There will always be a market for the seven-seater sport-utility vehicle (SUV), as long as people want to take the whole family on a road trip during long weekends.

Be it on the coastal roads of Ilocos or the twisty mountain roads of Rizal, these three-row behemoths will always be a common sight. But what’s the best seven-seater SUV for you and your loved ones?

Here are five of the market’s best that you can consider.

The fan favorite: Toyota Fortuner

As it has been for nearly 20 years, the Toyota Fortuner has ruled the streets of Manila as the SUV of choice for most Filipino families and the latest iteration is no different.

Powered by a 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine and mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, this Hilux-based seven-seater generates an impressive 204 PS and 500 Nm of torque.

Inside, the Fortuner is trying to hit a slightly higher market segment, with two-tone, red-and-black faux-leather seats. But very little has changed since this second generation was launched.

Sadly, while the color motif may appeal to some, it has forsaken those looking for the clean and subtle tones of an all-black interior. On top of the seats, the dashboard itself is still made of hard plastic, which doesn’t sit well in today’s SUVs.

In the features department, Toyota has stepped up and provided the Fortuner with some choice toys for the owners to play with. Aside from power-adjustable seats and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, the new Fortuner is also being offered with:

• Voice command
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane departure assist
• Power tailgate with kick sensor
• Apple Carplay and Android Auto
• Collision avoidance braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert

The underdog: Isuzu mu-X

In contrast to the Fortuner, the Isuzu mu-X is Isuzu’s latest and only seven-seater SUV.

It's set to take on the benchmark, despite a historical disadvantage in the luxury department compared to the Fortuner, with the Isuzu often having a more agricultural feel that focused on durability.

Bold as it was, the new mu-X is targeted even more at city buyers, offering many amenities that, while less than useful out in the boondocks, are essential in the urban jungle.

This includes Isuzu’s safety suite, which is designed to protect you from yourself or others in urban environs:

• Forward Collision Warning
• Emergency Braking Turning Assist
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Adaptive Cruise Control

Convenience-wise, the mu-X is thoroughly modernized with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, as well as a power adjustable driver’s seat and a power tailgate.

Under the hood, Isuzu has provided the mu-X with two inline-4 turbodiesel engine choices for the discerning buyer. There's a 3.0-liter model making 190 PS and 450 Nm of torque and a 1.9-liter variant making 150 PS and 350 Nm of torque.

Most of the lineup comes with the 1.9, while the top-level LS-E comes with the 3.0. The LS-E also comes in both 4x4 or 4x2.

All mu-Xs use a 6-speed transmission, either in automatic or manual guise.

The tech whiz: Ford Everest

In quite a departure from the norm, Ford has decided to forego the off-road prowess of their Everest model and aim it directly at urban denizens.

It may still offer high ground clearance and four-wheel drive, but most of the lineup now only offers automatic transmissions with no locking rear differential.

Still, as SUVs have transitioned from rough-and-tumble off-roaders to city-dwelling commuters, the Everest isn’t one to come to a party empty-handed, having features that put it head and shoulders above its competitors.

For starters, with the help of two turbochargers, the 2.0-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 turbodiesel makes an astonishing 210PS and 500 Nm of torque for the 4x4 variant. Meanwhile, the single-turbo 4x2 variant produces 170 PS and 405 Nm of torque.

Backing these powertrains up is a 6-speed automatic for most of the 4x2 models or a 10-speed automatic in the 4x4, which also gets an electronic locking rear differential to match.

Inside, the Everest again stands head and shoulders above the competition, thanks to all-leather seats and soft-touch materials all over the dash.

On top of all that, the new Everest also gets power adjustable seats for both the driver and front passenger, as well as a power lift tailgate.

By far the most impressive feature however is the new, portrait-oriented 12-inch center touchscreen that doubles as both your AC control, your reversing camera monitor and your in-car entertainment screen, which features Android Auto and Apple Carplay as well.

Another party trick of the new Everest is the advanced safety features it carries. These include:

• Pre-collision assist
• Dynamic Braking support
• Distance Alert
• Forward collision warning system
• Blind Spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and braking
• Reverse braking assist, as well as a 360-degree camera

The higher functions include Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go functionality, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Centering, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Driver Alert System and Active Park Assist.

The new kid: GAC GS8

Quite a far departure from the norm on this list is the GAC GS8, the latest version of which was launched locally by Chinese company GAC Motor on January 2023.

Of all those on this list, the GS8 looks the most modern and the most sophisticated, looking more at home on a fashion show runway than on the mean streets of Metro Manila.

Inside, the new GS8 also looks like the inside of a luxury Coach bag, sporting genuine leather with no hard plastic surfaces in sight.

A striking difference to the rest of those on this list is the bold and funky color choices you get for the interior – black is blasé and orange is chic, but where does turquoise fit in, I wonder?

Regardless of the interior color, you’re still treated to a host of modern features that you will find in most modern international cars today like power seats for the driver and front passenger with memory functions, three-zone climate control, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, a wireless charging pad and a power tailgate.

In the safety department, the new GS8 isn’t lacking either, featuring Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Sign Recognition, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Jam Assist and Integrated Cruise Assist.

Under the hood, the GS8 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve gasoline engine pumping out 251 PS and 400 Nm of torque, all coursed through an 8-speed automatic.

The future: Chery Tiggo8 Pro PHEV

When Chery first introduced the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV, it is a safe assumption they didn’t expect it to become a popular model.

After a year on Philippine roads, you barely see any of these Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) going around the streets of Manila.

The biggest noise about the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV is, of course, the PHEV part.

While the car is primarily powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam inline-4 gasoline engine mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission, the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV also comes with a pair of electric motors, giving this seven-seat SUV a combined output of 320 PS and 545 Nm of torque.

Where it differs from the mild hybrids on the market is the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV has an EV Mode where it doesn’t consume any fuel at all, with a claimed 95 kilometers of range on electricity alone.

Inside, however, the Chery starts to show where the company decided to cut some things out for the sake of affordability.

Sure, it comes with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a wireless charging pad and power-adjustable seats. But while its competitors offer a host of safety features targeted at autonomy, they’re missing in the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV.

And strangely enough, the cheaper, non-hybrid Tiggo8 Pro gets the said safety features, along with a seat memory function for the driver’s seat.

So why, of all the cars here, did this seemingly poor choice find its way into this list? Well, it’s because the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV represents the future of motoring in the Philippines.

The only way you can go electric is if you have an onboard generator and plug-in hybrid cars like the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV are exactly that, especially with the passage of Republic Act 11697 or the "Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act."

Our honorable mentions

Before we round out our list of top five seven-seater SUVs, here are a few honorable mentions that, while very good in their own right, lose out on a few key aspects that change the score.

Nissan Terra

The Nissan Terra is in the same segment as the Fortuner and the Mu-X.

Inside, it’s quite well-equipped, featuring Nissan’s 360 Safety Shield, which includes 360-degree cameras, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning, among others.

Convenience-wise, it’s also well-equipped with Android Auto, Apple Carplay and even offline navigation, which comes in handy when your phone has no internet connection.

Where the Terra falls down on this list is the age of the engine, which is approaching 20 years old.

Say what you will about a robust and reliable design, but a diesel engine from the early 2000s can only do so much to meet emissions standards and satisfy consumer fuel-consumption needs.

Compounding this is the outdated interior. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, the copious use of hard plastic can’t hack it against other designs that now use soft-touch materials, making the Terra feel older than it is.

Mitsubishi Montero Sport

The Mitsubishi Montero Sport is an industry mainstay, starting the seven-seater, pick-up-based SUV segment in the country alongside the first-generation Fortuner.

In its current iteration, the Montero Sport is a handsome, well-equipped, turbodiesel, family hauler. It also has an Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System, designed to prevent the phenomenon known as sudden unintended acceleration.

Other safety kit include forward collision mitigation, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. Features-wise, it also comes with Apple Carplay, Android Auto, a power tailgate and power seats for the driver.

However, the Montero Sport lacks is road presence or the image of being a premium product.

By no means is it unpleasant inside, as it uses synthetic leather and quite a lot of soft-touch materials. But it simply doesn’t feel as luxurious as others in the category – a trait from its workhorse brother, the Mitsubishi Strada pick-up, that it wasn’t able to shake off.

Geely Okavango

The Geely Okavango is one of the cheapest 7-seater SUVs on the market.

It’s also the least powerful, having to make do with a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 12-valve inline-3 gasoline engine with only 190 PS and 300 Newton-meters of torque.

That said, it is equipped with a mild-hybrid system, which promises to save fuel at stoplights by using a combination starter-generator to charge a small battery to run the auxiliaries and accessories while the engine is turned off.

One quirky feature the Okavango has is its seven individual seats, which make for some interesting seating arrangements.

But what the Okavango lacks are features that have found their way into the norm in the market, such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as advanced safety systems like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking.

Nitpicking though it may be, those features are fast becoming standard even in base-model vehicles, so a car that can’t keep up will inevitably get left behind.

There may have been some merit in it being a mild hybrid, but even that has been usurped by the Tiggo8 Pro PHEV.

Which of these seven-seat SUVs would you pick?