Choosing a family SUV has always been a balancing act between power and practicality. While most SUVs today, especially large luxury models, offer plenty of horsepower and torque for highway merging and towing, not all cargo space is created equal.
If you look at the glossy brochures for many two- and three-row SUVs, you’ll see impressive, almost cavernous, numbers for cargo space. But there is a small catch.
Automakers often arrive at these numbers by measuring every available inch of air from floor to ceiling. That’s a theoretical maximum, assuming you’re packing your rear end like a Tetris champion. For the parent trying to fit a double stroller, handbag, or bike behind the fully-filled third row, the cubic-foot numbers on the spec sheet don’t tell the whole story.
What to look for when it comes to cargo space
Don’t forget the cargo net
Car cargo space is usually measured according to standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE J1100 standardespecially). This method often uses standard blocks to fill every nook and cranny, including under-floor bins and spaces around wheel wells.
The thing is, most of what we carry on a daily basis doesn’t behave like a bag of small blocks. Here are some things to consider when buying your next SUV:
- Children’s items: Even when folded, most double strollers are about 30-35 inches wide. If your SUV has a shorter wheelbase, rear suspension or overall length, or if the floor depth behind the third row is less than 15 inches, you may have trouble fitting a stroller and other items. Even when folded, pet strollers can take up more cargo space than expected.
- Game Gear on the go: Between football chairs, lawn chairs and a cooler, game day gear is uncooperative. The segment-leading numbers may not matter if the vertical height of the hatch opening is too low to slide a full-sized hockey bag inside without fighting the weather.
- Grocery runs: A weekly grocery haul for a family can feel like you’re trying to feed a small convoy. While SUV floors are almost always flat for easy loading, they lack the storage aspect of a traditional car trunk. The moment you take a sharp turn or hit the brakes, your groceries (i.e. eggs) can slide freely all over the cargo area and often get stuck in the liftgate.
When shopping for an SUV, check to see if the manufacturer offers an integrated cargo net. In particular, look for the envelope-style vertical grids that run along the hatch opening. These act as a flexible back wall, keeping your bags and gear upright and preventing them from falling when you open the tailgate.
If it doesn’t come with the SUV you want, make sure it at least has pre-installed mounting hooks so you can attach it. aftermarket freight network after.
- Material
-
Oxford
- Organizer Sizes
-
21″L x 14.6″W x 10.3″H
This 13.5 gallon trunk organizer has compartments to organize and store groceries, sports equipment, emergency supplies and other everyday essentials.
3 things that affect cargo space
Style can be at the expense of the room
To help you decipher the brochure or what you see online, check out these three design features that will affect your usable cargo space:
#1. Pitched roof line: Many SUVs marketed as sports or athletic have tapered rooflines. While sleek, this kind of styling can make it difficult to fit everything you need to carry compared to a more conventionally designed SUV. A good example of this is from the Infiniti range, in particular QX60 and QX65 (seen in the “slider” photos above).
The two-row 2027 Infiniti QX65 features a sporty fastback design with a sloping rear roofline. It offers 35.8 cubic feet of space behind the second row and 67.7 cubic feet behind the first row. 41.6 cubic feet with the third row folded, compared to the three-row QX60, which offers more than 75 cubic feet of space with both the second and third rows folded.
#2. Tampering with the wheel well: On some models, the rear suspension components form knots on the sides of the cargo area. The SUV may be wide on the outside, but if the distance between those wheel wells is tight, you’ll struggle to fit larger items.
#3. Liftover Height: This is not a measurement of volume, but dictates usability and comfort. The higher the cargo floor, the more work it will be to load heavier items. The best family SUVs, for example 2026 Toyota Grand Highlanderprefer a lower lift height so it’s easier to access the available space.
4 SUVs offering maximum cargo space
Daily usability award
These 2026 and 2027 models are among the leaders when it comes to maximizing every ounce of interior cargo space:
- 2027 Kia Telluride: His boxy exterior shape and longer body it becomes more of a cargo area. With 22.3 cubic feet behind the third row, it offers plenty of room for groceries and gear, even when passengers are seated there.
- 2026 Honda Pilot: Honda removable middle seat on certain trim levels allowing you to switch from an eight-passenger carrier to a seven-passenger plan with a center aisle that can double as an area to accommodate one or two items. Underneath the rear cargo area is a drop-down bin where you can store the seat without cutting into usable rear cargo space.
- 2026 Lincoln Navigator: For those who really want to pack everything and the kitchen sink and walk in luxury, navigator L adds an extra 11 inches of length and 14.5 cubic feet of cargo space over the standard model.
- 2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid: Even with hybrid components the cabin remains spacious with a total passenger volume of 106.6 cubic feet. The 60/40-split rear seats fold nearly flat, and the maximum cargo volume is 69.1 cubic feet.
Take everything on a test drive
When you go a test drive at the dealerremember that you also value cargo space. Bring your largest suitcase, stroller, or sports equipment, or any other heavy item that you carry on a regular basis. Take some time to load it up, assessing things like the height of the tailgate and whether or not the seats are folded down.
By understanding how cargo space measures up on paper and how it translates in the real world, you can ensure your next SUV is a practical family tool.
