Passenger vehicles provide the best value for your money. For several decades, Asian automakers have been the king of providing the best combination of refinement, affordability, comfort, convenience, and fuel economy. However, its American competitors are quickly catching up. Listed below are the top 8 passenger vehicles 2012.

Honda Pilot
Price: $27,000-$40,000
MPG: 18/25
The Honda Pilot is a huge, imposing vehicle. Its massive size makes this SUV perfect for hauling extended families, especially if you don’t like to drive minivans. Unfortunately, critics say the 2012 dashboard update is complicated to use and the brakes feel rather weak for such a large vehicle. Overall however, the Pilot has earned overwhelming praise for its reasonable price and practicality.

Chevrolet Traverse
Price: $30,000-$40,000
MPG: 17/24
SUV fans have no doubt heard about the Chevy Traverse. It has a reasonable price and better fuel economy than any 8 passenger vehicles. The engine is a V6 3.6-liter that is combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Traverse has a very comfortable interior and more than enough room to hold eight people. If you spend a little extra on 20-inch rims and a leather interior, you’ll have a SUV that’s classic enough to rival the Porsche Cayman or Lexus LX.

GMC Acadia
Price: $33,000-$46,000
MPG: 17/24
The Acadia costs $3,000 more than the Traverse, but that’ll give you a nicer interior and more comfortable ride. It uses the same V6 engine from the Traverse, but the Acadia has a little extra horsepower and torque. Overall, it is great for families who need lots of space and a comfortable interior.

Nissan Armada
Price: $38,000-$53,000
MPG: 12/18
The Armada is an absolute monster. This SUV is incredibly powerful, big, and capable of hauling a ton. It is more than capable of pulling caravans, yet it is also a versatile city vehicle. Due to its immense size, the Armada doesn’t have the best fuel economy, but that’s what you get for driving the biggest vehicle on the block. Just be sure to install a backup camera since parking such a large vehicle can quickly become a hassle.

Ford Expedition
Price: $35.000-$50,000
MPG: $34,000-$48,000
Remember the Ford Excursion that died off in 2005? The Expedition is its replacement, featuring more seats, extended length, and extra safety options. The eight seats can be folded or moved around to provide room for extra storage. The Expedition is a truck-based utility vehicle, so it is not the most comfortable option for families.

Lexus LX 570
Price: $80,000
MPG: 12/18
The LX 570 is an elegant SUV that is capable of both on-road and off-road environment. Its frame is based on the Toyota Land Cruiser, a famous off-road beast with legendary capabilities. The LX adds a bit of refinement to the Land Cruiser, making it the most versatile 8 passenger vehicle on the market.

Unfortunately, the LX’s price is larger than most people’s yearly income. If you can afford it however, the LX will not disappoint. Whether you need it for commuting your family every day or for weekend off-road trips, the LX will serve you well.

When needing to carry a crowd, many consumers are interested in 8 passenger vehicles.  While not as common as 7 passenger vehicles, there are both minivans and SUVs that can fill the bill.  In order to provide the needed power for the load, vehicles in this class will need a large enough engine to pull both the vehicle and the passenger load.  Most consumers will prefer vehicles that offer a minimum of a 3.5L engine, although they will sacrifice fuel economy with these larger engines.

Toyota offers the Sienna minivan.  This is one of the more affordable 8 passenger vehicles available.  Toyota has provided minivans for many years.  Today’s Sienna is considered a third generation in this line.  It features a six speed automatic four door vehicle.  The Sienna is offered with either a 2.7L or 3.5L engine.  While offering better fuel economy for commuting, consumers may find the 2.7L engine underpowered if the vehicle is fully loaded with passengers and luggage. The vehicle is known for the safety it offers.

If consumers prefer a Honda, they will need to raise the budget.  The Honda Pilot first rolled off the lines in 2002.  The current second generation vehicle uses a 3.5L V6 engine for power.  These vehicles offer a decent fuel mileage rating at 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.  For a vehicle large enough to transport eight people, this type of fuel economy can be a big advantage.

GM offers the Buick Enclave, a crossover SUV that is somewhat larger than Honda’s pilot.  This crossover vehicle is fairly new in the eight passenger vehicle class, being first introduced in 2007.  This luxury SUV offers plenty of cargo space.  It is one of the higher priced vehicles in the spectrum and is powered using a 3.6L V6 engine.
A second choice from Toyota is the Sequoia SUV.  This full sized SUV was introduced in 2000.  It offers a 4.6 L V8 engine that
provides 310 horsepower.  The optional 5.7L V8 offers 381 horsepower, which is plenty of power to move a fully loaded SUV and an excellent towing capacity.  Like the Sienna by Toyota, the Sequoia offers many safety features not offered in other brands of vehicles.

Other vehicle manufacturers have started and stopped production of eight passenger vehicles through the years.  In addition, the vehicles mentioned in this article may have not always held the full 8 passengers.  Often, the manufacturers tend to move back and forth between a seven and eight passenger capacity for their vehicles.  However, the choice seems to remain between minivans and SUVs for this number of passengers.

The Toyota Sienna and Honda Pilot are the least expensive of the new 8 passenger vehicles offered while the Buick Enclave and the Toyota Sequoia are the more expensive.  New prices for the Sienna or Pilot are between $26 and $28 thousand, while the Enclave and Sequoia are priced between $38 and $40 thousand. (These prices are at the time of writing this article).  With the long life expectancy of each of these models, consumers should find several used vehicles that may also fit their need for a people hauling vehicle.