Top 10 Large Sedans With The Biggest Trunks

America is the land of the free and the home of large sedans. With miles and miles of miles and miles, drivers don’t have to contend with congested urban parking or dreadful highway traffic like their European counterparts. We’re free to relax and stretch our legs clear across the continent if we so desire.

U.S. Interstates and two-lane back roads were the breeding ground for a unique automotive species: the large sedan. Spacious, comfortable and smooth, Detroit’s Big Three created the original recipe for these highway cruisers, but foreign automakers have a thing or two to say about how to prepare them.

Trunk space is one of the most important metrics to examine when comparing big four-door cars. How many golf bags can be crammed into a cargo hold? What about suitcases for a weekend road trip to Atlantic City? People need to know! Here’s a list of the Top 10 large sedans ranked in order of trunk volume.

Landing in last place on this list is a surprising vehicle, the Buick LaCrosse. Traditionally tri-shield cars are known for their huge dimensions, both inside and out. And while this large-and-lovely sedan is a style winner, with an elegant exterior and a cushy cabin, it falls a little short when it comes to trunk space. Still, the LaCrosse offers up a respectable 13.3 cubic feet of cargo volume, slightly less than the ninth-place finisher.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Buick LaCrosse Review

A smooth-running 303 horsepower V6 engine is sure to keep drivers interested. Efficiency-minded motorists will appreciate the eAssist model, which is certified by the EPA to deliver up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway, though its trunk is slightly smaller thanks to a supplemental battery pack.

Topping the LaCrosse by less than one cubic foot is Nissan’s sporty Maxima. Its aft cargo hold offers up a decently generous 14.2 cubic feet of luggage space.

Trunk-to-trunk it may top the Buick, but it trails far behind in passenger volume. Interestingly, at a little less than 96 cubic feet it offers the lowest interior volume of all the cars in this comparison. But that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given that it’s tied with another car for the shortest overall wheel base at a tidy 109.3 inches.

SEE ALSO: 2009 Nissan Maxima Review

The Nissan Maxima is powered by a rip-snortin’ 290 horsepower version of the company venerated VQ V6. Torque output is a competent 261 lb-ft at 4,400 RPM. An Xtronic CVT handles “shifting” duties. An interesting transmission choice for a sedan the company calls a “4-Door Sports Car.”

Topping the Maxima by more than 1.5 cubic feet is the freshly overhauled Honda Accord. In sedan form this Japanese mainstay delivers up to 15.8 cubic feet of trunk space, a figure made all the more impressive by the car’s overall length, which was shortened nearly four inches compared to the previous model.

Not surprisingly the Accord Coupe offers considerably less cargo volume, but we’re talking about sedans in this comparison, not two-doors so it doesn’t really matter. If you’re just dying to know, the coupe offers up to 13.7 cubes.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Honda Accord Review

Unlike much of its sedan competition, which has gone four-cylinder only, Honda still offers drivers a choice of engines under the Accord’s hood. The base unit is a 2.4-liter four-banger that’s good for either 185 horsepower or 189, depending on model. Torque differs by just one lb-ft between the two, with the more powerful version delivering 182 units of twist.

A 3.5-liter V6 is optional, whipping up a muscular 278 horsepower. Torque is more than adequate at 252 lb-ft. Moving on…

Narrowly edging out the mainstream Accord is Hyundai’s radical rear-wheel-drive Genesis. This near-lux sedan’s boot is commodious to the tune of 15.9 cubic feet. Even though it falls mid-pack in trunk space, the Genesis is the passenger-volume champ, delivering more than 109 cubic feet of sprawlin’ room.

SEE ALSO: 2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan Review

There’s a lot going on with this large car, especially under the hood. Direct fuel injection is standard across the board as is an eight-speed automatic transmission. Base models are motivated by a muscular 3.8-liter V6 with 333 horsepower. A massive 5.0-liter V8 is optional and delivers a borderline-insane 429 horsepower.

Precisely tying the bad-boy Hyundai in trunk volume is Volkswagen’s Americanized Passat. This midsized sedan offers up 15.9 cubic feet of boot space in a slightly tidier package than the Genesis, albeit one that’s probably a lot less entertaining to drive.

Glancing over the spec sheet nothing really stands out about the Passat. All of its key dimensions, from wheelbase to rear-seat legroom to the size of its fuel tank fall just about in the middle of this comparison. It’s probably exactly the way Vee-Dub engineered it.

SEE ALSO: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Review

One exciting thing about the Passat is the availability of a diesel engine. Its 2.0-liter TDI delivers 140 horsepower with a giant lump of torque, 236 lb-ft. Interestingly that little oil-burner can be matched with a shift-it-yourself six-speed manual transmission. For this reason alone you should consider buying a Passat.

In AutoGuide’s first-ever Battle of the Boots the Toyota Avalon comes in fifth place. This quite-large-but-curiously-still-midsize sedan delivers an even 16 cubic feet of trunk space. Hybrid models are slightly less voluminous at just 14 cubic feet. Blame the car’s energy-storing nickel-metal-hydride battery pack for eating up some of the available space.

The Avalon’s big claim to fame is a stylish new body, which was just introduced for the 2013 model year. This car, along with the Scion FR-S, is proof the company is delivering on President Akio Toyoda’s commitment to sell more exciting, emotional vehicles.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Review

Behind its bold new grille opening sits a 3.5-liter V6 engine that puts out 268 horsepower with 248 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, hybrid versions are considerably less powerful but they deliver some damn-impressive fuel-economy numbers. According to the EPA, electrified Avalons should be able to stretch a gallon of regular-grade gasoline 40 miles in city driving and 39 miles on the highway.

Along with the Avalon, Chrysler’s 300 is this list’s tastemaker. Both cars feature attractive designs and are probably the prettiest vehicles in the segment.

And just like the bodacious Genesis, this spacious four-door is rear-wheel drive. Matching its South Korean counterpart blow for blow, it too offers a choice of V6 and V8 engines, though Chrysler’s offerings aren’t quite as insane as Hyundai’s. The base powerplant delivers 292 horsepower while the optional Hemi pounds the pavement with 363.

SEE ALSO: 2011 Chrysler 300 Review

As for trunk space, the Chrysler 300 is near the top, with 16.3 cubic feet of mafia-boss-approved volume. Curiously it lost third-place honors on this list to its near-identical twin.

Barely edging out its showroom doppelganger, the Dodge Charger takes bronze in the AutoGuide trunk-volume competition. This full-figured Mopar shares so many dimensions with the Chrysler 300 it’s surprising their trunks are different sizes. The two cars have identical fuel tanks, capable of holding 19.1 gallons. They have the same amount of rear-seat legroom, and at more than 120 inches the wheelbase shared by these two cars is the longest in this comparison.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Dodge Charger Review

As for trunk volume, the Charger edges out the 300 by just two-tenths of a cubic foot. The Dodge has 16.5 cubes of room verses 16.3 for the Chrysler. If you’re curious about the Charger’s powertrains look no further than the fourth-place finisher.

Bringing the thunder, Chevrolet’s decidedly old-school Impala trounces Chrysler’s sedan offerings with a trunk so capacious it rivals a tractor-trailer cargo container. The bow-tie brand’s value-focused four-door delivers 18.6 cubic feet of luggage volume, handily beating the Dodge Charger by more than two cubes.

SEE ALSO: 2009 Chevrolet Impala Review

If bang-for-your-buck is a top priority, act fast. Today’s version of the venerable Impala is not long for this world. It’s slated to be replaced with a completely new version for the 2014 model year. The upcoming car is a real style statement and should bring the Impala nameplate into the 21st century.

And here it is, the most spacious schlepper in AutoGuide’s Battle of the Boots. Livery drivers rejoice, Ford’s raging bull takes top honors with more than 20 cubic feet of volume in its aft cargo hold.

At 112 inches the car’s wheelbase is the third longest in this competition, falling behind the lanky Chrysler twins and Hyundai’s Genesis. Luggage capacity must have been a top priority for engineers because when it comes to interior space the Taurus is one of the smaller cars in this comparison.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Ford Taurus Review

What it lacks in cabin room though, it more than makes up for with choice. Buyers have three engines to pick from and can even opt for all-wheel drive. The mainstream powerplant is a 3.5-liter V6 delivering 288 horsepower. Economy-minded shoppers can spend a little more up front to save some cash at the gas pump. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is optional and delivers up to 32 miles per gallon on the highway. Also, driving enthusiasts can go with the SHO, which offers a 365 horsepower twin-turbocharged V6.

But at the end of the day cargo capacity is what this Top 10 list is all about, and the Ford Taurus is our junk-in-the-trunk champ.