5 Small Cars With Big Thanksgiving Passenger and Cargo Space
Thanksgiving doesn't care how big your car is: It needs you to get everyone from here to there regardless.
According to AAA Travel, 46.9 million Americans will schlep 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday, a 0.6% increase from last year and the most since 2007. That's the seventh consecutive year of growth for Thanksgiving travel and a whole lot more people on the road between Wednesday, November 25 and Sunday, November 29.
A full 89% of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations this year, thanks largely to gas prices hovering around $2.15 a gallon nationwide. That's 65 cents less per gallon than last Thanksgiving's average price and the lowest since Thanksgiving 2008. Does that necessarily make U.S. drivers super enthusiastic about making that drive with about 300,000 more people? No. Does that make their vehicles feel any less cramped when stuffed with family, luggage and various foodstuffs? Absolutely not.
Does it make them want to upsize to the biggest passenger vehicle they can find? Eh, not necessarily. If you have a car that gets great mileage and can haul a whole lot of people and stuff, does it really matter what form it comes in? There are a whole lot of “small” cars out there that fit an incredible amount of cargo and personnel into their comparatively diminutive frames. We consulted with the folks at Edmunds and the Environmental Protection Agency's FuelEconomy.gov and found just five vehicles that pack SUV size into a far more compact shape:
2016 Ford C-Max Hybrid
Starting price: $23,114
Maximum cargo space: 52.6 cubic feet
The bad news is that its 39.5 combined miles per gallon aren't exactly up to the standard of the Toyota Prius it's clearly emulating, but with perks like an available power liftgate, SYNC apps suite and a $7,000 upgrade to a plug-in electric, it certainly merits a look. Also, that cargo space outpaces the Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque (47.6 for the two-door, 51 for the four-door). the Subaru Crosstrek XV (51.9) the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (49.5), the Infiniti QX50 (47.4), Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class (43.6) and the Buick Encore/Chevrolet Trax (48.4).
Not only that, but it's assembled in Wayne, Mich., and has “Made In The U.S.A.” clout that many competing hybrids can't claim. It also gets all those sweet Prius benefits like state and federal refunds and solo carpool lane access with small SUV space.
2015 Volkswagen Golf
Starting price: $18,495
Maximum cargo space: 52.7 cubic feet
We'll note that the Honda CR-Z has 25.1 cubic feet of storage space with seats up, which is larger than the Golf's 22.8 cubic feet in the same configuration. However, that's as much storage space as the CR-Z gets.
By comparison, the Golf's combined 52.7 cubic feet of total cargo space is more than that of all the crossovers and SUVs we mentioned in the C-Max example. While we can't advise paying $5,000 extra for a turbodiesel that may not live up to its claims, paying $4,000 to jump from the combined 31 miles per gallon standard edition to the 115.5-miles per gallon equivalent of the e-Golf is a bit safer. From there, you can stick with the standard package with touchscreen entertainment and apps or go with the Xenon headlights, Fender audio system, panoramic sunroof and touchscreen navigation. Either option gets you all that cargo space in an absolute SUV of a hatchback.
2016 Honda Fit
Starting price: $15,790
Maximum cargo space: 52.7 cubic feet
One of the subcompacts that started the class's renaissance, the sleek and convenient Fit got a complete revamp that makes it an incredibly worthy tailgate vehicle despite its size. Its cargo space with the seats down actually decreased from 57.3 cubic feet last year, but the seats get a little more modular, to the point that the from passenger seat folds back to serve as a footrest for a passenger in the back who wants to sleep for this leg of the trip. Blind-spot cameras, a multi-angle rearview camera, touchscreen audio system, Bluetooth connectivity, an app suite, leather-trimmed and heated seats, a moonroof and satellite navigation all make for a pleasant, comfortable ride for both driver and passenger.
Also, and it should go without saying, all of those cargo comparisons that we just made for the Golf apply for the Fit as well. While there isn't a full-time electric version yet, the gas version gets a stunning 37 miles per gallon combined that puts the gas-powered Golf to shame.
2015 Kia Soul
Starting price: $15,190
Maximum cargo space: 61.3 cubic feet
This wasn't such a great city ride in its early years, when it basically looked like every other boxy neo surf wagon on the street and became a minivan substitute. That's why Kia gave the Soul an overdue overhaul in 2012 that streamlined its front and rear body, kicked its output up to 138 horsepower and improved its efficiency to a combined 31 miles per gallon.
The nine-color palette, mix-and-match accent plates and audio and sunroof upgrades still remain, but it's the Soul's versatile 60/40 rear seating and cargo space that makes it an ideal surf shack, bike shuttle or city shopping companion.
Meanwhile, there's an electric version that goes for $26,200 with incentives, but gets 105 miles per gallon equivalent combined with 93 miles of range. It doesn't have the broad color palette, mix-and-match accent plates and sunroof upgrades still of the standard model, but it's still has the space and ten-year, 100,000-mile Kia warrantee.
2016 Toyota Prius V
Starting price: $26,675
Maximum cargo space: 67.3 cubic feet
The wagon-ish Prius V's combined 42 miles per gallon lags behind the 50 of the original Prius, but it's still impressive for a hybrid. Also, the V's 67.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats down is considerably larger than the original-recipe Prius's 39.6 cubic feet and is closer to that of compact SUVs such as Toyota's RAV4 (still bigger at 73.4 cubic feet).
Yet that's more cargo space than the outgoing Nissan Xterra (65.7 cubic feet), Mazda CX-5 (65.4), Land Rover Discovery Sport (66.9), GMC Terrain/Chevrolet Equinox (64), Lexus GX 460 (64.7) and NX 300h (53.7), Jeep Compass/Patriot (53.6/63.4) and Cherokee (54.9), Lincoln MKC (51.3), Hyundai Tuscon (55.8), Infiniti QX70 (62), Volkswagen Tiguan (56.1) and Porsche Cayenne (62.9). Even if you go with the base model, features including a touchscreen audio and information system, a backup camera and Smart Key come standard. There are available tech upgrades including SiriusXM satellite radio, navigation and the Entune app suite -- as well as an optional panoramic moon roof -- but the surprising room and fuel-sipping mileage make the Prius V a giant in its class.
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This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held TK positions in the stocks mentioned.