Ford Expedition Cargo Test: How Much Stuff Can Ford's Largest SUV Haul?

• The Ford Expedition's spec sheet shows it has 22.9 cubic feet of space behind the third row.
• That's less than the Expedition's chief rival, the Chevy Tahoe.
• Our real-world test shows how much the Expedition can really fit in the way-way back.

Here is the Expedition's cargo area. As this is a new generation, it's important to note that the cargo area grew for 2025, expanding from 19.3 cubic feet to 22.9 cubes. I cargo tested the old generation a very long time ago, so I will have an idea about how much it has improved. 

Here is one area that's definitely an improvement: the Expedition's split tailgate. True, the old Expedition had flip-up glass, but this is much better. 

I had this feature on my 2013 BMW X5 and I loved it. First, you can open the cargo area without worrying about bowling balls or whatever rolling out. Second, you can load all the way to the edge without worrying that you've exceeded the liftgate's closing point. Third, you can use the tailgate while the cargo area is fully loaded to repack something, change a diaper or ... whatever you need it to.  

Next up, notice that the floor is angled upward from the tailgate. The Rivian R1S had something like this to bridge the small height difference between its liftgate sill and its folded seatbacks, but that's not what's going on here. Instead ...

That ramp is there to create room for the multifunctional table/shelf lurking under the floor. 

Upper left: Shelf/table in stowed position with floor removed.

Upper right: Shelf/table in shelf position creating a double-deck cargo area that's great for groceries.

Lower left: Shelf/table in table position propped onto the tailgate.

Lower right: I'm not sure why you'd need this given the tailgate, but the shelf/table can be used as a sort of barricade thing? 

This is a really great feature. The shelf/table itself is also a real solid piece, but the plastic clasps that drop down to hold it feel brittle and likely to break. 

You can also remove the shelf/table entirely, which creates a flat floor with the tailgate. 

OK, time for the bags. Here's some nice boilerplate information about the bags I use and their dimensions. There are two bags you'd definitely have to check at the airport: Big Gray (26 inches long x 16.5 inches wide x 12 inches deep) and Big Blue (26 x 16.5 x 10). There are three roll-aboards that usually fit as carry-ons: Medium Tall (24 x 14 x 9), Medium Wide (23 x 15 x 9) and the smaller Green Bag (21 x 14 x 9.5). Finally, there's everyone's favorite Fancy Bag (21 x 12 x 11), a medium-size duffle.

All six of the main bags fit, which is a rare feat for three-row SUVs of any kind. 

First, this does indeed better the previous-generation Expedition. Its cargo area wasn't wide enough to hold my biggest bags next to each other, nor was there enough space between the seatback and the liftgate to allow me to stack them up like this. Basically, remove my Big Gray bag and that's all that fit in the old Expedition. 

Second, this also betters the Chevy Tahoe. While the Tahoe could technically hold the same six bags, the Fancy Bag was touching the roof and rear visibility was too severely reduced. That's against Cargo Test Safety Rules. The reason for the difference is actually due to width. Once again, the Tahoe wasn't wide enough to hold my two biggest bags next to each other. You can see its result here. 

For the Tahoe, I simply swapped out the Fancy Bag for a slightly smaller duffel bag. Minimal difference but ultimately a significant one. 

Now, we've already loaded up the cargo area, but something bigger than the Fancy Bag can obviously fit. Let's see what that can be.

It's a second Green Bag (which is real BTW and not the previous Photoshopped imaginary Green Bag that's appeared on occasion). Visibility was still acceptable.

Essentially, the difference between the Expedition and Tahoe is the difference between the second Green Bag (21 x 14 x 9.5) that fit in the Ford and the Edmunds Golf Classic Duffel Bag that fit in the Tahoe (20 x 10.5 x 10.5). It also means that six people can each have their own real suitcase in the Ford. 

And finally, for those of you diligently following along with this cargo test series, you might recall the Lincoln Navigator cargo test. Just in case you don't, though, the Expedition's fancy cousin has the exact same cargo volume and had the exact same cargo test result. Go figure, eh?

As I did the Navigator test first, I naturally decided to make my life easier and simply put my bags into the Expedition in the same formation as I did in the Navigator. So I did that ... and the liftgate wouldn't close. "What the heck?" I exclaimed, but with a totally different final word. It took me a second to figure out what was going on.

You see, third rows usually recline. When doing a cargo test, I jump into the third row and set that recline to what seems like the default "comfortable" angle. Not bolt upright to maximize cargo space and not the full Fat Joe lean back in order to maximize comfort. The problem with the Expedition and Navigator is that the third row is power-operated, meaning there are infinite stopping points instead of a manual seat's set angles. 

As such, even though I set the Expedition's third-row seatback angle to what I thought felt equally "comfortable," it was in fact about a centimeter more reclined than what I did in the Navigator. I tapped the recline button ever so slightly, and whattya know, the liftgate closed. That was a great relief.