U.S. News Announces the 2014 Best Cars for Families

WASHINGTON--March 12, 2014: U.S. News & World Report, a nationally recognized publisher of consumer advice and information, today announced the 2014 Best Cars for Families awards on its popular Best Cars website, Best Family Cars.

The 2014 Best Cars for Families awards highlight cars, SUVs and minivans that make family life on the road easier. Award winners have the best combination of high safety and reliability ratings, excellent reviews from professional automotive critics and the space and features important to families.

Mazda, a brand known more for delivering sporty performance than family-friendly features, took home four awards, the most of any individual brand. The Mazda3 is the Best Compact Car as well as the Best Hatchback for Families. The Mazda6 is the Best Midsize Car and the Mazda CX-5 is the Best Compact SUV. All three of these models were redesigned within the last two years and most reviewers agree that they're among the top performers in each of their classes – proving that a family car doesn't have to be boring to drive.

General Motors, in a repeat of the 2013 Best Cars for Families awards, had winners in six categories from its Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac brands.

For the fourth year running, the Honda Odyssey won Best Minivan. Though other minivans have similar reliability and safety ratings, the Odyssey has innovative features, such as a trash bag holder and in-vehicle vacuum, and excellent reviews from professional auto critics that make it stand out in a category saturated with family-friendly vehicles.

The 2014 BEST CARS FOR FAMILIES

Compact Cars

2014 Mazda Mazda3

Upscale Small Cars

2014 Buick Verano

Hatchbacks

2014 Mazda Mazda3

Midsize Cars

2014 Mazda Mazda6

Upscale Midsize Cars

2014 Cadillac ATS

Large Cars

2014 Chevrolet Impala

Luxury Large Cars

2014 Cadillac CTS

Hybrid Cars

2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Wagons

2014 Subaru Outback

Compact SUVs

2014 Mazda CX-5

Luxury Compact SUVs

2014 Audi Q5

2-Row SUVs

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

3-Row SUVs

2014 Buick Enclave

Luxury 2-Row SUVs

2014 Lexus RX 350

Luxury 3-Row SUVs

2014 Acura MDX

Large SUVs

2014 Chevrolet Tahoe

Luxury Large SUVs

2014 Toyota Land Cruiser

Hybrid SUVs

2014 Lexus RX Hybrid

Minivans

2014 Honda Odyssey

U.S. News considered 210 vehicles for the Best Cars for Families awards. The award methodology combines professional automotive reviews, safety and reliability ratings, seating and cargo volume and the availability of family-friendly features. Within each of the 19 automotive categories, the vehicle with the highest composite score is named the Best Car for Families in that category.

The U.S. News Best Cars website also provides rankings for each vehicle class along with in-depth reviews and profiles on each car.