Jeep Grand Cherokee Luggage Test: How much cargo space?

I usually don't luggage test two-row midsize SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee since they're so obviously big enough to hold all six of the standard luggage test bags. I then tend to run out of extra stuff in the garage to fill in the gaps.

That said, I've previously tested a Toyota 4Runner, which is the Grand Cherokee's closest competitor in spirit in terms of price tag and general mission of being a family-friendly off-roader. They're obviously wildly different, but I still thought it would be interesting to see how they compare in terms of cargo space.

The specs say the Jeep Grand Cherokee has 37.7 cubic-feet of space behind its raised back seat, which is comparable to the biggest compact SUVs. The testing you're about to see will show that the amount of stuff it can carry backs that up. Oh, and the 4Runner has 47.2 cubic-feet, so this shouldn't be close. We'll see about that, too.

Here is the cargo area. There is no underfloor bonus area, just the full-size spare tire. But that's a pretty significant inclusion, of course.

Here is that spare tire, which is a major reason why the Grand Cherokee has a higher load floor than those compact SUVs (the rear-wheel-drive-based platform and off-road gear also contributes) and therefore comparable cargo space despite being bigger outside.

This Grand Cherokee was a plug-in hybrid 4xe, so that little triangle bag is the charge cord. Brilliant packaging here. Usually, charge cords are left to roam free somewhere in the cabin, or more likely, in your garage since they aren't a necessity in plug-in hybrids.

The back seat reclines by quite a bit, which makes for a very comfortable back seat. For this test, I set both sections of the 60/40-split seatback at the same angle as shown with the car seat above.