Honda Odyssey Luggage Test | How much space behind third row?

The Honda Odyssey is a modern minivan, and as such it's absolutely gigantic. That is obviously not news. And yet, the Odyssey still managed to blow me away with its cargo-carrying ability. 

Now, like the various three-row crossovers and SUVs I've luggage tested, I only checked to see how many pieces of luggage from my garage would fit behind the raised third-row seat. The most voluminous crossover I've tested and indeed one of the most voluminous three-row crossovers, period, the Hyundai Palisade, could fit the four biggest suitcases I own. Pretty good, but sorry Palisade, you're about to be crushed.

The specs say there is 32.8 cubic feet behind the Odyssey's raised third row. The Palisade has 18. The Honda Pilot has 16.5. So yeah, the Odyssey has more.

Besides this space being wider and taller, it benefits from the vast bin that's needed to stow away the folded third row (a feature that originated in the second-generation Odyssey and spread to every other minivan).

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). 

Well, duh, it all fit. That was to be a given, but I was still stunned by how much space was left over regardless of how you stack the bags. 

Hell, it all fit even when I reclined the third row to its fullest and almost comical degree.

Now, let's see what it takes to fill'er up.

That would be a 38-quart cooler and small duffle bag, and we're still not up to the seat line. The Graco Pack N Play box I frequently use almost certainly would've fit, meaning that the Odyssey can fit nearly as much behind its third row as a Toyota 4Runner can fit behind its second row (pictured below). And the 4Runner is an enormous box that's the current leader in the clubhouse for luggage testing. 

So yeah, the Odyssey can obviously haul a lot of stuff, even when full of people. It's almost overkill. Really, this mostly goes to show how much space you're giving up by going with a large crossover instead of a minivan.