The most spacious medium SUV to own in 2022

Interior space and practicality are important factors to consider when making a car purchase. We delve deeper into the most spacious medium SUV in Australia and, more importantly, explain how it claimed its title.

Interior space has never been more relevant, especially when you take into consideration the number of growing families that are buying SUVs. 

As part of our medium SUV Megatest, we went beyond measuring space based on appearance; rather, we broke out the tape measure to thoroughly assess the dimensions of each cabin.

This included measuring elbow width, knee room, headroom, cargo width, height and length, along with luggage load height and luggage door maximum height.

Once all of these components were measured for each vehicle, we then ranked them accordingly. The Subaru Forester was crowned the most spacious, with the Honda CR-V finishing second ahead of the Haval H6.

The MG fell short on real-world interior room and finished at the bottom. Another surprise was the Mitsubishi Outlander, which has the largest exterior of the bunch. The Outlander was the only seven-seater in this Megatest, but unfortunately sacrificed useable interior space for the additional seats.

Check out our top three below:

First: Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester boasts the biggest headroom in both the front and rear. It also ranked highly for elbow width in the front along with a decent luggage load height.

It sat further down in the rankings for cargo length but was high on the list for its cargo height. It scores ample storage space throughout with a slot for your smartphone, handy compartments in the centre region and decent-sized door bins.

Second: Honda CR-V

The second row of the CR-V has the most generous knee room that makes it feel incredibly spacious. It also ranked highly for its elbow width up front, boasts generous cargo height, and has the most generous luggage load height of the bunch.

While the team were divided by the old-style gearshifter, the fact that it sits up higher gives this car ample storage space in the centre console. It contains a convenient lift-up centre compartment and decent-sized cupholders in the centre and doors.

Third: Haval H6

The H6 finished on top in the rankings for elbow width both front and rear, along with cargo height and cargo capacity in the boot.

Storage is one of the best in the class, with a large centre console including an open compartment underneath that is large enough to fit a small handbag.

To find out how the rest of the bunch fared, be sure to check out our full article of Australia’s best value Medium SUV in 2022.

Interior dimensions and ranking: