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It's Monday, which means you'd normally be finding a new Luggage Test here on Autoblog. Sadly, I had several vehicles in February that didn't need luggage testing, which means I have nothing to toss six suitcases into today. But that doesn't mean I can't offer up an alternative ...
The VW Atlas was one of the first vehicles I luggage-tested for Autoblog, but I did so when I was still doing them in video form, so there's never been an official, proper post. Until now! This luggage test also coincides with a significant update for the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas, bringing a controversial new interior among other changes. Cargo space is not among those changes. It still has 20.6 cubic feet when its spacious third row is folded. That's exactly the same as our current segment luggage test champion, the Toyota Grand Highlander, and if you round up, the Kia Telluride (21 cubic feet). If my original video luggage test is any indication, it won't be taking the Grand Highlander's crown today. But I'm also a far more skilled luggage tester these days. Let's see if me and the Atlas can do any better.
According to its interior dimension specs, the Kia EV9 electric SUV has 20.2 cubic-feet of cargo volume behind its raised third row. For comparison, the Kia Telluride has 21 cubic-feet, while most other three-row crossovers are in the 16-18 cubic-foot range. So, in theory, the EV9 should be able to carry more stuff behind its third row than most. It should also be awfully similar to the Telluride.
Think of a compact hatchback. If it isn't a Volkswagen Golf, you probably used to own a Mazda3. Perhaps it's more ubiquitous in Europe, but the Golf has long stood as the prime example of a compact hatchback supposedly being more functional than a compact sedan. «Try putting that in a Jetta,» you can imagine someone saying after stuffing a TV into the back of a Golf.
The second-generation Audi Q7 has been around for a very long time, and yet I'm pretty sure I've never driven one. Shrug. Sometimes new cars fall through the cracks and just stay there. Thankfully, this SQ7 with red leather emerged from between the couch cushions. I'm honestly a bit stunned by how good the steering is for a big SUV and how cool its sport exhaust sounds. No surprise that its Bang & Olufsen sound system sounds terrific.
The 2024 Chevrolet Trax is a cheap car with an interior that partially feels its price. I say partially because the tech inside the Trax and the sheer amount of space it offers genuinely punch above its weight. It’s most of the things you touch that make it come off as the low-to-mid $20,000 car that it is.
I've now done so many luggage tests, in three different locations in two states, that you'll forgive me if I sometimes forget which cars I've tested and which ones I haven't. I already retested the Subaru Ascent without realizing it and I just did it again. So if you're wondering how many of my bags fits in the nifty under-bed trunk of the Honda Ridgeline, I hereby refer you to myself back in May of 2021.
To take you behind the curtain for a moment, our 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class first drive review was produced quite atypically. Instead of traveling someplace to drive the car for the first time (aka «a press trip,»), the car was sent out to various outlets/journalists along with a wonderfully extensive press kit and a virtual Webex presentation. This is actually how first drives were done during the pandemic, and while the Webex presentation bit is just as useless and loathsome as in those dark days (asking the necessary in-depth questions to various experts is basically impossible), there is certainly merit to having the car in question for several days at home instead of several hours in suburban San Diego or Majorca.
The Volvo C40 is the chopped-roof «coupe» version of the Volvo XC40, albeit without the internal combustion powertrain options. It's Recharge or nothing. As an electric vehicle, the C40 (or EC40 as it's apparently being renamed) is quite agreeable, with ample range and performance, plus a refined driving experience indicative of a Volvo that is quite clearly more sophisticated than the Hyundais, Kias and Volkswagens of the world. The interior up front is highly functional, too, with clever storage and good tech. Oh, and the gray wool upholstery is just beautiful.