Lexus RX Luggage Test: How much fits in the cargo area?

The outgoing Lexus RX seemed to have ridiculously low cargo volume (16 cubic-feet), but that was because Lexus published the measurement taken between the cargo floor and the roll-out cargo cover. The industry norm is cargo floor to the roof. True, that makes the figure closer to what I do in luggage tests, but it still undersold the RX to a massive degree. As my luggage test of the previous-generation showed, it had no problem swallowing all six bags and even offered a sliding back seat that opened up space further.

Now there is an all-new Lexus RX. The midsize SUV has a published 29.6 cubic-feet of space, which is far more in keeping with the actual space and almost certainly the measurement of floor to ceiling. At the same time, it's also less volume than the average compact SUV (non-luxury). I'll go into why that is later. Also, the new RX no longer has that sliding back seat, so what you see here is what you get apart from folding the seats down.

This is the cargo area, and I should note that it's the cargo area of every version of the RX, including the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid I tested. The cargo volume is the same, too.

I do not know what's under the floor in other trim levels (my guess is a spare tire or maybe additional bins as in the NX), but there are just some bins in the plug-in hybrid. Nothing that's useful for bags, but you can store the charge cable. Not that you really need that in a plug-in hybrid, but whatever.

Let's talk about the cargo cover. It is a giant cartridge-style cover and it does take up quite a bit of space. There's no place to store it under the floor as in some SUVs nor was there a great place to store it atop the bags while testing, so I tested with and without the cover. (It should be noted that the Lexus NX has a different design and it's superior, as I discovered in the NX luggage test)

As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).