Americans are using the third row of their SUV more than Volkswagen originally thought. A survey of 1,000 current SUV lessees and owners revealed that fact and others that showed that safety and comfort are their top two priorities.

“This survey confirms that our current portfolio of SUVs aligns with what consumers are prioritizing here in the U.S.,” said Hein Schafer, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing and Strategy for Volkswagen of America, Inc. “All of our SUVs rank high on independent measures of comfort, standard safety features and passenger space within their classes, and we’re focused on those priorities as we develop new entries like our upcoming subcompact SUV.”

The survey consisted of 1,000 SUV owners in the U.S., 500 men and 500 women. Respondents identified an SUV as their primary vehicle. The survey was conducted September 19-24, 2019.

The results of the survey indicated three major trends among SUV buyers.

Safety and comfort rank high in importance but vary by gender.

• Nearly nine in ten owners ranked SUVs as the best vehicles for your money (96 percent) and indicated that they do not plan on owning any vehicle other than an SUV in the future (87 percent). Drivers also agreed that they feel more confident on the road when driving an SUV (94 percent).
• Safety and comfort are the highest priority features when it comes to SUVs, with 68 percent of drivers rating them as most important. For men, comfortable seating is more important than overall safety, while women are more likely to place importance on safety and passenger space.

Americans gather in their SUV for family time.

• More than eight in ten parents say they have family discussions in their SUV, creating a new space for family time, whether on the way to school or on a family road trip.
• Parents, more than non-parents, agree that they expect to continue to own an SUV from now on (90 percent) and use their SUV as a place for family discussions.
• SUV owners with a third row are more likely to say family discussions take place in their SUV (75 percent, vs. 60 percent of owners without a third row) and younger SUV owners (18-34 and 35-54) and parents are more likely to use their third row on a daily basis.

Gen Z and Millennials want to be safe, first and foremost.

• Generationally, Gen Z and Millennials rank the overall safety of the vehicle as most important when it comes to their SUVs, followed by handling on rough roads, whereas drivers ages 55+ ranked comfortable seating as most important.