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CHICAGO, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com, the nation's premier online resource for new and used car buyers announced today that the 2012 Honda Pilot is the winner of its $37,000 SUV Shootout in conjunction with USA Today and MotorWeek. The shootout pitted seven three-row SUV's and crossovers configured with family-friendly features—all under $37,000—against each other in a series of tests.

"The Honda Pilot won for its great mixture of comfort, roominess, features and efficiency," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "It is the perfect SUV for buyers who want to comfortably haul the entire family and all of their gear.  

The seven SUV's were tested over three days in order to measure all of the needs of family SUV buyers including gas mileage, storage, features and comfort. The testing included:

• 230-miles of highway driving to determine each SUV's accurate gas mileage.
• Driving of each car by each expert to measure each vehicle for features, ride quality, styling and comfort.
• A day of family testing and driving where a family of four joined our experts to give their impressions of the family-friendliness of the vehicle. They inspected every vehicle and its features and took the vehicles on a test drive.  

"Interest in large SUV's took a hit during the gas-price spike in 2008," said Olsen.  "However, the reality is that if a family doesn't want a minivan, these vehicles are really the only other option. Manufacturers have realized this and now 3-row SUVs are more competitively price, and more fuel efficient than ever before."  

Other vehicles competing for the title included the Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander.

For further details and results on this shootout, visit www.cars.com.

ABOUT CARS.COM

Cars.com was recently named the "Best Overall Customer Experience" by Keynote Systems, the leader in internet and mobile cloud monitoring.  Cars.com is an online destination for car shoppers that offers information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With price listings, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions. 

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

SOURCE Cars.com