Lack of Cargo Space

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trac1

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Oct 20, 2023
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Is anyone else concerned with how small the cargo area is with the hybrid battery? When I look at pictures of the cargo area of the U.S. model with the hybrid battery compared to the German LC with no battery the difference is huge. Even looking at the GX the difference between the models with third row with is similar to the battery and that with no battery is massive. Looking at the vent on the right hand sign you can really see the difference in depth.
GX with third row 76.9 / 40.2 / 10.3 cu ft
GX no third row 90.5 / 45.6 / - cu ft
IMG_0182.PNG
IMG_0180.PNG
 
They certainly protected the battery, a good thing, but obviously with a loss of cargo space. Lexus has a hybrid variant of their GX 550 coming. It will be interesting to see how it is implemented, as all but their Overtrail trim levels are 3-row seating.
 
The poorly designed cargo area is what kept me from buying a Sequoia, and might keep me out of the LC.

I'm probably going to get cold feet and just buy a 5th Gen 4Runner.
 
It’s unfortunate that the battery takes up cabin space, but the saving grace in my eyes is the tall ceilings which will hopefully still allow for large objects.

Although grasping at straws, two advantages of the raised floor: the little compartments are nice for storing things so they’re out of the way, and when you put items in the vehicle from the rear window, they don’t have to go down as far to hit the floor.

I will have to use some ingenuity to make a mattress lie flat, but it should be possible.
 
While we're on the topic of the load floor...The back seats are also a really stupid design for a non-three-row SUV. They need to fold flat, not tumble forward. Now they're even more in the way of cargo because now there's a giant dip between the load floor and the tumbled seats.

4Runner is still going to be the better cargo hauler because of this.

Not sure if it's going to be a dealbreaker or not, I need to put my butt in one first.
 
APIOQM said:
It’s unfortunate that the battery takes up cabin space, but the saving grace in my eyes is the tall ceilings which will hopefully still allow for large objects.
Click to expand...

I agree the height of the vehicle helps. That looks to be about the same cargo space as the 4runner I have now with the third row folded down. I don't see it being an issue at all.
 
Paint said:
While we're on the topic of the load floor...The back seats are also a really stupid design for a non-three-row SUV. They need to fold flat, not tumble forward. Now they're even more in the way of cargo because now there's a giant dip between the load floor and the tumbled seats.
Click to expand...

In the US, the seats can tumble or fold down to create somewhat of a flat surface.

Rear-seats-fold-and-flip-in-the-2024-Toyota-Land-Cruiser.jpeg
 
supersix said:
I agree the height of the vehicle helps. That looks to be about the same cargo space as the 4runner I have now with the third row folded down. I don't see it being an issue at all.
Click to expand...
I'm not a huge fan of the raised floor, but I AM a huge fan of the fact it'll get almost double the mileage of my Tundra. Life is about compromises, and I think this one's likely to be worth it.
 
supersix said:
In the US, the seats can tumble or fold down to create somewhat of a flat surface.
Click to expand...

I hadn't seen it partially folded. Thanks for that pic.

Not the worst. It's still probably a solid 6-8" difference from the floor to the front of that folded seat. Better than the giant hole (demonstrated by the other seat in that pic) of a fully tumbled seat.

It's just a bad choice, in my opinion. No third row means there's zero point to that design. They could have made them fold completely flat, since that battery sits a few inches up. Just like in the 4Runners with the sliding rear cargo tray. Easily converted into a sleeping area or hauling. This setup makes it good for...Uh...Not a lot. They threw a compromise in there for no reason. MAYBE if they're going to add a third row in a year, this makes sense.

But since I messed around with the Sequoia's rear cargo setup, this is hardly surprising. Whomever is in charge of this department at Toyota has been promoted one step past their competence level.
 
Skidaddl said:
I'm not a huge fan of the raised floor, but I AM a huge fan of the fact it'll get almost double the mileage of my Tundra. Life is about compromises, and I think this one's likely to be worth it.
Click to expand...
Same on the mileage. I also have a Tundra. Over 160k miles, I've averaged 12.9 MPG. I knew that going in, it still gets old though.
 
I was sold on the Sequoia especially the 21/24 MPG for a full-size SUV. Until I experienced it live at the auto show last January. I use the back for the dog and that is a long way to lift the pooch on the top shelf! In addition, 99% of all the You Tube reviewers gave the back floor “Shelf” system horrible reviews. I can’t believe how it made it past R&D…

The Lexus GX is a sweet looking vehicle. I am trying to get more practical and stop spending $$ on want’s rather than needs. If it had decent fuel efficiency, then the premium fuel requirement would not bother me as much. I currently have an XC 90 that require premium, but I get 21mpg. I have owned 3 Volvos, but they are going all electric so looking to move to another brand….

I was reading an article about the development, and it was saying that 90% plus of the US Land Cruisers will never go off road. So unfortunately, it may not have been a concern of the US version about a flat floor to sleep on. Most of the markets outside the US are getting a 3rd row and a diesel that I would have paid extra for!!!

To fit the battery there is no magic and they need to fit it somewhere. On Nov 21st there was a “Detailed Interior Dimensions” video posted with the 3rd row seats. It looks like the engineers swap out the third row for a battery and maybe a couple more vertical inches were sacrificed. It will be interesting what the US dimensions will be with the battery pack. Assuming the GX in the US with the 3rd row will be close to the same. We will not know until all the official specs are released but it is a much better job than the Sequoia where they have the 3rd row and the battery pack.
 
trac1 said:
Is anyone else concerned with how small the cargo area is with the hybrid battery? When I look at pictures of the cargo area of the U.S. model with the hybrid battery compared to the German LC with no battery the difference is huge. Even looking at the GX the difference between the models with third row with is similar to the battery and that with no battery is massive. Looking at the vent on the right hand sign you can really see the difference in depth.
GX with third row 76.9 / 40.2 / 10.3 cu ft
GX no third row 90.5 / 45.6 / - cu ft
Click to expand...

Where is a reliable source for such informations:
"The GX460 has average cargo space for a luxury midsize SUV. There’s 11.6 cubic feet of room behind the third row, 46.7 cubic feet behind the second row and 64.7 cubic feet behind the first row"
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/lexus/gx/interior

"The standard two-row 4Runner has 47.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 89.7 cubic feet with the second row folded down. Those values are more than what most other midsize SUVs offer. If you opt for the third row, you get 9 cubic feet behind the rearmost seats, 46.3 cubic feet with the third row folded and 88.8 cubic feet with all the rear seats down. "

Hard to believe....
 
Skidaddl said:
I'm not a huge fan of the raised floor, but I AM a huge fan of the fact it'll get almost double the mileage of my Tundra. Life is about compromises, and I think this one's likely to be worth it.
Click to expand...
I agree, for me the increase in fuel efficiency is high on the priority list. Cargo area falls near the bottom in my case. Would love it if I can fit a bicycle back there but if not a hitch rack solves that dilemma. The overlanding users are not likely to feel the same which is understandable. For groceries etc. I can’t imagine the raised floor will ever be a problem.
 
German88 said:
I agree, for me the increase in fuel efficiency is high on the priority list. Cargo area falls near the bottom in my case. Would love it if I can fit a bicycle back there but if not a hitch rack solves that dilemma. The overlanding users are not likely to feel the same which is understandable. For groceries etc. I can’t imagine the raised floor will ever be a problem.
Click to expand...
Yep, same for me. Groceries, skis, fishing gear, backpacks, and perhaps some occasional luggage is all I'll likely ever carry in there.
 
The third row is basically a swap for the battery pack.

You can see the how the vents line up on the seats of the GX with the seats and the Land Cruiser. Basically the same space is used for the battery or the 3rd row of seats. So if you want the extra space you can spend 70K for the GX Overtrail to opt out of the 3rd row. Every other trim has the 3rd row. Assuming when and if the GX is offered with the Hybrid they will pull the 3rd row of seats as well.

1703882052800.png
 
supersix said:
In the US, the seats can tumble or fold down to create somewhat of a flat surface.

Rear-seats-fold-and-flip-in-the-2024-Toyota-Land-Cruiser.jpeg
Click to expand...

For sleeping in the back, I'd probably build a half platform to go on the 60 side of the 60:40 split bringing the cargo area level with the folded seatback. That would then allow storage under the 5" tall platform and I enter the cargo area from the driver side with the seat tumbled. Not perfectly ideal, but I can make lemonade out of those lemons.

The only downside of sleeping in my 4Runner currently is the seat bottom flipped up and the seatback flipped down means I have to climb on top of the seatback. There isn't a nice way to enter and exit the car because I have to jump on top of the seatback and the roof isn't especially high.

This does make me curious about the 6th gen 4Runner rear seats. Currently, there are 2 different 2nd row seats. This makes me think that the 4Runner may follow the LC.
 
Tallmadge41 said:
I was sold on the Sequoia especially the 21/24 MPG for a full-size SUV. Until I experienced it live at the auto show last January. I use the back for the dog and that is a long way to lift the pooch on the top shelf! In addition, 99% of all the You Tube reviewers gave the back floor “Shelf” system horrible reviews. I can’t believe how it made it past R&D…
Click to expand...

I'd pull the 3rd row out the sequoia completely. It cleans up pretty nicely and lowers the cargo floor massively. There are quite a few people that have done that. It seems like a pretty simple job.

 
Hi all, Happy New Year. Please do not forget, new 4Runner is coming with 3 rows as standard. Thus, cargo space will be severely limited.
 
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