The pumpkin is the quintessential Halloween decoration and the subject of a fun study and infographic from GMPartsOnline.net. The McAllen, Texas, outfit has measured the cargo capacity of Chevy’s SUV lineup in pumpkins (based on 2018 model specs). Spoiler alert: the Suburban holds the most, but the smaller SUVs fit more pumpkins than one might think. Chevy’s small SUVs shine at the pumpkin patch when comparing cargo capacity behind the last row of seats.
Pumpkin Math
Yes, pumpkin math is a thing. The GMPartsOnline.net team devised this system rather than loading each individual pumpkin into each SUV. Instead, they created “pumpkin math,” which works like so:
- The average, medium-sized Jack-O-Lantern breed is typically nine to 10 inches tall, seven to 10 inches around, and weighs an average of 14 lbs.
- According to pumpkin farmers surveyed by GMPartsOnline.net, roughly 85 medium-size Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins will fit inside a standard, 36-inch bulk produce bin.
- With a volume of 40 cubic feet in that 36-inch bin, it’s estimated there are 2.1 pumpkins per cubic foot of cargo space.
Small Surprises
When the pumpkin math was applied to each member of Chevy’s SUV family, there were a few surprises. Bigger does not mean more storage space for pumpkins, especially in the cargo area behind the last row of seats. Here are the results when applied to Chevy SUVs from the 2018 model year:
- 2018 Trax: 18.7 cubic feet behind the 2nd row, which equals 39 pumpkins.
- 2018 Equinox: 29.9 cubic feet behind the 2nd row, which equals 63 pumpkins.
- 2018 Traverse: 23 cubic feet behind the 3rd row, which equals 48 pumpkins.
- 2018 Tahoe: 15.3 cubic feet behind the 3rd row, which equals 32 pumpkins.
- 2018 Suburban: 39.3 cubic feet behind the 3rd row, which equals 83 pumpkins.
“We thought it would be fun to use pumpkins to compare the cargo space behind the last row of seats for each Chevy SUV,” explained Angel Vigil, Director of GMPartsOnline.net. “Imagine our surprise when we learned that the entry-level Chevy Trax can hold more pumpkins than a Tahoe.”
Trax & Equinox Are Halloween Heroes
The Tahoe threw us for a loop as we expected it would be able to haul more pumpkins than what the math indicated. If you are doing some last-minute pumpkin carving and own a Tahoe, it might have to stay in the garage. However, if you own a Trax or Equinox, you are in good shape.
“The Tahoe doesn’t have quite as much cargo capacity as the Trax when that third-row seat is up, which means it is not the best choice for pumpkin hauling duty,” Vigil said. “The Suburban is the winner, but the Equinox is the surprise.”
The infographic below shows how many pumpkins each Chevy SUV can hold based on 2018 model year specs. This isn’t the first crazy, fun study Vigil and his team have come up with at work. One afternoon, when it was slow, they debated whether a 1991 GMC Syclone could outrun a Chevy Camaro SS 1LE. “There were only about 3,000 of them made,” Vigil said of the Syclone. “They’re still highly collectible.”
