make in the mid size 3 row SUV category. I can confirm that it’s bigger than the previous Pilot which is super exciting! For the affordable price, the interior feels very comfortable as both a driver and passenger.
Lexus TX
The comfort in this vehicle really makes it feel like a luxury vehicle. One thing specifically I liked about this car is the heated seats and the heated steering wheel because they actually work with your air temperature to deliver the optimal comfort experience. Basically, if you have your temperature set to a certain degree your heated seats may/may not kick on which I've found to be pretty helpful. There is plenty of storage available in the first row, plus ample leg room in each row of the vehicle. When you picture a comfortable luxury SUV, it’s exactly what the Lexus TX is.
Volkswagen Atlas
One of my biggest complaints with the original Atlas was how bare-boned the interior used to be. This is one of my favorite vehicles to recommend for families, so I’m really excited to share with you some of the changes they made inside. By just sitting in the driver’s seat, I can already tell how updated the interior is. Even down to how the leather and stitching feels.
First off, heated and ventilated seats come standard across the Atlas lineup. This is a very nice driver’s comfort feature not put behind a price wall. One of the shining stars of the Volkswagen lineup is their cupholders. Side cubby fits a Stanley!
The middle console is a dream. So much storage along with everything you could want from USB-C ports to an underneath bridge. I’m really happy with everything up front.
Safety:
TLDR: Safety matters, and the VW Atlas and the Honda Pilot received the HIGHEST IIHS Top Safety Pick. We love to see it!
For safety, we looked at how they scored on IIHS testing as well as their STANDARD safety features. We were pleased to see all our finalists offer great standard crash prevention features, however when it came to crash testing, the scores were spread.
The Atlas and Pilot both received the HIGHEST IIHS award Top Safety Pick.
Unfortunately the Grand Highlander missed both the Top safety pick and top safety pick+ for their average performance in the frontal crash test.
The Lexus TX hasn’t been tested yet.
Car Seat Capabilities:
Toyota Grand Highlander
TLDR: No car seat tilt!
When it comes to car seats, we started with a 10 and then deducted points as we saw fit. For example the Grand Highlander doesn’t offer a car seat tilt and the tether anchor positions in the 3rd row are not great. Since they put them next to each other (passenger side/middle) it leaves the driver side 3rd row unusable to car seats and putting two car seats next to each other in the third row is nearly impossible.
Honda Pilot
TLDR: We love the removable seat in the 2nd row for flexible seating, but the middle seat in the third row is much too narrow.
The Honda Pilot claims to be the king of the carpool lane and the car seat capabilities of this car seem to live up to the claim. The Honda Pilot offers a VERY unique removable middle seat in the 2nd row, not only does this offer flexible seating, but that removable middle seat is equipped with its own set of LATCH! The third row offers tether anchors in all seating positions but the middle seat in the third row is SO narrow I wouldn't even count it as a seat.
Lexus TX
TLDR: The third row is 10/10 with two great seats, but no car seat tilt.
The TX really impressed with its car seat set up! The 2nd row is fairly standard, but functional, however no car seat tilt. The third row of this car REALLY shines! I love that they only used two seats to make them more comfortable and both seats have full LATCH. VERY rare for the midsize category!
Volkswagen Atlas
TLDR: We LOVE this setup! No edits here - we’re obsessed.
The Atlas remains a car seat machine- no upgrade for the 2024 but the wide bench with 3 sets of LATCH, the car seat friendly tilt, and the fact the 3rd row has two seats with tether anchors scores the Atlas high in this category.
Technology:
Here’s the truth — when it comes to tech, most cars in 2023 have the features we all know and love. When I toured each of these cars, I thought they were all well-equipped with the latest and greatest. Settings like climate control and driver assistance come down to personal preference, but below, I’m highlighting what I found special about each one.
Toyota Grand Highlander
Starting off strong, there is a nice large display and everything that’s standard in modern infotainment systems (Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, etc…). It's your standard Toyota screen you know, I like it and I think it's user friendly, but nothing is overly special or overly complicated.
They've done a good job of like pulling climate control out and giving us a good screen to button ratio- this is always important to me. I feel like the rear climate is very easy to control from up here, which now that I have older kids who are complaining all the time I like to change it quickly. A lot of strategically placed USBS as well.
Honda Pilot
Pilot also features an updated Honda Sensing® which is their suite of driver assistive technology: Such as a new camera with a wider 90-degree field of view and wide-angle radar with a 120-degree field of view. This wide angle improves collision prevention performance via improved ability to recognize attributes of objects, such as vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians, as well as white lines and road boundaries like curbs and road signs.
Blind spot information (BSI) has been expanded, now with 82 feet of radar range. Also new are Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) which are standard. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS) have been updated to feature more natural responses.
Standard Rear Seatbelt Reminder and Rear Seat Reminder systems are also new to Pilot; the latter notifies drivers to check the rear seating area for children or pets!
Lexus TX
There are so many features to break down in this car. Lexus's infotainment system and their technology has felt so outdated for so long, but now it finally feels like you’re in a luxury car. We're going to start with a heads up display. Amazing digital dash and a huge infotainment system that’s not clunky and instead sleek.
I've also been really impressed with the driver's assistance features, specifically the crash prevention tech. This car alerts you if you look away from the road for too long with a pop up on the dash. We also have a rear view camera, which I love especially for having kids in car seats that can obstruct your view. Of course, Apple Carplay and Android Auto - all of those good things.
Volkswagen Atlas
First things first, we have head’s up display. This has been SO needed in the Volkswagen lineup so I’m thrilled to see it in the higher trim levels. Ambient lighting in the infotainment system is a really nice touch as well and I’m happy to see a nice easy-to-use screen.
I don’t love absolutely everything about it though. Why is the volume not a knob, but in the touch screen. I am personally a fan of having some controls pulled out of the infotainment system.
Value
I want to be clear: all of these vehicles have an excellent overall value for what they provide. With the Honda Pilot and VW Atlas being the two more affordable cars in this lineup, you can say there’s a lot of bang for your buck. When it comes to the Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX, since one is a luxury vehicle and the other is a larger SUV, the cost is obviously higher.
All this being said, the true value is found in your family’s budget. While it’s always fun to see the extensive trim levels and add-ons available, the base levels for all these vehicles are more than enough to drive comfortably and safely. Purchasing a vehicle can be an expensive and stressful endeavor, so focus on the vehicles in this list that are feasible for your family.
So… Which Vehicle Is The Winner?
I took the deliberation of choosing the Car Mom 2023 Car of the Year quite seriously. Each vehicle on this list is an excellent option for a variety of families and should be on your consideration list when vehicle shopping.
That being said, the Volkswagen Atlas is the winner! What’s not to love? This redesign truly changed the game for the Atlas, allowing it to be both an excellent and safe vehicle for families. With the car seat set up, trunk space, and excellent tech available - it’s exactly what I want to see from more manufacturers when it comes to providing a superior build.
What has been your favorite vehicle of 2023? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with the latest family car buying tips, check out my recent posts:
