With the popularity of leasing, which lets a car buyer drive a more-expensive model than their monthly payment would allow them to buy, more and more buyers are moving into luxury SUVs. There are dozens of models to choose from, with each automaker touting how their particular offerings can carry a family of five (or more) and their belongings in first-class comfort rather than feeling like they’re relegated to coach.
But just as with mainstream SUVs (some of which these luxe models are based on), not all of that generous-sounding cargo room is necessarily usable space. Having a lot of space doesn’t do much good if the cargo opening is narrow, short, or oddly shaped. And luxury models tend to have more carpeting, interior panels, and sound-absorbing material throughout the cabin, which take up precious cargo room.
At Consumer Reports we evaluate cargo room differently than just looking at the maximum volume inside the vehicle. For SUVs, we use an expandable rectangular pipe-frame “box.” We enlarge it enough to just fit through the rear opening and extend it into the cargo bay as far as possible without preventing the hatch from closing. Cargo capacity is the volume enclosed by that box. This gives consumers a better idea of the cargo they can fit in the back, whether it’s luggage for a trip, a new dishwasher, or a big-screen TV coming home from the electronics store. (Learn more about how Consumer Reports tests cars.)
