But if you’ll be using the third-row seat regularly then you’ll need a true minivan substitute, which gets you into the larger 3-row SUV size classes. If you’ll only use it rarely, then a smaller 3-row SUV is probably the right choice, unless you intend to fold down the rear seats and haul a large amount of cargo. This is especially true of luxury 3-row SUVs, which often sit at the very top of the brand’s model lineup.Ī key question for any 3-row SUV shopper is how much you plan to use the third-row seat. They look cooler than minivans while providing much the same versatility, and unlike minivans, they may come packed with off-road capability or even high-performance racetrack credentials. We measure those spaces, too, but rather than combining them into any volumes from the traditional cargo area cited, we’ve appended the results with a separate volume spec and footnote.Ĭars.SUVs have taken over our roads in recent years, due in no small part to the family-friendliness of 3-row SUVs. And some models, like Chrysler’s minivans, furnish underfloor compartments in the passenger area. Vehicles without engines under the hood, for example, sometimes provide a front trunk (or “frunk”) in that area. A handful of models have major additional storage areas. Different trim levels can result in volume differences due to equipment like spare tires, audio equipment and adjustable floors. We believe all 2020 results shown here are accurate for the 2021 model year. We list the model year and trim level tested below. In the meantime, if you rely on manufacturer-supplied maximum figures, remember that they can be compared only to other manufacturer specs, not the numbers below. This is simply because we haven’t developed a method we believe is reliable and consistent enough to account for the complex shapes involved (but we haven’t given up). We don’t provide a “maximum” cargo volume, often cited as space behind the first row that includes volume when the second row or backseat of any hatchback, SUV or van is folded flat. Many trunks achieve similar ends with a folding backseat. A large item that extends above this plane certainly occupies more space. Conversely, our numbers for anything with a liftgate will seem low compared to what automakers publicize because we measure to the top of the rear seatback (this maintains rear visibility and helps prevent cargo from becoming projectiles in a crash). The manufacturer standard greatly underestimates trunk volume, so ’s numbers are consistently higher. But comparing them to manufacturer-supplied specs isn’t meaningful. We believe ’s volume measurements compare consistently across sedans, coupes, SUVs and anything else with a liftgate, and we think they represent how normal people use their vehicles. Quick Tips for Using the Specifications Belowĭon’t compare and manufacturer specs. But you might also want to check out independent results from editors, who ensure consistency not only from brand to brand, but between enclosed trunks and the open compartments in hatchbacks and SUVs - a puzzling fault in the SAE standard that uses different methodologies for trunks and hatches, yielding results that can’t be compared reliably. Varying interpretations alone are enough to inject error in the results, even if you trust that the individuals who work for one automaker can be unfailingly objective.īy all means, use the specs found elsewhere on our site, or on manufacturer or dealer sites. The automotive industry relies heavily on self-reporting and self-certification, on everything from safety and efficiency assurances to specs like these - based on guidelines from the federal government and standardizing bodies like SAE International. To be clear, these numbers, even when they appear on third-party resources like, are almost without exception manufacturer-supplied. We give far more details in the article linked above, but we’ll emphasize that we undertook this program because we’ve found ordinary cargo specifications to be inconsistent at best and suspect at worst. We’re far from filling out every vehicle class, but we have enough to highlight a few that we’ll call the best until something else unseats them. Now we’ve methodically recorded enough of them to begin sharing the results en masse. ’s editors have made passing references in car reviews and elsewhere that we’d begun our own effort to measure vehicle cargo spaces.
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