Honda's luxury three-row splits the difference between sport sedan reflexes and family hauler practicality, torque-vectoring AWD that actually makes winter fun, a V6 that runs forever, and enough cargo space to shame the Germans. The catch is a generation-specific landmine: 2016-2020 V6 models grenade their rod bearings at 30k-60k miles, stranding owners with five-figure engine replacements now covered under recall 23V-751. Avoid that window entirely. The current 2022+ generation sidesteps the issue and earns genuine owner loyalty, but it drinks premium like a pickup (16-21 MPG real-world) and costs nearly X5 money while delivering a noticeably less plush cabin. Buy it if you value sharp handling and Honda durability over German badge prestige, and you're fine burning a tank every 350 miles. Skip it if fuel economy matters or you need that third row for actual adults.
Hyundai built this three-row to compete with luxury nameplates at half the sticker, quilted Calligraphy leather, 360 cameras, and semi-autonomous highway driving for $50k instead of $70k, and the 2023-2025 models mostly deliver on that promise. The 2026 redesign, though, hit a wall: a power-folding seat crushed a child to death in Ohio, triggering a 68,500-unit recall and stop-sale, while owners report dead batteries from digital key drain and wiring harness failures. The interior still impresses, the space is genuinely useful across all three rows, and the warranty cushions the gamble. But if you're buying new, you're debugging Hyundai's first swing at this generation. If you're buying used, stick to 2023-2025 and budget for a dealership experience that'll make you miss the DMV.