2020 Porsche 911 Luggage Test | Keep the suitcases coming

A Porsche 911 might not be the first choice when it comes to packing in a bunch of luggage — the Macan and Cayenne are your pack mule options — but don’t let its sports car shape fool you. The 2+2 rear-engined track scalpel is surprisingly able at fitting a getaway’s worth of stuff in a cinch.

Like every 911, the 992’s main storage bay is up front (aka “the frunk”). Pop the front hood with the key or floor pull, slide the latch to the side, and you’re in. And wow it’s deep! I remember barely being able to squeeze in my baseball bag in my dad’s 1979 911 SC on the way to practice as a kid. Now a whole adult could feasibly curl up into the cavernous hole of the 2020 Porsche 911. The 911 has obviously grown a lot since 1979, and it keeps getting bigger each year.

The equipment: Two carry-on suitcases sized (24 inches long, 15.5 wide, 10 deep); one carry-on suitcase (21.7L x 13.7W x 9 D); one medium-size suitcase you have to check (24.5L x 16.8W x 11.5D) and the fancy bag wildcard (22L x 8.8W x 12D). The full-size suitcases didn’t get the call this time around.

I’m immediately emboldened to throw two fairly standard carry-on bags into the 4.6-cubic-foot hole. They fit like a glove, nestling down in there with just enough space for the front edge of the hood to close. There’s still room further back where the hood provides more clearance, but you aren’t getting any more bags up there. Regardless, I think that fitting two carry-on bags in the front trunk of a 911 is superb by any measure.

The 911’s real utility trick is its set of backseats it’s had since the start of 911 time. Keep them up to throw the kids back there, or put them down to reveal an impressive luggage shelf. As the 911 grows, the usefulness of this area does the same, measuring in at 9.2 cubic-feet of space officially. To get access to the back seats, you’ll need to yank the pull strap on the front seat and then motor it on forward. Once that’s done, the backseats can be folded down via an easy-to-access pull tab on the backs themselves. They fall down all on their own, and you’re left with a completely flat loading shelf. Plus there’s a second shelf one level up from this one that also works for storing things.

This looks great, but it’s not particularly easy to access storage. There really is no graceful way to load or unload this particular area of the car (one reason why the 997 Targa’s hatch-like rear glass was such a great feature). I start by long-tossing the medium-sized checked bag into the upper level shelf. It’s immediately apparent that the bag is going to inhibit my view out the rear window, but that’s the consequence of the shallow shelf. This area is definitely best for a long and short duffel bag, not a big suitcase.

The carry-on slots in on the lower shelf, and the fancy bag fits next to it. Now, the fancy bag does hang off the shelf, but I’m confident that it’s sufficiently wedged between the front seat and the shelf to remain in place. Porsche puts a raised edge on the shelf to keep large items at bay, and it’s sized perfectly for a standard carry-on bag. The lower shelf is big enough for one of these carry-ons, but it’s simply not wide enough to fit another.

Getting stuff out of the back is just as annoying as packing it in the first place. Sitting on the sill might help, but it’s a long reach to the top shelf back there, so get contorting. I didn’t pull any muscles, and I came away mildly amused and impressed at how many things you can put into this sports car (much like Riswick found with the Lexus LC 500). It may not look utilitarian from the outside, but the 911 would make a lovely companion on a trip requiring multiple bags of luggage. Many other sports cars can’t say the same.

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