​​Cars.com’s Bespoke List of Comparable Cargo Space Measurements​  

Figures for cargo space appear frequently in vehicle specs, car magazines, enthusiast sites, and McFarland Chevrolet blog posts. These figures almost always come from the manufacturer’s printed specs, and unfortunately, not all manufacturers measure in quite the same way, which can make comparing figures a sketchy endeavor. To solve this, Cars.com has taken on a project to develop its own method fordetermining cargo space that is identical across all comparable models. They are in the process of applying it to every other car they review.   

Unfortunately, cargo areas are not easy to measure. Angles are not always 90 degrees; there are intrusions in the rear wheel wells, and floors are not always flat. There are also often hidden compartments, occasional adjustable floor heights, and other nooks and crannies. Cars.com takes these into account. They haven’t revealed all their methodology, but have provided these guidelines: 

• They account for any gradients on the cargo floor—an important factor in some vehicles. 
• They place any sliding backseat in its rearmost position and adjust any reclining backrest to a standard angle before measuring. 
• They place any height-adjustable cargo floor in its lowest position. 
• They measure partitioned space under the load floor, excluding incidental crevices around a spare tire.  
• In an enclosed trunk, they measure the height from the floor to the top of the trunk opening. 
• For vehicles without a trunk, they measure the tops of the seatbacks, excluding head restraints or seat belt guides, and consider space above the seatbacks as usable cargo volume, as it compromises visibility and safety. 

The last guideline is probably the most controversial, as who among us hasn’t stuffed cargo in an SUV or minivan above the seat level, particularly when it involves a large item that starts below the seat level and thus can’t spill forward. Also, our tendency to pack to the point of blocking the center rearview mirror has led to digital rearview mirrors that use a rear-mounted camera to show directly behind when the view is blocked inside the cabin. Nonetheless, that is how Cars.com operates, and while this makes their non-trunk cargo numbers lower than manufacturer figures, they do the same for all vehicles, making them very effective for comparisons using Cars.com figures. However, they cannot be compared against manufacturer figures.  

Cars.com states that they are still working to determine definitive Maximum Cargo volume figures and notes that EVs with “Frunks” and models like the Chrysler minivans, which provide underfloor compartments, are measured but broken out separately rather than combined with the conventional cargo figures. They have also not used their measurement system on all current models.  

Obviously, cargo space is not the only factor in choosing a model, but it can be a significant one.  Since these are likely the best comparable cargo figures available, for shoppers of the vast McFarland Chevrolet used vehicle inventory, below are all the vehicles Cars.com has measured thus far, by category, from most to least space. However, you will find many individual exceptions across categories.  

Minivans 

†Volume measured in underfloor Stow ‘n Go compartments  

Full-Size SUVs 

Mid-Size 3-Row SUVs 

††Volume measured in front trunks 

Mid-Size 2-Row SUVs 

Compact SUVs 

††Volume measured in front trunks 

Sub-Compact SUVs 

Full-Size Cars 

Mid-Size Cars 

Compact Cars 

††Volume measured in front trunks