One of my greatest triumphs as luggage test czar has been managing to fit all six bags into the trunk of a Ford Mustang coupe. Doing so came with a pretty big asterisk (the bags were more squished than I would usually allow, but it was a Mustang, not a CR-V, so who really cares?) and quite a few nicks to my poor hands (the bags weren’t the only things smashed on occasion), but I was so close to making it happen that I just had to bend the rules (and my digits) to get’er done. A badge of honor, if you will, for both the Mustang and your not-especially-humble luggage tester extraordinaire.
There is now a new Mustang, however, so it’s time to see if I can repeat the feat. Immediately, the spec sheet would indicate I was going to have an even harder time of it. The Mustang Coupe’s trunk has shrunk to 13.3 cubic-feet versus 13.5. Normally, I’d say “who cares,” but may I remind you of all that bag and finger squishing last time? Either way, a 13.3-cubic-foot trunk is still very good for a coupe. That’s bigger than quite a few sedans, especially in the luxury realm, and the last Mustang drove that point home — the BMW 3 Series sedans, Polestar 2, the Cadillac CT4 and CT5, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Alfa Romeo Giulia all did worse than the last Mustang. Let’s see how the new one does!
Here is the trunk. It’s worth pointing out here that despite the large volume, the opening is quite small and unusually shaped. This is a big reason for all that finger squishing.
Well, that’s all there is to say about that, let’s get to the bags. As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife’s fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).
Now, because of the last Mustang’s success in the test, but also because of (again) all that finger squishing, I figured I’d make things easier for myself and attempt the same Tetris formation that worked last time. The new Mustang is, after all, an evolution of the previous generation rather than a from-scratch creation. Then again, it did lose two-tenths of a cubic foot.
Fail.
Clearly the trunks are different. The main culprit is that the new one comes inward more from the taillights (notice there’s more space between taillight and opening).
This is not the end, however. Just because the bags won’t fit in the same formation as last time doesn’t mean they aren’t going to fit. It just means my hands are in for another workout.
Before we move on …
The Mustang has cavities on both sides of the trunk that aid in luggage-stuffing. The one on the right side is more useful, and although the last-generation Mustang I tested had a similar cavity, it was stuffed with a subwoofer in my Mach 1 test car. This 2024 Mustang GT doesn’t have one of those. In a way, I suspect that means THIS Mustang actually has more cargo volume than THAT Mustang even though the 2024 Mustang in general has less cargo volume than the 2015-2023 Ford Mustang in general.
OK, moving on …
Tada! It can be done! It can be done! Ish.
It took quite a few attempts, just like before, and I was all set to give up when I moved this bag here and that bag there, and it all clicked. This takes advantage of the cavity on the right, and allows for all the bags to fit. BARELY.
The fancy bag looks the most squished, but much like in the last Mustang test, it’s really just the fancy bits up top that are squished. It could be packed just fine and fit. The rest of the bags, however …
Basically, all the bags were squished to the point that they really couldn’t be packed full and still fit. As such, all six bags don’t really fit. If this was a car or SUV in a mass-market, consumer-oriented segment, there’s no way I’d do this. But it’s a Mustang, so again, who cares?
Also, if there were just an extra inch in every direction — hell, an extra centimeter — there’d be no problem at all. They really would all fit. It’s just that close. If I didn’t try to fit it all in, and instead left a bag out, there’d be a bunch of extra space remaining.
As such, I still think this is impressive. And a great feat for the Mustang and this luggage tester. Huzzah.
