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Best in cargo capacity and fuel economy

Last updated: May 2013

Best in cargo capacity & fuel economy

With today's ever changing gas prices, many car buyers are opting to trade cargo space for fuel economy by purchasing a smaller vehicle than they might have otherwise. To help buyers who are looking for cargo capacity and fuel economy, our list below highlights vehicles we've tested that provide the best combination of the two. (Find out how you can compare these cars and get unlimited price reports with the Cars Best Deals Plus.)

In order to get on our list, a vehicle must meet benchmarks that vary depending on vehicle category. The vehicle must have achieved a minimum overall miles-per-gallon (mpg) figure in our real-world fuel economy tests and have a minimum number of cubic feet of cargo capacity, according to our measurements. (For more on saving gas, see our guide to fuel economy.)

Within groups, vehicles are listed in order of fuel economy; those with identical economy figures are listed in order of cargo volume.

Make & model

Fuel economy
(overall mpg)

Cargo volume
(cu. ft.)
MINIVANS Overall mpg = 18 or higher; cargo = 60 cu. ft. or more
Toyota Sienna XLE (FWD) 20 70.5
Toyota Sienna XLE (AWD) 19 70.5
Nissan Quest SL 19 62.0
Honda Odyssey EX-L 19 61.5
SMALL SUVS Overall mpg = 21 or higher; cargo = 24 cu. ft. or more
Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium 26 35.5
Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.0L)
 25 33.0
Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.5L) 25 33.0
Toyota RAV4 XLE 24 37.0
Honda CR-V EX 23 36.0
BMW X3 xDrive28i 23 33.0
BMW X1 xDrive 28i 23 26.0
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE 23 25.5
Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium 22 35.5
Ford Escape SE 22 35.0
Ford Escape Titanium 22 35.0
Mitsubishi Outlander LS (4-cyl.) 22 33.5
Acura RDX 22 31.5
Kia Sportage LX 22 28.0
Jeep Compass Latitude 22 26.5
Hyundai Tucson GLS 22 25.5
Nissan Rogue SL 22 24.5
Audi Q5 Premium Plus 21 32.0
Mercedes-Benz GLK350 21 32.0
Volkswagen Tiguan SEL
 21 30.0
Jeep Patriot Latitude 21 29.5
Kia Sportage SX (turbo) 21 28.0
MIDSIZED/LARGE SUVS Overall mpg = 18 or higher; cargo = 32 cu. ft. or more
Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited 27 37.5
Lexus RX450h (Hybrid) 26 33.5
Volkswagen Touareg TDI 24 34.5
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 23 35.5
BMW X5 xDrive 35d 22 36.0
Ford Edge SEL (4-cyl.) 21 36.5
Chevrolet Equinox 1LT (4-cyl.) 21 33.5
Lexus RX350 21 33.5
Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec 20 47.0
Kia Sorento EX (V6) 20 37.5
Kia Sorento LX (4-cyl) 20 37.5
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 19 52.5
Infiniti JX 19 39.0
Porsche Cayenne (base) 19 33.0
Honda Pilot EX-L 18 48.0
Ford Flex SEL 18 47.5
Toyota 4Runner SR5 (V6) 18 44.5
Ford Explorer XLT 18 42.0
Nissan Pathfinder SL 18 39.5
Mercedes-Benz ML350 18 37.5
Toyota Highlander Limited 18 37.5
Ford Edge SEL (V6)
 18 36.5
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (V6) 18 36.5
Lincoln MKX 18 36.5
BMW X5 xDrive35i Premium
 18 36.0
Acura MDX 18 35.5
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ (V6) 18 33.5
WAGONS/HATCHBACKS Overall mpg = 20 or higher; cargo = 24 cu. ft. or more
Toyota Prius V Three 41 32.0
Volkswagen Golf TDI 38 25.5
Ford C-MAX Hybrid SE 37 28.0
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (MT) 36 31.5
Nissan Cube 1.8 S 28 28.0
Ford Focus SEL 28 24.5
Volkswagen GTI 27 25.5
Kia Soul Plus 25 24.5
Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 24 36.5
Volkswagen Golf 2.5 24 25.5
Mazda5 Touring 23 39.0
Scion xB 23 34.0
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SE 23 31.5
Audi Allroad Premium
 22 28.5
Toyota Venza V6 20 33.0
   

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