Every Photo From Our Mid-Size SUV Battle Between the 2019 Honda Passport and Chevrolet Blazer vs. the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, and Hyundai Santa Fe

Being the biggest inside didn't keep it from being light on its feet, though its stability control was rather intrusive during our handling tests.

With so much winning going on, it's hard to grumble, but we found a few misses. The push-button shifter annoyed us even after days behind the wheel, remaining the least intuitive and most time-consuming gearchange device in the test. Honda's info­tainment interface-now with a volume knob!-is far from perfect: Just try tuning satellite radio stations quickly, we dare you. And there's no shortage of blatantly cheap plastic here, either.

But Honda squarely nails those details necessary to be a legit family-hauling utility wagon. The Passport is a picture of pragmatic service largely thanks to enormous interior space. Its pillars are thin and pushed far away, its greenhouse is massive, and it provides the most cargo volume here.

Not only is the room ample, but Honda makes the best use of it by incorporating creative small-item storage throughout. If you're looking in the middle of crossover land for some real meat, the Passport has the most to offer.

The Santa Fe in this test did what Hyundais have been doing well for a decade now: It presented a solid case. It was just good enough on the road. After driving it harder than any owner ever will, we couldn't deny that it easily kept up.

There was no flourish about it, no magic control feel, no trick differential helping it turn, and 'little power-the least in the group, a fact made evident by its 7.5-second zero-to-60 time, which ties for slowest with the Murano's. Nonetheless, we never waited for the Santa Fe.

But despite its ho-hum attitude toward hard driving, it moves up the ranks thanks to an as-tested price that undercuts the second-cheapest contender by nearly $6000. (That vehicle also happened to win.) And it's not just the money. It's what the Santa Fe gives you for it.

The Hyundai ruled our features and amenities scoring, packed with both useful tech-it's the only SUV here with a manually lockable center differential-and practical touches such as rear window shades.

Smart packaging helps the Santa Fe be both nimble enough to hang with the group and offer the passenger and cargo volume necessary to compete. It's the shortest, narrowest, and lightest vehicle here, yet it provides the most front passenger room.

Secondary control layout is a win, with knobs for volume and tuning as well as two for climate control. Hyundai's touchscreen infotainment system is among the easiest to use in the industry. And the tasteful combination of complementary colors and attractive materials, including a unique denim-like headliner, captured our attention.

The Hyundai finishes second because it's capable on the road, a practical family vehicle, and a meaningful value.

Truth is, depending on your priorities, you could buy any of these elevated wagons and probably be happy. None are stinkers. None are single-task specialists. And none are going to break any back-road records, especially the third-generation Murano.

It is a curious thing that marches to the beat of its own Franco-Japanese drummer, prioritizing amenity over pace and space. Its ride was by far the most compliant and relaxed in this fivesome. Like many Nissans, the Murano features soft seats that will cradle your backside comfortably for days on end, and it pillows over expansion joints more gracefully than anything else here. Should you want those things, it's an easy choice.

But know that this ease is packaged with the space efficiency of a 1985 IROC-Z. Despite being the longest vehicle in this test, the Murano ties the Blazer for the least cargo space behind its second row and claims just a single cubic-foot advantage in passenger space over the tightest-in-test Chevy.

Visibility isn't great, either. "The White House has thinner pillars," read the logbook. But that's hardly all.

A CVT is never a good way to start a relationship with C/D editors, but the Murano's is particularly troublesome since it's paired with a not particularly smooth V-6 that reaches 4400 rpm before achieving peak torque, an experience that rapidly torpedoed any charitable thoughts we had about the Nissan's luxury pretensions.

The Murano finds itself, quilted seats and all, in fifth place by virtue of its last-place finishes in the transmission and the fun-to-drive scoring. Tying the Santa Fe for the laziest zero-to-60 time (7.5 seconds) and turning the slowest quarter-mile were just garnish on the gristle.